What It Means to Be a Hawkeye: Kirk Ferentz and Iowa's Greatest Players

Varsity football has been part of the University of Iowa landscape since 1889. Over the subsequent 120-plus years, the team has enjoyed considerable success thanks to several big-time personalities: Howard Jones first Big Ten title teams of the 1920s; Nile Kinnick s legendary 1939 Heisman Trophy campaign; Forest Evashevski s national powerhouses of the late 1950s; Hayden Fry s resurgent program of the 80s and 90s; and Kirk Ferentz perennial winners of the new millennium. All told, Iowa football teams have made 25 bowl appearances and captured 11 Big Ten titles.

Hawkeye football enjoys a significant place in the hearts of many Iowans in fact, football at Kinnick Stadium is as important to Iowa as tall corn and presidential campaigns. Because of this, playing football in Iowa City has special meaning for those young men lucky enough to suit up in the black-and-gold. The experience leaves them with lessons that last a lifetime, including the value of hard work, supporting your teammates, overcoming adversity, and getting a top-notch education.

In What It Means to Be a Hawkeye, more than fifty of the biggest names from eight decades of Iowa football share in their own words their Hawkeye gridiron memories. From Ken Ploen guiding Iowa to its first Rose Bowl win; to Chuck Long s Heisman runner-up campaign; to Rick Stanzi s three bowl appearances, Iowa fans will relish the intimate stories told by their favorite players and coaches, many of whom went on to careers in the NFL. And while not every player excelled at the professional level, all cherished their time in Iowa City. They took from their college experiences an education that went far beyond Xs and Os and led to success in other facets of their lives. These stories will remind fans why they feel so passionate about Hawkeye football.