Iowa Hawkeyes football

Iowa Hawkeyes football
First season	1889
Athletic director	Gary Barta
Head coach	Kirk Ferentz
	11th year, 79–53
Home stadium	Kinnick Stadium
Stadium capacity	70,585
Stadium surface	Field Turf
Location	Iowa City, Iowa
League	NCAA Division I
Conference	Big Ten
Past conferences	Independent (1889–1891; 1897–1899) Western Interstate University Football Association (1892–1896) Missouri Valley (1907–1910)
All-time record	577–509–39 ((53%))
Postseason bowl record	12–10–1
Claimed national titles	1
Conference titles	11
Heisman winners	1
Consensus All-Americans	61
Current uniform
Colors	Old Gold and Black
Fight song	Iowa Fight Song
Mascot	Herky the Hawk
Marching band	Hawkeye Marching Band
Rivals	Iowa State Cyclones Minnesota Golden Gophers Wisconsin Badgers
Website	HawkeyeSports.com

The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. 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).

History

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 1920’s under the guidance of Hall of Fame coach Howard Jones. Jones soon left Iowa and established a powerhouse at Southern California, and the Hawkeyes were abysmal for most of the 1930’s. 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 1956–1960, 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 1962–1980.

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 2002–2004 and two Big Ten titles. From 2001–2006, the Hawkeyes made six straight bowl appearances and have played in 21 bowl games the last 27 seasons. Iowa has cracked the top 25 at the end of the season four times during the Kirk Ferentz era - No. 8 in 2002–2004 and No. 20 in 2008. Iowa begins its 121st season of football, and its 110th season in the Big Ten, in 2009.

Notable seasons

Season records

Current team

The current team is the 2009 Hawkeyes. The 2009 Hawkeyes are coached by Kirk Ferentz. Their current record is 10-2 overall and 6-2 in the Big Ten.^[1]

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 the most prestigious organization 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.

Conference championships

Iowa has won 12 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 currently claims 11 Big Ten Conference championships:

Appearances in the final Associated Press Poll

Iowa has made 271 appearances in the Associated Press poll over 35 seasons, including 106 weeks in the top 10.^[2] Iowa has finished the year ranked in the final Associated Press poll of the season 20 times:

Bowl games

Iowa has appeared in 23 bowl games, including 21 bowl games the past 28 seasons. In bowl games, Iowa has a 12-10-1 record:

Individual honors

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. 92 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 219 Hawks have earned All-Big Ten recognition. Iowa has had 223 NFL draft picks, and several former Hawkeye players have gone on to become NFL head coaches or Division I college head coaches.

Only two numbers have ever been retired by the Hawkeye football program, Nile Kinnick's #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.

Kinnick Stadium

Kinnick Stadium, formerly known as Iowa Stadium, is the home stadium of the University of 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.

Kinnick Stadium 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.

Traditions

Trophy games

The Hawkeyes play three annual rivalry trophy games. By far, Iowa's oldest rivalry trophy is Floyd of Rosedale, which has been awarded to the winner of the Iowa-Minnesota game every season since 1935.

Iowa plays Iowa State for the Cy-Hawk Trophy, which was created when the Iowa-Iowa State series resumed in 1977. Iowa has played Wisconsin for the Heartland Trophy since 2004.

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.

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.

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.

Logos and uniforms

In 1979, Hayden Fry helped to create the Tigerhawk, 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.

The Hawkeyes have twice removed the Tigerhawks, 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 one of the team's members, who were involved in a fatal vehicle accident while en route to the game. The accident resulted in the death of the player's mother and severe injuries to his father and two brothers. ^[3]

Two numbers have been retired by the Hawkeye football program, Nile Kinnick's #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.

Gameday traditions

• 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 score, 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.

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
• Coverage from Des Moines Register
• Iowa football news, photos, videos and schedule