Iowa Hawkeyes

Iowa Hawkeyes
Current season: 2023 Iowa Hawkeyes
First season	1889
Athletic director	Gary Barta
Head coach	Kirk Ferentz
	24th year, 186–115 (.618)
Home stadium	Kinnick Stadium
Stadium capacity	69,251
Stadium surface	Field Turf
Location	Iowa City, Iowa
League	NCAA Division I
Conference	Big Ten
Division	West
Past conferences	Independent (1889–1891; 1897–1899) Western Interstate University Football Association (1892–1896) Missouri Valley (1907–1910)
All-time history
All-time record	685–570–39 (.544)
Postseason bowl record	20–17–1 (.539)
Claimed national titles	1 (Unclaimed)
Conference titles	13
Heisman winners	1
Consensus All-Americans	31
Current uniform
Colors	Black and Gold
Fight song	Iowa Fight Song
Mascot	Herky the Hawk
Marching band	Hawkeye Marching Band
Outfitter	Nike
Rivals	Iowa State Cyclones Minnesota Golden Gophers Nebraska Cornhuskers Wisconsin Badgers
Website	Iowa Hawkeyes football

The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The team is currently coached by Kirk Ferentz. The Hawkeyes are a member of the NCAA FBS Big Ten Conference, playing their home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa, which has a capacity of 69,251.

The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Since 2011, Iowa has competed in the Big Ten's Legends Division.

History

• Main article: History of Iowa Hawkeyes football

Football was first played as a club sport at Iowa in 1872, with intramural games against other colleges played as early as 1882, but it was not until 1889 that the University of Iowa first officially recognized a varsity football team. In 1899, Iowa completed its first undefeated football season, which led to an invitation to join the Western Conference, now known as the Big Ten Conference, the following year. In 1900, the Hawkeyes secured another undefeated season and won a share of the Western Conference title in their first year in the league.

Iowa claimed consecutive Big Ten titles in 1921 and 1922. The Hawkeyes won 20 straight games in the early 1920s under the guidance of Hall of Fame coach Howard Jones. Jones soon left Iowa and established a powerhouse at USC, and the Hawkeyes were abysmal for most of the 1930s. As a result, little was expected of Iowa’s 1939 team, led by new coach Eddie Anderson. Nicknamed the “Ironmen”, the 1939 Hawkeyes scored several upset victories and vaulted into the national rankings. Though Iowa fell a game short of the Big Ten title, team MVP Nile Kinnick won almost every major national award, including the 1939 Heisman Trophy.

Forest Evashevski was hired as Iowa’s head coach in 1952. He lured Calvin Jones to Iowa, where Jones became the first Hawkeye – and the first African-American – to win the Outland Trophy in 1955. From 1956 to 1960, Evashevski led Iowa to four finishes in the top five of the national rankings, three Big Ten Conference titles, two Rose Bowl victories, and the 1958 FWAA national championship. After the 1960 season, Evashevski left coaching to become Iowa’s athletic director. The result was nineteen consecutive non-winning seasons for the Hawkeyes from 1962 to 1980.

Four head coaches after Evashevski were hired and left without success. Hall of Fame coach Hayden Fry was hired after the 1978 season to try to reverse Iowa’s fortunes. After decades of losing, Fry revived the Iowa program. In 20 years at Iowa, he led the Hawks to 14 bowl games, three Big Ten titles, and three Rose Bowl appearances. Fry retired in 1998, turning the program over to former assistant Kirk Ferentz. Ferentz led Iowa to three consecutive top ten finishes from 2002 to 2004 and two Big Ten titles. The Hawkeyes have played in eight bowl games in the past nine seasons and in 22 bowl games over the last 29 seasons. Iowa has cracked the top 25 at the end of the season five times during the Kirk Ferentz era - No. 8 in 2002–04, No. 20 in 2008, and No. 7 in 2009. Iowa will begin its 122nd season of football, and its 111th season in the Big Ten, in 2010. Among the legends that Fry left behind is the iconic pink visitors locker room, as well as a statement he made the day he started as Iowa Head Coach that he would take the team to a bowl game within four years, or he would step down. He would not only succeed in his boast, by sending Iowa to the 1982 Rose Bowl, he would do it in three years, coming in one year under his statement.

The "Lean" years

Iowa has had several successful coaches. Forest Evashevski won the Rose Bowl twice when he coached from 1952 through the 1960 season, when he retired. Hayden Fry came to Iowa in 1979. Kirk Ferentz coached after Hayden Fry retired after the 1998 season. In the 18 years between Evashevski and Fry, the Hawkeyes went without a single winning season.

After Evashevski retired, Jerry Burns coached from 1961 though 1965. He had a 16-27-2 record. Ray Nagel followed from 1966-1970 with a 16-32-2 record. Frank Lauterbur followed, coaching from 1971 -1973 with a 4-28-1 record, with a 0-11 record in 1973. Bob Commings coached the Hawkeyes from 1974-1978. His record was 18 wins and 37 losses.

Ray Nagel finally won a game in his last year of coaching. He was quoted, “You can beat an egg, you can beat a rug, but you can’t beat a win.” This quote probably showed the sense of relief the coach felt for finally winning a game.

All-time record vs. Big Ten opponents

School	Iowa Record	Streak	1st Meeting
Illinois	31–38–2	Won 2	1899
Indiana	44–28–4	Won 2	1912
Maryland	1-1-0	Won 1	2014
Michigan	14–41–4	Won 1	1900
Michigan State	23–21–2	Lost 2	1954
Minnesota	45–62–2	Won 1	1891
Nebraska	14–29–3	Won 1	1891
Northwestern	50-24–3	Won 3	1897
Ohio State	14-47–3	Lost 5	1922
Penn State	12-13–0	Lost 1	1930
Purdue	37-46–3	Won 3	1910
Rutgers	0-0-0
Wisconsin	43-44–2	Won 1	1894

Championships and Rankings

National championships

Iowa finished the 1958 regular season ranked #2 in the AP poll, behind 11–0 LSU, although that vote was taken before the bowl games. Iowa convincingly won the 1959 Rose Bowl, 38–12, setting or tying six Rose Bowl records. The Football Writers Association of America, arguably one of the most prestigious organizations at the time to vote on a national champion after the bowls were played, gave their national championship trophy, the Grantland Rice Award, to Iowa.

Year	Coach	Selector	Record	Bowl Game
1958	Forest Evashevski	Football Writers Association of America	8–1–1	Rose Bowl

Conference championships

Iowa has won 13 major conference championships in school history. Iowa was a member of the Western Interstate University Football Association prior to joining the Western Conference, now known as the Big Ten, in 1900. Iowa was also a member of the Missouri Valley Conference from 1907-1910. Iowa currently claims 11 Big Ten Conference championships:

Year	Coach	Conference Record	Overall Record	Outright/Shared	Bowl Game
1896	Alfred E. Bull1	3–0–1	7–1–1	Outright
1900	Alden Knipe	2–0–1	7–0–1	Shared
1907	Mark Catlin, Sr.2	1–0–0	3–2–0	Shared
1921	Howard Jones	5–0–0	7–0–0	Outright
1922	Howard Jones	5–0–0	7–0–0	Shared
1956	Forest Evashevski	5–1–0	9–1–0	Outright	Won Rose Bowl
1958	Forest Evashevski	5–1–0	8–1–1	Outright	Won Rose Bowl
1960	Forest Evashevski	5–1–0	8–1–0	Shared
1981	Hayden Fry	6–2–0	8–4–0	Shared	Lost Rose Bowl
1985	Hayden Fry	7–1–0	10–2–0	Outright	Lost Rose Bowl
1990	Hayden Fry	6–2–0	8–4–0	Shared	Lost Rose Bowl
2002	Kirk Ferentz	8–0–0	11–2–0	Shared	Lost Orange Bowl
2004	Kirk Ferentz	7–1–0	10–2–0	Shared	Won Capital One Bowl
11-time Big Ten Champions

¹ Iowa was a member of the Western Interstate University Football Association.
² Iowa was a member of the Missouri Valley Conference.

Appearances in the final Associated Press Poll

Iowa has made 297 appearances in the Associated Press poll over 37 seasons, including 115 weeks in the top 10. Iowa has finished the year ranked in the final Associated Press poll of the season 21 times:

Year Ranking Record 1939 9 6–1–1 1953 9 5–3–1 1956 3 8–1 1957 6 7–1–1 1958 2 7–1–1 1960 3 8–1 1981 18 8–4

Year Ranking Record 1983 14 9–3 1984 16 8–4–1 1985 10 10–2 1986 16 9–3 1987 16 10–3 1990 18 8–4 1991 10 10–1–1

Year Ranking Record 1995 25 8–4 1996 18 9–3 2002 8 11–2 2003 8 10–3 2004 8 10–2 2008 20 9–4 2009 7 11–2

The Forgotten Season

In 1960 the Hawkeyes held on to the #1 ranking for much of the season. The Hawkeyes defeated #8 Ohio State, #15 Michigan State, and #10 Purdue. Unfortunately, Iowa lost to rival #3 Minnesota. The game was the only loss of the year for the 1960 Hawkeyes and the shared the Big Ten title with Minnesota. However, at that time, the Big Ten did not allow their teams to go to any bowl except for the Rose Bowl. As such, Minnesota was picked over Iowa to go to Pasadena and Iowa was left out, despite a #2 ranking in the Coaches Poll and a #3 ranking in the AP. Minnesota went on to win the National Championship. This season is known as the "Forgotten Season", for despite ending the season with a #2/3 ranking and a share of the Big Ten title, the Hawks were left out of January play.

Logos/Uniforms

Image Gallery

All-time Records

Season records

• Main article: List of Iowa Hawkeyes football seasons

The Hawkeyes began playing football as a club sport in 1872, and began playing intramural games against other colleges in 1882, but it was not until 1889 when Iowa challenged Grinnell College to an interscholastic varsity football game. Since then, the Hawkeyes have played over 1,000 games, including 24 bowl games.

Coaching records

Years	Coach	Seasons	Wins	Losses	Ties	Pct.
1889–91, 1895	None	4	6	9	0	.400
1892	Edward A. Dalton	1	3	2	1	.583
1893	Ben "Sport" Donnelly	1	3	4	0	.429
1894	Roger Sherman	1	4	4	1	.500
1896	Alfred E. Bull	1	7	1	1	.833
1897	Otto Wagonhurst	1	4	4	0	.500
1898-1902	Alden Knipe	5	29	11	4	.705
1903-05	John Chalmers	3	24	8	0	.750
1906-08	Mark Catlin, Sr.	3	7	10	0	.412
1909	John G. Griffith	1	2	4	1	.357
1910-15	Jesse Hawley	6	24	18	0	.571
1916–23	Howard Jones	8	42	17	1	.708
1924–31	Burt Ingwersen	8	33	27	4	.547
1932–36	Oscar "Ossie" Solem	5	15	21	4	.425
1937–38	Irl Tubbs	2	2	13	1	.156
1939–42, 1946-1949	Eddie Anderson	8	35	33	2	.514
1943–44	Edward "Slip" Madigan	2	2	13	1	.156
1945	Clem Crowe	1	2	7	0	.222
1950-51	Leonard Raffensperger	2	5	10	3	.361
1952-60	Forest Evashevski	9	52	27	4	.651
1961-65	Jerry Burns	5	16	27	2	.378
1966-70	Ray Nagel	5	16	32	2	.340
1971-73	Frank Lauterbur	3	4	28	1	.136
1974-78	Bob Commings	5	18	37	0	.327
1979-98	Hayden Fry	20	143	89	6	.613
1999–2011	Kirk Ferentz	13	96	66	0	.593

Totals	Coaches	Seasons	Wins	Losses	Ties	Pct.
1889–2011	25	123	594	522	39	.531

Bowl games

Iowa has appeared in 26 bowl games, including 24 bowl games the past 31 seasons. In bowl games, Iowa has a 14–11–1 record:

Date	Bowl	W/L	Opponent	PF	PA
January 1, 1957	Rose Bowl	W	Oregon State	35	19
January 1, 1959	Rose Bowl	W	California	38	12
January 1, 1982	Rose Bowl	L	Washington	0	28
December 31, 1982	Peach Bowl	W	Tennessee	28	22
December 30, 1983	Gator Bowl	L	Florida	6	14
December 16, 1984	Freedom Bowl	W	Texas	55	17
January 1, 1986	Rose Bowl	L	UCLA	28	45
December 30, 1986	Holiday Bowl	W	San Diego State	39	38
December 30, 1987	Holiday Bowl	W	Wyoming	20	19
December 31, 1988	Peach Bowl	L	North Carolina State	23	28
January 1, 1991	Rose Bowl	L	Washington	34	46
December 30, 1991	Holiday Bowl	T	BYU	13	13
December 31, 1993	Alamo Bowl	L	California	3	37
December 29, 1995	Sun Bowl	W	Washington	38	18
December 29, 1996	Alamo Bowl	W	Texas Tech	27	0
December 31, 1997	Sun Bowl	L	Arizona State	7	17
December 29, 2001	Alamo Bowl	W	Texas Tech	19	16
January 2, 2003	Orange Bowl	L	Southern California	17	38
January 1, 2004	Outback Bowl	W	Florida	37	17
January 1, 2005	Capital One Bowl	W	LSU	30	25
January 2, 2006	Outback Bowl	L	Florida	24	31
December 29, 2006	Alamo Bowl	L	Texas	24	26
January 1, 2009	Outback Bowl	W	South Carolina	31	10
January 5, 2010	Orange Bowl	W	Georgia Tech	24	14
December 28, 2010	Insight Bowl	W	Missouri	27	24
December 30, 2011	Insight Bowl	L	Oklahoma	14	31
January 1, 2014	Outback Bowl	L	LSU	14	21
January 2, 2015	TaxSlayer Bowl	L	Tennessee	28	45
January 1, 2016	Rose Bowl	L	Stanford	16	45
Total	29 Bowl Games	14-14-1		699	716

Notable Games

1953 #20 Iowa vs #9 Notre Dame

On Nov. 21, 1953 undefeated and #1 Notre Dame were set to face the Hawkeyes in South Bend. The score was 0-0 when, in the first quarter, Iowa DB Dusty Rice intercepted the Irish. The Hawkeyes drove the ball 72-yards for an Iowa touchdown and a 7-0 lead. With only 2 seconds left in the first half, Irish tackle Frank Varrichione fell down with an 'injury'. This stopped the clock (Notre Dame had no time outs left). Varrichione went in that same play and the Irish scored on a touchdown pass to Dan Shannon, to tie the game 7-7 at the half. With the score still deadlocked late into the fourth quarter, Iowa intercepted a pass on their own 48-yard line. The Hawkeyes then scored on a touchdown pass to end Frank Gilliam to give the Hawkeyes a 14-7 lead with only 2:06 left in the game. Notre Dame, having no time outs, was certainly 'up against it' and 'the breaks' were most definitely 'beating the boys'. However, without the Gipper's magic, Notre Dame was forced to use questionable tactics. With only 6 seconds left and the clock ticking away Frank Varrichione came down with another 'injury' which stopped the clock (again he went back in that very same play). Notre Dame then scored a touchdown to tie the game up and stay unbeaten. After the game, sportswriters such as Grantland Rice and others were infuriated calling it unfair, and The Irish earned the label: "The Fainting Irish of Notre Dame". Iowa head coach Forest Evashevski said after the game: "When the One Great Scorer comes to write against our name, He won't write whether we won or lost, but how come we got gypped at Notre Dame". The Hawkeyes, before the game ranked 20th, jumped teams with better records, to gain the #9 ranking. What is more, Varrichione has since admitted that the injuries were fake, in Steve Delsohn’s book, TALKING IRISH. In addition, Notre Dame Heisman winner Johnny Lattner praised his team's tactics calling it "Pretty smart thinking, wasn't it?". While, Lattner may be correct in saying that it was 'smart', he failed to acknowledge the 'minor' problem that it was illegal. In college football, an injury timeout has always been reserved for actual injuries. Because of the game, the NCAA changed the rules making players sit out at least one down before returning to the game.

1959 Rose Bowl

With the conclusion of this game, Iowa won its first, and only, National Championship. The game was lopsided and by the end of the third quarter, with a 22-6 advantage over the California Golden Bears, Iowa could smell victory. The championship, however, is disputed. The AP, whose poll came out before the bowl games, had picked LSU as their National Champion. In addition, the 1958 LSU team refused to play teams with any African Americans, leaving fewer and inferior available opponents. Because of these facts, many feel the Iowa Hawkeyes rightfully own the 1958 National Championship.

1985 #2 Michigan vs #1 Iowa

The Hawkeyes trailed 10-9 late in the fourth quarter, in what may be considered the greatest game ever played at Kinnick Stadium. Iowa got the ball, with 5:27 left, on their own 22 yard line. Led by their All-American Quarterback, Chuck Long, Iowa drove the ball to the Michigan 12 yard line. As the clock expired, kicker Rob Houghtlin sent one through the uprights, to give Iowa the win. The Hawkeyes would go on to accept an invatation to the Rose Bowl.

2003 #15 Miami (OH) vs #12 Iowa

RedHawks were led by their Heisman hopeful, and future two time Super Bowl Champion, quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. The Hawkeyes crushed the Redhawks, 21-3. However, the game is significant in that the Hawkeyes held Roethlisberger to no touchdown passes. In addition, the Hawkeyes, intercepted this future NFL great a total of 4 times. The RedHawks went unbeaten after the loss to Iowa. However, that loss kept them out of a BCS Bowl Game and Roethlisberger out of Heisman contention.

2005 Capital One Bowl Iowa vs. LSU ("The Catch")

The game has gone down in Hawkeye history known simply as "The Catch". Iowa was set to play the defending National Champion LSU Tigers. Despite leading the entire game, Iowa found itself down 24-25 and got the ball with only 46 seconds left on the clock. With only a few seconds left in the game, Iowa found itself on their own 44 yard line facing a 2nd and 6. Iowa Quarterback Drew Tate was not fazed, for on the play he threw the ball 56 yards to Warren Holloway for an Iowa touchdown that gave the Hawkeyes a 30-25 victory over Nick Saban's defending champion Tigers. The touchdown was Holloway's first and only career touchdown.

Individual honors

• Main article: List of Iowa Hawkeyes football honorees

Over the course of the team's history, individual Hawkeye players of exceptional ability have received many accolades. Iowa has had several players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame, Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and Iowa Sports Hall of Fame. Individual Hawkeyes have won many prestigious national awards, including the Outland Trophy, the Davey O'Brien Award, Doak Walker Award, and the Heisman Trophy. 96 Hawkeyes have been named a first-team or second-team All-American, and 22 have been named consensus first-team All-Americans.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have had ten players win the Big Ten Most Valuable Player Award, and 226 Hawks have earned All-Big Ten recognition. Iowa has had 268 NFL draft picks, and several former Hawkeye players have gone on to become NFL head coaches or Division I college head coaches.

The only two players to have their numbers retired by the Hawkeye football program are Nile Kinnick #24 and Cal Jones #62. Kinnick won the University of Iowa's only Heisman Trophy in 1939, while Jones was the first African-American to win the Outland Trophy in 1955. Neither Kinnick, or Jones saw the retirement of their numbers, having died long before, Kinnick's number 24 was retired in 1972, 30 years after his death in a training accident in the Caribbean (the same year that Iowa Stadium changed its name to Kinnick Stadium), and Jones number 62 was retired in 1985, 30 years after his death in a plane crash near Hope, British Columbia.

Ten Hawkeyes have been nominated for the Heisman Trophy. Iowa has only one winner, four have come in second.

Season	Player	Heisman Finish
1939	Nile Kinnick	First
1955	Cal Jones	Tenth
1956	Ken Ploen	Ninth
1957	Alex Karras	Second
1958	Randy Duncan	Second
1984	Chuck Long	Seventh
1985	Chuck Long	Second
1997	Tim Dwight	Seventh
2002	Brad Banks	Second
2008	Shonn Greene	Sixth

Seasons

2020s

Season	Coach	Record	Bowl
2024
2023
2022	Kirk Ferentz
2021	Kirk Ferentz	10-4	Citrus (L)
2020	Kirk Ferentz	6-2

2010s

Season	Coach	Record	Bowl
2019	Kirk Ferentz	10-3	Holiday (W)
2018	Kirk Ferentz	9-4	Outback (W)
2017	Kirk Ferentz	8-5	Pinstripe (W)
2016	Kirk Ferentz	8-5	Outback (L)
2015	Kirk Ferentz	12-2	Rose (L)
2014	Kirk Ferentz	7-6	TaxSlayer (L)
2013	Kirk Ferentz	8-5	Outback (L)
2012	Kirk Ferentz	4-8
2011	Kirk Ferentz	7-6	Insight (L)
2010	Kirk Ferentz	8-5	Insight (W)

2000s

Season	Coach	Record	Bowl
2009	Kirk Ferentz	11-2	Orange (W)
2008	Kirk Ferentz	9-4	Outback (W)
2007	Kirk Ferentz	6-6
2006	Kirk Ferentz	6-7	Alamo (L)
2005	Kirk Ferentz	7-5	Outback (L)
2004	Kirk Ferentz	10-2	Capital One (W)
2003	Kirk Ferentz	10-3	Outback (W)
2002	Kirk Ferentz	11-2	Orange (L)
2001	Kirk Ferentz	7-5	Alamo (W)
2000	Kirk Ferentz	3-9

1990s

Season	Coach	Record	Bowl
1999	Kirk Ferentz	1-10
1998	Hayden Fry	3-8
1997	Hayden Fry	7-5	Sun (L)
1996	Hayden Fry	9-3	Alamo (W)
1995	Hayden Fry	8-4	Sun (W)
1994	Hayden Fry	5-5-1
1993	Hayden Fry	6-6	Alamo (L)
1992	Hayden Fry	5-7
1991	Hayden Fry	10-1-1	Holiday (W)
1990	Hayden Fry	8-4	Rose (L)

1960s

Season	Coach	Record	Bowl
1960	Forest Evashevski	8-1

Current coaching staff

Name	Position
Kirk Ferentz	Head Coach
Greg Davis	Offensive Coordinator/ Quarterbacks Coach
Phil Parker	Defensive Coordinator
Erik Campbell	Wide Receivers Coach
Chris Doyle	Strength and Conditioning
Lester Erb	Special Teams Coach/ Running Backs Coach
Brian Ferentz	Offensive Line Coach
Eric Johnson	Defensive Line Coach/ Recruiting Coordinator
Reese Morgan	Defensive Line Coach
Darrell Wilson	Defensive Backs Coach/ Special Teams Coach
Levar Woods	Linebackers Coach

Uniforms

Iowa's home jersey black with white numerals, with gold and white stripes on the sleeves. The away jersey is white with black numerals, and gold stripes on the sleeves. Player's names are located above the numerals on the back of the jersey. Gold pants with a black stripe are worn with both the home and away jersey. Iowa's helmets are black with a black facemask. They also have a gold stripe and the gold Iowa Hawkeye's logo included on both sides of the helmet.

In 1979, Hayden Fry helped to create the Tiger hawk, the logo seen on Iowa's football helmets. Since both teams shared the colors of black and gold, Fry gained permission from the Pittsburgh Steelers, the dominant NFL program of the 1970s, to overhaul Iowa’s uniforms in the Steelers’ image. Fry's idea was that if the team were going to act like winners, they first needed to dress like winners. Fry had originally asked Steelers Defensive Tackle "Mean" Joe Greene for a replica helmet and home jersey; Greene was able to send Fry to one of the team owners, and three days later, the owners sent Fry reproduction copies of the home and away uniform of Steeler Quarterback Terry Bradshaw, making Iowa one of only a few schools to use the uniform scheme of an NFL team. Although the uniforms appear the same, there are subtle differences, mainly in the scheme of the white away jerseys, the Steeler jerseys have the players names in yellow, while the Hawkeyes use black.

The Hawkeyes have removed the Tiger hawks three times, and the single gold stripe from their game helmets as a symbolic gesture of mourning. The first instance was on November 2, 1991, in recognition of the six victims of a fatal campus shooting. The second occasion was for a December 29, 1996, appearance in the Alamo Bowl. It served to commemorate the family of linebacker Mark Mitchell, who were involved in a fatal vehicle accident while en route to the game. The accident resulted in the death of Mitchell's mother and severe injuries to his father and two brothers. Third, the most recent being on Veterans' Day 2011 when they used a red, white, and blue tiger hawk on one side and left the other side blank in honor of our fallen heroes against Michigan. All three games resulted in Iowa victories.

The Iowa Athletic Director has okayed only three stickers on the helmets over the last thirty years, the first, in 1984, when a gold disk appeared, with the black letters "ANF," which stands for America Needs Farmers, this sticker has remained in place since it was first placed onto the helmet. The second was a small black sticker on the back of the helmet, with white letters that spelled out "EVY," the nickname of legendary Iowa head coach, and Athletic Director, Forest Evasheski, to commemorate his passing in 2009. The third was in memory of Iowa high school football coaching legend Ed Thomas, who was tragically killed in his team's weight room by a former player. A small gold sticker with the black letters "FFF" placed near the crown of the helmet represents Faith, Family, Football, a motto Coach Thomas preached to his players to represent what his players priorities should be not only through the season, but throughout life.

Kinnick Stadium

• Main article: Kinnick Stadium

Kinnick Stadium, formerly known as Iowa Stadium, is the home stadium of the Iowa Hawkeyes in Iowa City, Iowa. It opened as Iowa Stadium in 1929; prior to that time, Iowa played its home games at Iowa Field. Iowa Stadium was renamed Kinnick Stadium in 1972 in honor of Nile Kinnick, the 1939 Heisman Trophy winner and the only Heisman winner in university history, who died in service during World War II. It currently holds up to 70,585 people, making it the 27th largest college football stadium in America and the 86th largest sports stadium in the world.

Rivalries and The Nebraska Game

Iowa State, Minnesota and Wisconsin are among Iowa's rivals.

Iowa State

• Main article: Cy-Hawk Trophy

Iowa plays Iowa State annually for the Cy-Hawk Trophy, which began in 1977. The teams first meeting was in 1894, in which Iowa State won 16-8. The teams quit meeting after the 1934 season until they renewed their rivalry in 1977. It was in 1977 when the tradition of the Cy-Hawk Trophy began. Iowa leads the overall series 39-20, and Iowa also leads the trophy series 23-12.

Minnesota

• Main article: Floyd of Rosedale

Iowa plays Minnesota annually for the Floyd of Rosedale, which is Iowa's oldest trophy that began in 1935. The teams first meeting was in 1891, in which Minnesota won 42-4. Minnesota leads the overall series 61-42-2, and also leads the trophy series 41-34-2.

Nebraska

• Main article: Heroes Trophy

Iowa plays Nebraska annually for the Heroes Trophy. The all-time series record is Nebraska with 27 wins and Iowa with 12 wins, and 2 ties.

Wisconsin

• Main article: Heartland Trophy

Iowa has played Wisconsin for the Heartland Trophy since 2004. Since 2011, the Hawkeyes and Badgers no longer compete every year since they are in opposite divisions due to the entrance of Nebraska into the Big Ten Conference. The rivalry is one of the longest and closest rivalries in college football history being tied at 42-42-2. Iowa leads the trophy series 4-3.

Traditions

Lovely Lafayette: Here Come The Hawks!

In properly lining up historically similar conference programs, the Big Ten established the following annually guaranteed matchups that pair programs of similar national clout and stature over time, beginning with top-tier yearly matchups of Michigan v Ohio State and Nebraska v Penn State; the second-tier matchups of Indiana v Michigan State and Purdue v Iowa; and the third-tier matchups of Wisconsin v Minnesota and Illinois v Northwestern.

Songs

Iowa's official fight song is the Iowa Fight Song which is sung by the marching band and the fans. Iowa's school song is On Iowa. Iowa also plays a third fight song, entitled Roll Along Iowa. After victories the band plays "In Heaven There Is No Beer".

Mascot

Iowa's mascot is Herky the Hawk, a black and gold caricature of a Hawk. Herky was created as a cartoon in 1948, and first appeared at a sporting event in 1959. Herky was actually named after the Greek God Hercules. The term "Hawkeye" originally appeared in the book The Last of the Mohicans and was later used in its plural form to describe the people of Iowa. The University of Iowa adopted this as the nickname for its athletic teams.

Hawkeye Marching Band

Originally founded in 1881, the Hawkeye Marching Band now performs at all Iowa Hawkeye home football games. The band also travels with the team to usually one away game per year and any post-season bowl games.

Gameday traditions

• Herky Plants the Flag

Before the game is about to start, Herky, Iowa's mascot, "surfs" on a platform carried onto the field by four cheerleaders. Herky jumps off the platform and runs around the field waving the Iowa flag before planting it firmly in the turf. This draws a very enthusiastic reaction from the crowd.

• The Swarm

Hayden Fry introduced "the swarm" upon his arrival at Iowa in 1979. When entering Kinnick Stadium, players jog slowly onto the field, hands locked and with the captains in front. It is designed to show the team's unity as they take the field as a group.

• I-O-W-A

The Hawkeye team is led onto the field by four giant black and gold flags, spelling I-O-W-A. Each flag then moves to the four corners of the field. After every Hawkeye touchdown, fans in the four corners of the field, initially aided by the flags, spell out I-O-W-A.

• Hawkeye Victory Polka

After every Hawkeye victory, the Hawkeye Marching Band plays the Hawkeye Victory Polka, the band's adaptation of the polka song, "In Heaven There Is No Beer". Many Hawkeye fans sing along as well. After losses, only the Iowa Fight Song is played.

• Back In Black

Before the Hawkeyes enter the field, the stadium plays "Back in Black" by AC/DC and the video board shows the Hawkeye football players walking from the locker room to the field entrance.

• Enter Sandman

The Hawkeyes enter the field to the song Enter Sandman by Metallica. The big screen shows Iowa's equipment semi running into the opposing team's logo as the Hawks swarm onto the field.

• Imperial March

The Hawkeye Marching Band will perform the Imperial March after the Iowa defense forces a 4th down, while the fans clap in an up and down motion, imitating the beak of a Hawk chomping.

• Hell's Bells

When the Iowa defense forces a third down, the ominous gong sounds from the beginning of AC/DC's Hell's Bells are played to incite a reaction from the fans.

• SHOES

A recent tradition started by students to take off their shoes and wave them in the air for kickoff (instead of taking out their keys).

Iowa and the NFL

Current NFL Players

Name Year Debuted Position Team Pat Angerer 2010 LB Indianapolis Colts Jonathan Babineaux 2005 DT Atlanta Falcons Jason Baker 2001 P Free Agent Christian Ballard 2011 DE Minnesota Vikings Jordan Bernstine 2012 CB Washington Redskins Bryan Bulaga 2010 OT Green Bay Packers Scott Chandler 2007 TE Buffalo Bills Dallas Clark 2003 TE Tampa Bay Buccaneers Adrian Clayborn 2011 DE Tampa Bay Buccaneers Colin Cole 2003 DT Free Agent Sean Considine 2005 S Baltimore Ravens Mike Daniels 2012 DT Green Bay Packers Ryan Donahue 2011 P Detroit Lions Bradley Fletcher 2009 CB St. Louis Rams Robert Gallery 2004 OT New England Patriots Adam Gettis 2012 OG Washington Redskins Charles Godfrey 2008 S Carolina Panthers Shonn Greene 2009 RB New York Jets Chad Greenway 2006 LB Minnesota Vikings Jeremiha Hunter 2011 LB New Orleans Saints Nate Kaeding 2004 K San Diego Chargers

Name Year Debuted Position Team Aaron Kampman 2002 DE Jacksonville Jaguars Mitch King 2009 DT New Orleans Saints Karl Klug 2011 DT Tennessee Titans Matt Kroul 2009 OG New York Jets Bryan Mattison 2008 OG St. Louis Rams Marvin McNutt 2012 WR Philadelphia Eagles Tony Moeaki 2010 TE Kansas City Chiefs Brandon Myers 2009 TE Oakland Raiders Seth Olsen 2009 OG Indianapolis Colts Shaun Prater 2012 CB Cincinnati Bengals Riley Reiff 2012 OT Detroit Lions Allen Reisner 2011 TE Minnesota Vikings Matt Roth 2005 DE Free Agent Tyler Sash 2011 S New York Giants Amari Spievey 2010 S Detroit Lions Ricky Stanzi 2011 QB Kansas City Chiefs Eric Steinbach 2003 OG Free Agent Jeff Tarpinian 2011 LB New England Patriots Julian Vandervelde 2011 OG Philadelphia Eagles Casey Wiegmann 1996 C Kansas City Chiefs Marshal Yanda 2007 OG Baltimore Ravens

Pro Hall of Fame

Three Hawkeyes have been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame:

Inducted Player Position Teams 1967 Emlen Tunnell Defensive back New York Giants, Green Bay Packers 1998 Paul Krause Safety Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins 2008 Andre Tippett Linebacker New England Patriots

NFL draft picks

Iowa has had at least one player drafted in every NFL Draft since 1978. Through the 2012 NFL Draft, Iowa has had 268 draft picks. 240 in the NFL, 21 in the AFL, and 7 in the AAFC (the AFC and AAFC both merged with the NFL). and 72 players have gone in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft. Iowa has had 19 first round NFL Draft selections:

Season Player Team Selection 1936 Dick Crayne Brooklyn Dodgers 4th 1958 Alex Karras Detroit Lions 10th 1959 Randy Duncan Green Bay Packers 1st 1966 John Niland Dallas Cowboys 5th 1973 Craig Clemons Chicago Bears 12th 1976 Rod Walters Kansas City Chiefs 14th 1982 Ron Hallstrom Green Bay Packers 22nd 1984 John Alt Kansas City Chiefs 21st 1986 Chuck Long Detroit Lions 12th 1986 Ronnie Harmon Buffalo Bills 16th 1986 Mike Haight New York Jets 22nd 1997 Tom Knight Arizona Cardinals 9th 1997 Ross Verba Green Bay Packers 30th 2003 Dallas Clark Indianapolis Colts 24th 2004 Robert Gallery Oakland Raiders 2nd 2006 Chad Greenway Minnesota Vikings 17th 2010 Bryan Bulaga Green Bay Packers 23rd 2011 Adrian Clayborn Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20th 2012 Riley Reiff Detroit Lions 23rd

Future Non-Conference Opponents

2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017
at Northern Illinois	vs Northern Illinois	vs Northern Iowa	vs Illinois State	vs North Dakota State	at Iowa State
vs Iowa State	vs Missouri State	vs Ball State	at Iowa State	vs Iowa State	TBA North Texas
vs Northern Iowa	at Iowa State	vs Iowa State	at Pittsburgh	TBA Central Michigan
vs Central Michigan	vs Western Michigan	at Pittsburgh	TBA North Texas

References

• 75 Years With The Fighting Hawkeyes, by Bert McCrane & Dick Lamb (ASIN: B0007E01F8)
• 25 Years With The Fighting Hawkeyes, 1964–1988, by Al Grady (ASIN: B0006ES3GS)
• Hawkeye Legends, Lists, & Lore, by Mike Finn & Chad Leistikow (ISBN 1-57167-178-1)
• University of Iowa Football, by Chuck Bright (ISBN 0-87397-233-3)

• Black & Gold Memories, by George Wine (ISBN 0-615-12398-8)
• Greatest Moments In Iowa Hawkeyes Football History, by Mark Dukes & Gus Schrader (ISBN 1-57243-261-6)
• Tales From The Iowa Sidelines, by Ron Maly (ISBN 1-58261-574-8)
• Stadium Stories: Iowa Hawkeyes, by Buck Turnbull (ISBN 0-7627-3819-7)

External links

• Official website
• Official team site

• Iowa Hawkeyes football article at Wikipedia