Top 20 Most Dramatic Iowa Football Plays of All-Time

ChosenChildren

ChosenChildren

Well-Known Member
For fun I thought I would rank the top 25 most dramatic Iowa football plays of all time (in no particular order):

1. 1939: Kinnick 60 yard punt to defeat Notre Dame, 7-6
2. 1985: Houghtlin field goal to defeat Michigan, 12-10
3. 1956: Ploen to Gibbons to defeat Ohio State, 6-0
4. 1987: Hartlieb to Cook on 4th and 27 to stun Ohio State, 29-27
5. 1985: Long bootleg to defeat Mich St: 35-31
6. 1996: Dwight goes 80 yards to defeat Penn State, 21-20
7. 2004: Tate to Holloway to defeat LSU, 30-25
8. 2009: Stanzi to McNutt to stun MSU crowd, 15-13
9. 2009: Iowa blocks 2nd field goal to defeat Northern Iowa, 17-16
10. 2002: Clark catches 4th down pass to defeat Purdue, 31-28
11. 2009: Wegher goes 32 yards late to defeat Ga. Tech, 24-14, clinch Orange Bowl championship
12. 2008: Murray drills it from 31 yards to take down Penn St, 24-23
13. 1986: Houghtlin hits dramatic long field goal to defeat San Diego St in Holiday Bowl: 39-38
14. 1958: Fleming returns long punt 85 yds to put Michigan to sleep, 37-14 in the Big House
15. 1960: Ferguson goes 96 yards down east sideline to shut up Woody Hayes, seal Big Ten title, 35-12
16. 2004: Tate hits Solomon late in lst half to trigger rout over the Badgers, 30-7, clinch Big Ten title
17. 2002: Banks hits Jones in OT to take down Penn St, 42-35
18. 1990: Derby intercepts Michigan late to seal victory, 24-23
19. 2009: Sash takes it 97 yards on interception to stun Hoosiers, 42-24
20. 2009: Clayborn blocks punt, takes down #5 Penn St 21-10
21. 1958: Jeter goes 86 yards to clinch Rose Bowl over Cal, 38-12
22. 1939: Kinnick hits late, long pass to defeat Gophers, 13-9
23. 1939: Kinnick foregoes tie, hits TD pass on last play of game to defeat Hoosiers, 32-29
24. 1960: Dayton Perry intercepts fumble, goes 57 yards to give Iowa its first lead and a win against Michigan State, 21-16
25. 1976: Penn State shanks field goal, giving huge upset win to Iowa, 7-6


I'm sure I'm leaving a bunch of great plays off of this list. Your thoughts?
 
I remember those games in '39 like it was yesterday.

I would put Clayborn's block punt much higher on the list. That play was #2 in terms of 2009 in my mind.

Good list.
 
#11 will be forgotten about in 10 years. It wasn't that huge of a play. Iowa controlled that whole game. Wouldn't put it in my 25.
 
Tate to Holloway is number one. Sorry, but it just is.
Clayborn's block is up WAAAYYYYYY higher.
Banks to Clark is up higher.
Don't want to be a what have you done for me lately guy, but...
 
great list ChosenChild! I do agree #11 should be removed or at least in the 20s, although it did secure Iowa first BCS type bowl win in 50 yrs.

I think Stanzi to McNutt needs to be higher than maybe Halloway and Dwight PSU punt only because of the significance of it. Allowed Iowa to move to 8-0 for first time in a looong time. B10 victory.

I was at the Cap One Bowl and saw the Tate to Halloway play in person and that probably remains my favorite sporting event experience (in which I was not playing). I just think the significance of McNutt catch was slightly greater.
 
11's way too high. Not an overly dramatic play. Wouldn't make my top 25. Clayborn's punt block has to be higher.
 
Tate to Holloway is not top 10. Brad Banks run during the Purdue game to get us in to Boilermaker Territory and set up Clark catch should be on there.
 
CaneHawk62 said:
Tate to Holloway is not top 10. Brad Banks run during the Purdue game to get us in to Boilermaker Territory and set up Clark catch should be on there.
Click to expand...

how is Tate to Holloway not in the top ten? Capital One Bowl, last second (probably should have called a TO), sixty yards. It may not be #1, but it may be remembered for the longest.
 
CaneHawk62 said:
Tate to Holloway is not top 10. Brad Banks run during the Purdue game to get us in to Boilermaker Territory and set up Clark catch should be on there.
Click to expand...

Are you kidding? There are lots of "dramatic" plays on that list but Tate to Holloway was perhaps the most stunning final play in Hawkeye history.
 
I wasn't ranking them - just listing them. I agree that Tate to Holloway has to be #1 or #2 (Hartlieb to Cook?)

I should have said Top 25 plays, not Top 20 plays (ooops).

I agree that the Banks run in the Purdue game was HUGE

Yes, you are right, Wegher run probably not so big --- I went to the ORange Bowl and wanted to list one play from that game!!!!

I'm sure I'm leaving some great plays out --

Also, what a list you could compile if you listed some of the great plays that teams made AGAINST Iowa (that would be an amazing list as well).

Remember the Bobby Olive catch (Ohio State) on the last play of the game at Kinnick? OUCH
 
Here are my top 5, for what it is worth:

1. Tate to Holloway (I almost passed out; incredible endng).
2. Hartlieb to Cook (I thought Jim Zabel was going to pass out; wow was that exciting)
3. Houghtlin kick to beat Bo (most thrilling moment ever with my Dad)
4. Stanzi to McNutt (I had a friend sever an achilles tendon jumping out of his chair when McNutt caught the ball).
5. Murray kick to beat the Lions

So many great memories with Iowa Hawkeye football - amazing history

Another great play:1983 - Long to Moritz, 73 yards to beat Ohio State (Moritiz runs serpentine the last 30 yards to elude the faster Ohio State defensive back!!!!) I never heard Kinnick louder than that
 
ChosenChildren said:
Here are my top 5, for what it is worth:

1. Tate to Holloway (I almost passed out; incredible endng).
2. Hartlieb to Cook (I thought Jim Zabel was going to pass out; wow was that exciting)
3. Houghtlin kick to beat Bo (most thrilling moment ever with my Dad)
4. Stanzi to McNutt (I had a friend sever an achilles tendon jumping out of his chair when McNutt caught the ball).
5. Murray kick to beat the Lions

So many great memories with Iowa Hawkeye football - amazing history

Another great play:1983 - Long to Moritz, 73 yards to beat Ohio State (Moritiz runs serpentine the last 30 yards to elude the faster Ohio State defensive back!!!!) I never heard Kinnick louder than that
Click to expand...

Just thinking about these plays gives me goosebumps. Awesome.
 
Lou King intercepts a Nebraska Pass with 37 seconds left to play to seal a 10-7 victory over #6 Nebraska in 1981, 1 year after Powerhouse Nebraska dominated Iowa 57-0.
This final defensive play on this day started the successfull modern era of Iowa football.

I was there. Iowa stopped Nebraska over and over that day. Every time Nebraska had the ball every Iowa fan held their breath. Beating Nebraska that day seemed impossible (At least to me as a kid). It felt like we were holding a once in a lifetime dream in our hands and praying we could hold on to it.

The Hawks stopped them with less than 2 minutes to go and then had to give the ball back. One last chance for Nebraska, they had a long way to go but only needed a field goal and it was afterall Nebraska. It was incredibly intense, until Lou King grabbed that final pass.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Share this page

Top