HeneryHawk
Well-Known Member
Duke Slater
Big Ten Icons: Who from Iowa?
- Thread starter JonDMiller
- Start date
GoHawksGus
Member
Uhmmm Dallas Clark anyone? Had a great college career that gathered accolades and transferred it into an outstanding pro career as well?
Maybe it's too recent.
Andre Tippett was highly regarded as a Hawk and had a great career as a pro.
I don't have a problem with him as the face of success as a Hawkeye or Big Ten player. Not sure about the 50 year thing though.
Probably Chuck.
Maybe it's too recent.
Andre Tippett was highly regarded as a Hawk and had a great career as a pro.
I don't have a problem with him as the face of success as a Hawkeye or Big Ten player. Not sure about the 50 year thing though.
Probably Chuck.
tiggerhawk
Well-Known Member
Likely that iconic status will depend upon whether legendary status extended beyond four years of college itself.
In that event, Kinnick is a lock, Alex Karras celebrity status probably gets him on the list (how many BT linemen every floored a horse with a single punch?).
Murray Weir BELONGS. While a few other BT hoopsters led the nation in scoring, Weir is the only one who did it as a 5-6 or 5-7 FORWARD. The guy was smaller than Mugsy Bogues by about 20 to 30 pounds, and yet played in the NBA pre-expansion. Basketball is NOT just a game for big guys; and NO player, EVER, was better inch for inch, pound for pound, than Murray Weir. He is the consumate, perfect ICON for the under-six foot hoops player.
Finally, given the Hawkeye's TOTAL domination of Big Ten wrestling, it would be a travesty not to include an Iowa wrestler as one of the 50 icons, A Banach, or a Brands, or McIllray come immediately to mind as top choices (I'd think Tom Brands, the Gable-clone in temperament & determination).
In that event, Kinnick is a lock, Alex Karras celebrity status probably gets him on the list (how many BT linemen every floored a horse with a single punch?).
Murray Weir BELONGS. While a few other BT hoopsters led the nation in scoring, Weir is the only one who did it as a 5-6 or 5-7 FORWARD. The guy was smaller than Mugsy Bogues by about 20 to 30 pounds, and yet played in the NBA pre-expansion. Basketball is NOT just a game for big guys; and NO player, EVER, was better inch for inch, pound for pound, than Murray Weir. He is the consumate, perfect ICON for the under-six foot hoops player.
Finally, given the Hawkeye's TOTAL domination of Big Ten wrestling, it would be a travesty not to include an Iowa wrestler as one of the 50 icons, A Banach, or a Brands, or McIllray come immediately to mind as top choices (I'd think Tom Brands, the Gable-clone in temperament & determination).
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EastLosRandy
Well-Known Member
Since it apparently has to be people who played at Iowa, then Gable and Fry are out. They will probably average it out as much as possible among the conference members. Iowa isn't O$U, so that means 4-5 is likely.
1. Nile Kinnick, of course is THE ICON of Iowa football. LOCK
2. Chuck Long is the biggest star of the Fry era. And his bobblehead image was already on the BTN site last I looked. LOCK
3. Men's hoops has produced enough stars at Iowa to get one slot. Ronnie Lester should be a lock. I could see B.J. Armstrong getting the nod due to his prolific NBA career. (Sadly, Lester's injury problems followed him to the pros.)
4. If they're doing their homework at the BTN, then they'll pick an Iowa wrestler. In that case, Tom Brands is the most likely choice, given his current success as the Iowa coach. He deserves the recognition, but it'd be cool if they picked Banach. He was a monster.
5. Someone made the point that there would be a woman, and I agree. I think it would be Michelle Edwards, who had a nice feature written about her a couple of years ago at bigten.org. (And also here on wnba.com.) She's actually a big deal in women's basketball history, #2 overall selection in the inaugural WNBA draft, the only woman hoopster to have her number retired at Iowa, and was name the Big Ten's athlete of the decade for the 80s.
But that's my prediction:
Kinnick, Long, Lester, Brands, Edwards
1. Nile Kinnick, of course is THE ICON of Iowa football. LOCK
2. Chuck Long is the biggest star of the Fry era. And his bobblehead image was already on the BTN site last I looked. LOCK
3. Men's hoops has produced enough stars at Iowa to get one slot. Ronnie Lester should be a lock. I could see B.J. Armstrong getting the nod due to his prolific NBA career. (Sadly, Lester's injury problems followed him to the pros.)
4. If they're doing their homework at the BTN, then they'll pick an Iowa wrestler. In that case, Tom Brands is the most likely choice, given his current success as the Iowa coach. He deserves the recognition, but it'd be cool if they picked Banach. He was a monster.
5. Someone made the point that there would be a woman, and I agree. I think it would be Michelle Edwards, who had a nice feature written about her a couple of years ago at bigten.org. (And also here on wnba.com.) She's actually a big deal in women's basketball history, #2 overall selection in the inaugural WNBA draft, the only woman hoopster to have her number retired at Iowa, and was name the Big Ten's athlete of the decade for the 80s.
But that's my prediction:
Kinnick, Long, Lester, Brands, Edwards
If anyone other than Nile Kinnick and Chuck Long make it from football for Iowa, Cal Jones should be the first one off the list.
First black player to win the Outland Trophy. First 3-time all-american at Iowa, 2-time consensus 1st team AA, first college football player to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated. #62 only other retired number in Iowa history.
First black player to win the Outland Trophy. First 3-time all-american at Iowa, 2-time consensus 1st team AA, first college football player to grace the cover of Sports Illustrated. #62 only other retired number in Iowa history.
SouthSideHawk
Well-Known Member
What about Wayne Duke. Wasn't he an Iowa grad and the commissioner for quite a few years?
+1
Already in agreemnt on Kinnick and Long and got a quick history lesson on Cal Jones. Really didn't know anything about him, but I would say he is definitely #3 on the football list.
For basketball I think Chris Street would be a neat one. And I'm partial to Dean Oliver but I'm sure Lester, Armstrong or a few others would make the cut first.
Don't know enough about other sports to make any suggestions but it would be a crime not to have an Iowa wrestler on there.
HawkeyeMitch91
Member
When I was covering the Men's Big Ten Tournament back in March, I had a chance to vote for who should be on the watch list of the Big Ten Icons.
Myself and other credentialed media did a preliminary vote at a Big Ten media party during the Tournament. From that vote, 100 Icons were put on the "Watch List"
Here's the ones from Iowa who made the list
Tom Brands
Alex Karras
Nile Kinnick
Chuck Long
Here's the list
Media Selects Big Ten Icons Watch List - Big Ten Network
I know that B.J. Armstrong, Ronnie Lester, and Ronnie Harmon were also on the big list of Icons we could have voted for.
-Mitch
@MitchS91
Myself and other credentialed media did a preliminary vote at a Big Ten media party during the Tournament. From that vote, 100 Icons were put on the "Watch List"
Here's the ones from Iowa who made the list
Tom Brands
Alex Karras
Nile Kinnick
Chuck Long
Here's the list
Media Selects Big Ten Icons Watch List - Big Ten Network
I know that B.J. Armstrong, Ronnie Lester, and Ronnie Harmon were also on the big list of Icons we could have voted for.
-Mitch
@MitchS91
