See which legends made the cut in our all-time Iowa Hawkeyes football roster, starting with the offensive starters and backups.
The Iowa Hawkeyes have a rich history with some of the game’s titans suiting up in the black and gold. Hawkeyes Wire is taking a look back at Iowa’s finest offensive playmakers, defensive standouts, specialists and coaches from its entire history.
Who makes the cut on Iowa’s all-time offensive two-deep? Which quarterbacks define the Hawkeyes’ history books? How about the running back position? Who has stolen the show in Iowa’s backfield?
Along the skill positions, which wide receivers and tight ends make it among the Hawkeyes’ all-time two deep. Who has been paving the way on Iowa’s offensive line historically? Let’s take a look at the best offensive players in Hawkeyes history.
Over its football history, these are the top 25 single-game passing performances in Iowa Hawkeyes history.
Among Power 5 teams, Iowa doesn’t have the history of air raid programs like say a Texas Tech. Still, that hasn’t stopped the Hawkeyes from putting together some eye-popping single-game passing performances from the quarterback position.
Also, the fact that Iowa hasn’t been constructed as an air raid program honestly makes these numbers more impressive. They are fewer and farther in between and that makes these games special when they’ve happened historically.
Hawkeyes Wire already broke down the top 25 single-season passing leaders in Iowa history. Now, let’s take a look at the top 25 single-game passing performances.
What do the top 25 passing seasons in Hawkeyes history look like? Here’s the best passing seasons in Iowa’s black and gold.
While elite quarterback play and the University of Iowa might not be completely synonymous, the Hawkeyes have boasted some terrific signal-callers over their program history.
Chuck Long finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1985. Brad Banks did, too, back in 2002. Before those two, Randy Duncan had his own second-place Heisman Trophy finish in 1958 and Kenny Ploen earned the ninth-most votes in 1956.
During Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz’s tenure, Iowa’s quarterbacks haven’t always been asked or tasked to roll up big numbers in order to position the Hawkeyes for victories. Instead, the hallmark of great Hawkeye quarterback play under Ferentz has been ball security.
With that in mind, it doesn’t mean that some of the best performances under center still haven’t come over the last quarter century. In fact, some of the best quarterback seasons statistically have come during the Ferentz era.
What about Iowa’s entire history, though? Which quarterbacks have authored the best passing seasons in program history? Here’s a look at each of the top 25 Iowa single-season passing totals.
How many Iowa Hawkeyes have made the College Football Hall of Fames? Here’s a look at Iowa’s comprehensive list of inductees.
A pair of former Iowa Hawkeyes recently found their names included on the 2023 ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame. Former Iowa tight end Dallas Clark and Hawkeye offensive tackle Robert Gallery were listed on the National Football Foundation’s ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame.
Of course, Clark finished his career in 17th place on Iowa’s career receiving list with 1,281 yards on 81 receptions in his two seasons in Iowa City playing tight end. The Twin River Valley High School product from Bode, Iowa, helped the Hawkeyes to a share of the 2002 Big Ten title and the program’s first-ever 11-win season.
He also holds the record for the longest pass reception in school history, hauling in a 95-yard touchdown grab against Purdue during the 2002 season. In 2002, Clark was a consensus All-American and the recipient of the John Mackey Award, which is presented to the country’s top tight end annually.
Clark was selected by the Indianapolis Colts with the 24th pick of the first round in the 2003 NFL draft. In his 11 seasons as a professional, Clark reeled in 505 passes for 5,665 yards and 53 touchdowns.
Meanwhile, in 2003, Gallery was a consensus All-American and awarded the Outland Trophy, which is bestowed annually to the nation’s top interior lineman. He was a two-time first team All-Big Ten selection and helped anchor Iowa’s offensive line during its undefeated trek through Big Ten play in 2002. Gallery also helped lead Iowa to another 10-win season in 2003.
After being drafted by the Oakland Raiders with the No. 2 pick in the 2004 NFL draft, Gallery played eight seasons in the NFL and started in 103 of the 104 games he appeared in.
That duo will hopefully see their names called into the College Football Hall of Fame soon and join an illustrious list of former Hawkeyes that already have their seat at the table.
How many former Iowa Hawkeyes have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fames? Here’s a look at the complete list below of National Football Foundation and Helms Athletic Foundation College Football Hall of Fame inductees.
Jonathan Keathly discusses studying Baylor, Josh Heupel’s offense.
The Josh Heupel era at Tennessee will kick off Sept. 2 against Bowling Green at Neyland Stadium.
Heupel’s uptempo spread offense has been on display during spring practices at Tennessee. His offense has been a staple throughout the sport since becoming an offensive coordinator and head coach.
Jonathan Keathly, head coach at Crossings Christian School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, has studied concepts of Heupel’s offense. Heupel’s offense has similar concepts to Baylor’s veer and shoot during the 2010s.
“I have spent quite a bit of time looking at what Heupel has done and the Baylor coaches have done,” Keathly said. “As I studied them, I think the key for any offensive coordinator and play-caller is it looks complex, and to a defender or a coordinator it looks like they are doing a lot of different things, but the more I got into it the more I appreciated the simplicity of it. Being a high school coach, coaching 15-18-year-olds, I have really appreciated that.
“We have used a lot their sniffer stuff. You can call it fullback, inverted tight end, whatever you want to call it, we have been using that on and off for the last four or five years. We found some easy ways to go from a 10-personnel look to an 11-personnel look. As I studied it, they do not always change personnel, they often find a hybrid guy and move him in different places. It looks different, but as you map out what they are doing, it is very similar.”
Nov. 18, 2000, Oklahoma quarterback Josh Heupel sets up to pass during the top-ranked Sooners’ 27-13 win over Texas Tech in an NCAA college football game in Norman, Oklahoma. (AP Photo/Jackson Laizure, File)
Chuck Long served as Heupel’s quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator at Oklahoma in 2000.
He came to Oklahoma from Iowa following the 1999 season, essentially replacing offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mike Leach. Leach departed Oklahoma to become Texas Tech’s head coach in 2000 and Long kept his Air Raid offense intact for Heupel.
“You knew he was going to get into coaching and you knew he was going to be an excellent football coach being raised that way,” Long told Vols Wire of Heupel. “He knew what it took to study the game. He has also progressed. He has taken the Leach offense, our offense, and tweaked it to his own personality and what he wants to do.
“They were really good at Central Florida the last couple of years offensively, so you can’t sit still as a coach and he has not done that. He has progressed forward in a good way.”
Nov 7, 2013; Waco, TX, USA; Baylor Bears quarterback Bryce Petty (14) throws a pass in the first quarter of the game against the Oklahoma Sooners at Floyd Casey Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Keathly discussed the Air Raid mesh concept and how Baylor of the 2010s, as well as Heupel, do not run it often, an example of Long detailing his former quarterback progressing offensively.
“When I was a true 10-personnel, Air Raid coach, we ran mesh a lot,” Keathly said. “When I did shift more to a sniffer-type look and a tight end, it has been at least six or seven years since we have ran it.”
The entire show with Keathly can be listened to here or below as he further details offensive concepts.
Ware beat out the likes of Joey Harrington, Rusty Hilger and Chuck Long in ESPN’s best and worst QBs of the Super Bowl era rankings
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There is no competition at all for the best Detroit Lions quarterback of the Super Bowl era. Matthew Stafford is the only option.
The analysts at ESPN rightly agreed on Stafford. But in their ranking of the best and worst QB for each team in the last 54 years, there is some room for debate on who the worst has been for the Lions.
ESPN settled on Andre Ware. Based on the explanation ESPN gave, it seems he barely edged out Joey Harrington and did so on the basis of how quickly he flamed out after being a top-10 overall pick.
Worst QB: Andre Ware. Most probably remember Joey Harrington (2002 third overall pick) as the Lions’ biggest bust, but former Heisman Trophy winner Ware was the seventh overall pick in 1990, and he made only six starts and threw five touchdown passes in his career. Harrington at least made 55 starts with Detroit.
Ironically enough, Ware spent years at ESPN working as a college football analyst.
I would like to nominate Rusty Hilger and his 1988 abomination that helped lead to the need to reach for Ware in the 1990 NFL Draft. Hilger completed a league-worst 41 percent of his passes and threw 12 INTs against just seven TDs in his one season (nine starts) in Detroit. Granted the stakes and expectations weren’t as high, but that’s an astonishingly awful performance for Hilger in that era.
Chuck Long throwing 50 percent more INTs than TDs, and going 4-17 as a starter as a first-round pick deserves strong consideration too. Jeff Komlo was no great shakes, either.
