List of Iowa Hawkeyes football honorees


The Iowa Hawkeyes football team was founded in 1889 to represent the University of Iowa in intercollegiate competition, and it has participated in the sport every season since. 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, the Doak Walker Award, the Jim Thorpe Award, and the Heisman Trophy. 92 Hawkeyes have been named a first-team or second-team All-American, and 27 have been named consensus first-team All-Americans.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have had ten players win the Big Ten Most Valuable Player Award, and 219 Hawks have earned All-Big Ten recognition. Iowa has had 244 NFL draft picks, and several former Hawkeye players have gone on to become NFL head coaches or Division I college head coaches.

National honorees

Annual awards

Individual award winners

Team Awards

The most prestigious of these individual awards is the Heisman Trophy. Nile Kinnick won the award in 1939, and four other Hawkeyes have placed second in the voting. In all, nine Hawkeye players have finished in the top ten in the Heisman Trophy balloting, with Chuck Long doing so twice:
SeasonPlayerHeisman Finish
1939Nile KinnickFirst
1955Cal JonesTenth
1956Ken PloenNinth
1957Alex KarrasSecond
1958Randy DuncanSecond
1984Chuck LongSeventh
1985Chuck LongSecond
1997Tim DwightSeventh
2002Brad BanksSecond
2008Shonn GreeneSixth

Hall of Fame inductees

College Football Hall of Fame

, Duke Slater, and coach Howard Jones were all inducted in the inaugural College Football Hall of Fame class in 1951. In all, nine players and five coaches now represent Iowa in the College Football Hall of Fame:

Pro Football Hall of Fame

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

Canadian Football Hall of Fame

Three Hawkeyes have been inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame for their play in the Canadian Football League:

Iowa Sports Hall of Fame

The Iowa Sports Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Des Moines Register, honors outstanding athletes and sports contributors. To be eligible, members must have either been born in Iowa or gained prominence while competing for a college or university in Iowa. Aubrey Devine, Nile Kinnick, and Duke Slater were three of the five football players inducted when the Hall was founded in 1951. 25 Hawkeye players and 3 Hawkeye coaches have been inducted into the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame:

University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame

The University of Iowa started an Athletics Hall of Fame in 1989. Ten football players were inducted in the initial class, and it has since expanded to include 50 football players and coaches:

Retired numbers

Two numbers have been retired by the Hawkeye football program, Nile Kinnick's #24 and Cal Jones' #62. Both Kinnick and Jones were consensus first team All-Americans, and both men tragically perished in separate plane crashes before their 25th birthday.
Kinnick won the University of Iowa's only Heisman Trophy in 1939 and is the man for whom Kinnick Stadium is named. Jones was the first African-American to win the Outland Trophy and is the only Hawkeye to be named first-team All-American three times.

All-American selections

Each year, numerous publications and organizations release lists of All-America teams, hypothetical rosters of players considered the best in the nation at their respective positions. The National Collegiate Athletic Association uses officially recognized All-America selectors to determine the consensus selections. Over time, the sources used to determine the consensus selections have varied. Currently, the NCAA uses five "major" selectors to determine consensus All-Americans: the Associated Press, American Football Coaches Association, Football Writers Association of America, The Sporting News, and the Walter Camp Football Foundation. Many other publications and organization compile their own "minor" All-America teams in addition to the selectors listed here.
Clyde Williams is often referred to as "Iowa's first All-American". Williams, who led the Hawkeyes to its first Big Ten championship in 1900, was named a third-team All-American by Walter Camp that season. Williams was the first player west of the Mississippi River to garner All-American honors. However, since the following list constitutes only first-team and second-team All-Americans, Williams is not included here.
Iowa has had 69 first-team All-Americans and 32 second-team All-Americans. Of Iowa's 69 first-team All-Americans, 28 were consensus first-team All-American selections, while ten were unanimous first-team selections.
SeasonPlayerRemarks
1912Jim Trickey
1916Fred Becker
1919Lester Belding
1919Duke Slater
1920Lester BeldingSecond selection
1921Aubrey Devine
1921Gordon Locke
1921Duke SlaterSecond selection
1922Max Kadesky
1922Gordon LockeSecond first-team selection
1924John Hancock
1925Dick Romey
1926Emerson Nelson
1928Willis Glassgow
1928Peter Westra
1929Willis GlassgowSecond selection
1933Joe Laws
1933Francis Schammel
1934Ozzie Simmons
1935Ozzie SimmonsSecond selection
1939Nile Kinnick
1939Erwin Prasse
1940Mike Enich
1948Bill Kay
1951Bill Reichardt
1953Jerry Hilgenberg
1953Cal Jones
1954Cal JonesSecond first-team selection
1955Cal JonesSecond consensus selection;
Third first-team selection
1956Frank Gilliam
1956Alex Karras
1956Ken Ploen
1956Don Suchy
1957Jim Gibbons
1957Alex KarrasSecond first-team selection

SeasonPlayerRemarks
1990Nick Bell
1990Merton Hanks
1991Leroy Smith
1992Mike Devlin
1996Tim Dwight
1997Tavian Banks
1997Jared DeVries
1997Tim DwightSecond first-team selection
1998Jared DeVriesSecond selection
2002Brad Banks
2002Dallas Clark*Unanimous selection
2002Nate Kaeding
2002Bruce Nelson
2002Eric Steinbach
2003Robert Gallery*Unanimous selection
2003Nate KaedingSecond first-team selection
2003Bob Sanders
2004Chad Greenway
2004Matt Roth
2005Chad GreenwaySecond selection
2008Shonn Greene*Unanimous selection
2008Mitch King
2009Pat Angerer
2009Bryan Bulaga
2010Adrian Clayborn
2011Riley Reiff
2014Brandon Scherff*Unanimous selection
2015Desmond King*Unanimous selection
2016Desmond KingSecond selection
2017Josey Jewell*Unanimous selection
2017Josh Jackson*Unanimous selection
2018T.J. Hockenson
2019Keith Duncan
2019Tristan Wirfs
2019A. J. Epenesa

*—Unanimous selection

Big Ten honorees

Most Valuable Players

The Chicago Tribune Silver Football has been awarded since 1924 by the Chicago Tribune to the college football player determined to be the Most Valuable Player of the Big Ten Conference. Ten Hawkeyes have won the Big Ten MVP award, the third largest number of winners by any school, trailing only Michigan and Ohio State:
InductedPlayer
1929Willis Glassgow
1933Joe Laws
1939Nile Kinnick
1951Bill Reichardt
1956Ken Ploen

Annual individual honors

Coaches and media of the Big Ten also make annual selections for additional individual honors:
Big Ten Conference AwardRecipient and year received
Offensive Player of the YearChuck Long ; Nick Bell & Matt Rodgers ; Tavian Banks ; Brad Banks ; Shonn Greene
Defensive Player of the YearLeroy Smith ; Josey Jewell
Offensive Lineman of the YearMike Haight ; Dave Croston ; Mike Devlin ; Eric Steinbach ; Robert Gallery ; Bryan Bulaga ; Brandon Scherff ; Tristan Wirfs
Receiver of the YearMarvin McNutt
Defensive Lineman of the YearPaul Hufford ; Dave Haight ; Leroy Smith ; Jared DeVries ; Mitch King
Defensive Back of the YearMicah Hyde ; Desmond King ; Josh Jackson ; Amani Hooker
Kicker of the YearKeith Duncan
Coach of the YearHayden Fry ; Kirk Ferentz
Athlete of the YearChuck Long

All-conference selections

Through the 2019 season, Iowa has had 237 first team All-Big Ten selections, starting with Clyde Williams and Joe Warner in 1900. 54 players were multiple first-team All-Big Ten selections, and nine players were three-time first-team All-Big Ten selections.
SeasonPlayer
1900Joe Warner
1900Clyde Williams
1912Jim Trickey
1913Ralph McGinnis
1916Fred Becker
1918Harry Hunzelman
1918Ronald Reed
1919Lester Belding
1919Aubrey Devine
1919Fred Lohman
1919Duke Slater
1920Lester Belding
1920Aubrey Devine
1920Duke Slater
1921Lester Belding
1921Aubrey Devine
1921John Heldt
1921Max Kadesky
1921Gordon Locke
1921Chester Mead
1921Duke Slater
1922Gordon Locke
1922Paul Minick
1922George Thompson
1923Lowell Otte
1924William Fleckenstein
1924John Hancock
1924Lowell Otte
1924Leland Parkin
1925Dick Romey
1926Emerson Nelson
1927Emerson Nelson
1928Richard Brown
1928Willis Glassgow
1928Fred Roberts
1928Peter Westra
1929Willis Glassgow
1929Fred Roberts
1933Joe Laws
1933Francis Schammel
1934Ozzie Simmons
1935Ozzie Simmons
1937Nile Kinnick
1937Robert Lannon
1938Erwin Prasse
1939Mike Enich
1939Nile Kinnick
1939Erwin Prasse
1940Mike Enich
1942Tom Farmer
1946Earl Banks
1946Dick Hoerner
1948William Kay
1950Bill Reichardt
1951Bill Reichardt
1952Bill Fenton
1953Jerry Hilgenberg
1953Cal Jones

SeasonPlayer
1984Devon Mitchell
1984Larry Station
1984Mike Stoops
1985Jeff Drost
1985Mike Haight
1985Ronnie Harmon
1985Rob Houghtlin
1985Chuck Long
1985Jay Norvell
1985Hap Peterson
1985Larry Station
1986Rick Bayless
1986Dave Croston
1986Jeff Drost
1986Dave Haight
1986Bob Kratch
1987Kerry Burt
1987Marv Cook
1987Quinn Early
1987Dave Haight
1987Chuck Hartlieb
1987Rob Houghtlin
1988Marv Cook
1988Dave Haight
1988Deven Harberts
1988Chuck Hartlieb
1988Bob Kratch
1988Joe Mott
1988Brad Quast
1989Jim Johnson
1989Brad Quast
1990Nick Bell
1990Melvin Foster
1990Merton Hanks
1990Jim Johnson
1990Matt Rodgers
1991Mike Devlin
1991Leroy Smith
1992Alan Cross
1992Carlos James
1992Mike Wells
1993Carlos James
1993Mike Wells
1995Nick Gallery
1996Jared DeVries
1996Nick Gallery
1996Damien Robinson
1996Sedrick Shaw
1996Ross Verba
1997Tavian Banks
1997Jared DeVries
1997Tim Dwight
1997Mike Goff
1998Jared DeVries
2001Aaron Kampman
2001Bob Sanders
2001Eric Steinbach
2002Brad Banks
2002Fred Barr

SeasonPlayer
2019A. J. Epenesa
2019Keith Duncan
2019Tristan Wirfs

All-time team

In 1989, Iowa fans selected an all-time University of Iowa football team during the 100th anniversary celebration of Iowa football. Twelve starters and eight honorable mentions were selected on both offense and defense, along with a Most Valuable Player:

NCAA FBS all-time records

The following is a list of team and individual NCAA FBS records that are held by the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Iowa has had at least one player drafted in every NFL Draft since 1978. Through the 2019 NFL Draft, Iowa has had 289 draft picks: 261 in the NFL, 21 in the AFL, and seven in the AAFC. 80 players have gone in the first three rounds of the NFL Draft, and Iowa has had the following 22 first round NFL Draft selections:

Hawkeye head coaches

Several former Hawkeye players have later been named NFL head coaches or Division I college head coaches:
CoachTeam & Years
Bret BielemaWisconsin, 2006–2012
Arkansas, 2013–present
Jim CaldwellIndianapolis Colts, 2009–2011
Detroit Lions, 2014–present
Bob CommingsIowa, 1974–1978
Wesley FryKansas State, 1935–1939
Dennis GreenNorthwestern, 1981–1985
Stanford, 1989–1991
Minnesota Vikings, 1992–2001
Arizona Cardinals, 2004–2006
John G. GriffithIowa, 1909
Chuck LongSan Diego State, 2006–2008
Dan McCarneyIowa State, 1995–2006
North Texas, 2011–2015
Jay NorvellNevada, 2017–present
Leonard RaffenspergerIowa, 1950–1951
Bob StoopsOklahoma, 1999–2016
Mark StoopsKentucky, 2013–present
Mike StoopsArizona, 2004–2011
Clyde WilliamsIowa State, 1907–1912

Other notable players

  • See also: :Category:Iowa Hawkeyes football players|Iowa Players
  • See also:
A few notable players not previously mentioned:
  • Kinney Holbrook
  • Archie Alexander
  • Oran Pape
  • Kevin Kasper
  • Ladell Betts
  • Charles Godfrey
  • Albert Young
  • Sean Considine
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