Greatest Player in Iowa FB History (and you can't vote for Kinnick)

in no particular order... Larry Station, Tippet, Bob Sanders, Dallas Clark are a few. It's tough to narrow down. I don't know if a single player did more in a single season for the success of a team than CJ and maybe before him Shonn Greene(which is likely a different topic all together). Without CJ doing some CJ things, I think we lose maybe 3 in '15. We've had so many unbelievably good Linemen....this is tougher than I thought...King likely needs to be on this list as well.

Go Hawks. ready for the season....
 
For me, it is the people who drove me to watch Iowa football to begin with. Those guys were Bob Jeter and Larry Ferguson way back in the late 50's and early 60's. Surprisingly , the style characterized some of the best of Iowa and Wisconsin's football over the last 50 years.
 
NCHawker said:
how do you do that multi-quote thing there?
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Pretty simple. Just hit "Reply" on one of the posts you want to reply to. Hit "Enter" at least once to add some spacing. Then go to the next post you want to add and hit "Reply". It will show up at the end of your current reply.

HawkGold said:
Haven't figured that out. I played football.
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You could also hit "Reply" and then paste the contents into a text editor (like Notepad) and then clear out the contents of the reply window. Then go to another post and hit "Reply" and paste the contents into a text editor (like Notepad). Then go to another post....... you get the idea.
 
docholihawk said:
I'm not sure any list is valid without Chuck Long in the top five.
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I can think of a few. Alex Karras, Andre Tippett.

Several with the name Hilgenberg. Maybe Mark Bortz.

The men that run with the football or throw it don't have to be at the top. He doesn't do much without some of those guys. They all had long term NFL careers.

There is a reason why Iowa beat up some of the best most physical teams in college football in the years of most of these guys.

Quite a few pro bowls among them except for Joel. He only had one.
 
HawkGold said:
I can think of a few. Alex Karras, Andre Tippett.

Several with the name Hilgenberg. Maybe Mark Bortz.

The men that run with the football or throw it don't have to be at the top. He doesn't do much without some of those guys. They all had long term NFL careers.

There is a reason why Iowa beat up some of the best most physical teams in college football in the years of most of these guys.

Quite a few pro bowls among them except for Joel. He only had one.
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Iowa doesn't make the Rose Bowl without our second place Heisman, Maxwell winnings, All-American quarterback.
 
IndianaHawk said:
Iowa doesn't make the Rose Bowl without our second place Heisman, Maxwell winnings, All-American quarterback.
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You can say the same about the line men or Tippett. Seriously, how close was Mark Vlasic to being the greatest Iowa Quarterback ever? Long really better? Coaches preference?
 
IndianaHawk said:
What was Iowa's ranking when Vlassic was there? What place did he finish in the Heisman voting?
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They were both legit NFL QBs unlike Stanzi. Vlasic had a separated shoulder his Senior year. The back ups had almost as many throws as Vlasic. That team was a rebuilding year and aside from an upset loss to IL, they lost in a close one at then 4th ranked Michigan and at home to OSU.

It was a good problem to have. Many thought Vlasic should have started. It's a coaching prerogative..

Neither player would have been successful without a cast around them. No doubt Long had a better supporting cast.

As far as runner up Heisman stuff, that could also be Brad Banks. Had banks started the year before, Iowa likely would have not been playing USC which was the best team at that point.

It's all a fun discussion.

Fans also forget that KF comes from his aversion to risk from his Mentor HF. A lot of his aura of being a gambler is a bit of a sales job. HF preferred sideline passes and loved the shovel pass and draw play on 3rd and long.

Nobody is doubting Long was a great player. There are a number of players who were fantastic impact players and had long NFL careers AND were considered elite NFL players. Long wasn't in that category. Long fit HF better than Vlasic. Vlasic likely had more NFL upside. Injuries hampered both.
 
Really hard to pick one out of 60 years of great players. Sometimes we pick players because they're special to us but no more valuable than others. I could easily have picked Paul Laaveg who was a really good lineman, late 60's to early 70's. The fact that he was from my hometown and we went to church together would alter my thoughts. He played in the dead era of Iowa football which probably had a lot of good players that are largely forgotten. There's no reason for argument since no is going to change their pick. Great players are also remembered by the time period that we lived. Some only remember the Kirk Ferentz era and maybe some Hayden Fry from seeing videos. I would pick Hayden Fry as the greatest coach since he took them from being thought of as lowly like ISU or KSU and left when Iowa was nationally known and very recognized. I can't compare him to Evy who accomplished things Hayden Fry never did. KF may end up as Iowa's all time leader in wins but most of us don't know the every day things players and coaches did. I'd like to see a poll of former players and coaches talk of the greatest. Of course Nile Kinnick is the legend almost everybody would agree on, that's why he wasn't included in the original list.
 
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