- 1957
- 1962
-
Hawkeye Alex Karras
Karras struggled in the beginning at Iowa, with classwork, homesickness, and with his coach, Forest Evashevski. He was a pledge at the Sigma Nu fraternity during his first year in school. Karras probably would have left Iowa had he not befriended a Greek theater owner, Ernie Pannos, as well as fellow players Cal Jones and Bob Commings. Karras’ sophomore year ... -
Iowa Hawkeyes Don Nelson 1962
As a senior in 1961-1962, Nelson averaged 23.8 points and 11.9 rebounds as the Hawkeyes finished 13-11. In Nelson’s years at Iowa, the Big Ten conference was full of future NBA players. Among others, Ohio State had future Hall of Fame players in John Havlicek and Jerry Lucas, along with Larry Siegfried. Indiana had a future Hall of Fame inductee ...
Historically, Iowa has been very successful in wrestling, with 34 team Big Ten championships and 23 team national championships. The Hawkeyes have also won national championships in five other sports: men's gymnastics, football, field hockey, rifle and women's track and field. In basketball, Iowa has reached the NCAA Final Four on four occasions. The men's team has done this three times, most recently in 1980, while the women's team has done it once, in 1993. The baseball team has reached the College World Series once, in 1972. Iowa's softball team has played in the Women's College World Series on four occasions, most recently in 2001.
College Sports Established
1899
Location
Iowa City, Iowa
College Name
University of Iowa
Collegiate History
1973 - Present / NCAA Division 1
1915 - 1973 / University Division of the NCAA
Conference History
1899 – Present / Big 10 Conference
Nickname
Hawkeyes - The state of Iowa’s nickname is the Hawkeye State, and the University of Iowa borrowed its athletic nickname from the state many years ago. It is not clear how Iowans became Hawkeyes, but the nickname was first recorded in 1859. Some people believe that a Burlington judge, David Rorer, suggested the nickname based on a character in The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper.
The name also got support from James G. Edwards of Fort Madison. Edwards, editor of the Fort Madison Patriot, moved his newspaper to Burlington, Iowa, and renamed it the Hawk-Eye and Iowa Patriot. The campaign to popularize the name was rewarded when territorial officials gave their formal approval in 1838.
The Hawkeye nickname gained a tangible symbol in 1948 when a cartoon character, later to be named Herky the Hawk, was hatched.
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men's Basketball 0
Women's Basketball 0
Football 1
1958
Soccer 0
To qualify as a greatest player for this team, the player must have played one season for this team. If not, we will remove the player.