Iowa Hawkeyes football

Iowa Hawkeyes football

The Iowa Hawkeyes football program represents the University of Iowa in college football. The Hawkeyes compete in the West division of the Big Ten Conference. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the NCAA. Kirk Ferentz is in his 21st season as the head coach and is the longest current tenured head coach in NCAA Division I FBS.

About Iowa Hawkeyes football in brief

Summary Iowa Hawkeyes footballThe Iowa Hawkeyes football program represents the University of Iowa in college football. The Hawkeyes compete in the West division of the Big Ten Conference. Iowa joined the Conference in 1899 and played their first Conference football season in 1900. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the NCAA. The team plays their home games in Iowa City, Iowa at Kinnick Stadium, with a capacity of 69,250. Kirk Ferentz is in his 21st season as the head coach and is the longest current tenured head coach in NCAA Division I FBS. 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 first officially recognized a varsity football team. Iowa won 20 straight games in the early 1920s under the guidance of Hall of Fame coach Howard Jones. Iowa claimed consecutive Big Ten titles in 1921 and 1922. In 1960 the Hawkeyes held on to the No. 1 ranking for much of the season. Nile Kinnick won almost every major national award, including the 1939 Heisman Trophy. In 1965 the Hawks were left out of the Rose Bowl, despite a No. 2 ranking in the AP Poll and a No 3 ranking and a share of the National Championship, as the final AP poll was conducted before their loss to Washington in the Washington Rose Bowl. The season is known as the ‘Forgotten Season’ for the ending with a No 23 ranking and no win or loss in the final 23 games of the year.

The Hawks won the national championship in 1968 and 1969, but lost to rival No. 3 Minnesota in the Minnesota Rose Bowl in Pasadena, the only loss of theyear for the 1960 Hawkeyes and they shared the Big10 title with Minnesota. Iowa was left out in the 1971 Rose Bowl and their teams went on to go to Pasadena to win the National Championships. The 1979 Hawkeyes were the first Iowa team to finish in the top five of the national rankings, and they were the only team to do so in the first five seasons of the FBS era. The 1981 Hawkeyes won the Outland Trophy as the first Hawkeye – and the first African-American – to win a national championship. The Iowa team was the first to finish the season with a 16–2–2 record, though they had a 16-2 record from 1961 to 1965. The 1989 Hawkeyes scored several upset victories and vaulted into thenational rankings. The 1939 Hawkeyes, nicknamed the “Ironmen” because a small number of players shouldered the brunt of the time played, the team exceeded expectations and had a glorious run. The 2009 Hawkeyes fell a game short of winning the Big. Ten title, but they won two Rose Bowl victories, including a win over No. 8 Ohio State, No. 15 Michigan State, and No. 10 Purdue. The 2010 Hawkeyes finished the season at No. 4 in the national polls.