If you could change one Iowa loss in the history of sports to a win...

I don't think Iowa would have played in the National Championship game in 2002, even if they had beaten ISU. Miami and tOSU were both undefeated and started the season ranked ahead of Iowa. How would Iowa have jumped either one?
 
How bout the when all Iowa needed to win their 10th national champioship in a row in wrestling, was to have their heavyweight win and not get pinned, and he did by a guy from iowa state and it gave them the national championship. It was on Wide World of Sports I think I was like 12. That was devastating to me. Remember they wore the roman numeral X on their shorts throughout the tourney.. Wow that really hurt
 
If i had to choose one football game, it would be Iowa vs Iowa State(2002). Like everyone else has said, it would have gave Iowa a perfect season, and a chance at the title game.

For Basketball: I dont think this has been said yet, but i would change the game vs Northwestern State in the first round of the 2006 NCAA tournament. I believe Iowa blew two 19 point leads, and the last second buzzer beater NW St made was depressing to me. I am still upset about that game.
 
thejumper5 said:
I wasn't born yet in 1987, so I'll go with one a little closer to my era. 1999's Sweet 16 loss to UCONN was pivotol to the current position of Iowa basktball. Had we won that game, we would have faced 10th seeded Gonzaga for a trip to the Final 4, and had we won that game, we would have faced Ohio St in the semis. I think there is a great chance we would have won both those games (Iowa and OSU had split the regular season that year). If we would have reached the Final 4 (or national title game vs. Duke), three Big 10 teams would have been in the Final 4, Mr. Davis's job is possibly saved, and if it isn't saved, perhaps we are able to bring in an even bigger, more stable coach than Steve Alford (though he was very highly regarded at the time).
Click to expand...

Interesting choice, but I don't think there's any way we get past Duke in the title game that year, assuming we beat Gonzaga and OSU in the next games. Winning that Uconn game could definitely have sent us VERY deep into the tournament that year though.

For me - I agree with alot of people that '87 vs. UNLV in the Elite 8 is the one for basketball.

Football - Probably the '85 Season Rose Bowl vs. UCLA, or the 2002 game vs. ISU. That loss to ISU was the only thing keeping us out of the title game (in all likelihood) that year. We were more impressive from game to game against OSU that year, and the voters may have put us in the Fiesta Bowl to play for all the chips.
 
cuinknk said:
How would Iowa have jumped either one?
Click to expand...

I already alluded to this, but Iowa was winning far more impressively than OSU was that year. I kind of look at OSU as the way our team was being perceived this year when we were undefeated. They were winning alot of games 14-10, etc. and the voters just might have voted us ahead of OSU if we were undefeated. Alot of people thought OSU was a joke and didn't have a chance to beat Miami. Purely speculation on my part, but I like to think that anyway..

I think we could have beaten Miami in 2002 title game. Miami's rushing defense was weak that year, and we could have run on them all day long and controlled the ball, IMO.
 
Last edited:
the jacksonville loss changed everything as did the osu playoff loss in 1968 in ia bb history. in fb the 10-10 vs wis in 1984 where ronnie breaks leg
 
enosmohawk said:
If you are over 50 years old and watched Iowa play Jacksonville in person or on TV that winter night in 1970, there is no way you could pick any other contest to change in the history of Iowa athletics.

The Hawks got two free throws from Freddie Brown to give them the lead with less than a minute to go. They played awesome defense on Jacksonville's last possession forcing the Jacksonville guard, Rex (somebody), to put up a 30 footer with about 4 seconds on the game clock only to have Pembrooke Burrows III tip it in at the buzzer.

As a high school senior that year, I don't mind saying I shed a few tears over that loss. I felt as many others, that Iowa was the only team that could have given UCLA & Sidney Wicks a run for the championship.

40 years later...... it still hurts to think about that game. A little known fact is that Artis Gilmore visited Iowa out of Junior College and almost became a Hawkeye. We could build a Hall of Fame on the basketball players that we have come in second on their recruitment.
Click to expand...

My choice as well--still remember our dog hiding under the bed for an hour after the game in response to my dad throwing the TV Guide at the television following Burrows' tip-in. Found some miscellaneous sites with boxscores of the game and partial recaps. Actually, Vaughn Wedeking took Jax's last shot--thing I recall is that even though his shot was from a good 25 feet out, the ball barely bounced off the rim which allowed Burrows a chance to tip it. Also, Freddy Brown did put us ahead late but it was with a basket--box score confirms he was 1-2 from the line that night. That was a team that would keep Carver filled--can you imagine a team averaging 100 points without the 3-pt goal?
 
I think If I could change one game it'd be the Northwestern game this year. I've never been more disappointed not in a sports moment, but possibily most disappointed moment of my life.
 
87 UNLV is the first to come to mind. To blow such an opportunity was heart breaking.

Football - 85 Rose Bowl We wouldn't have to hear about the bad side of Harmon for years to come.
 
One answer came to mind as soon as I read the question.

87 vs UNLV, would have loved to see how that turned out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Share this page

Top