Though not an original member the Big Ten Conference, Iowa has been known for its consistency over the last few decades. The Hawkeyes are another program awaiting the arrival of the Oregon Ducks.

“I thank God I was warring on the gridirons of the Midwest and not on the battlefields of Europe. I can speak confidently and positively that the players of this country would much more, much rather struggle and fight to win a Heisman award than a Croix de Guerre.”

– Nile Kinnick, Iowa’s 1939 Heisman Trophy

School History

The University of Iowa was founded in 1847, just 59 days after Iowa was admitted as a state. Until 1964, the official name of the school was State University of Iowa. Classes began in 1855 with 124 students, including 41 women.

Iowa was one of the first institutions to accept creative work in theater, writing, music, and art on an equal basis with academic research, and, in 1873, became one of the first to granta a law degree to a woman.

The first law school and dental school west of the Mississippi River was established at Iowa. UI was the first university to use radio and television in education. Iowa has produced 46 Pulitzer Prize winners.

Enrollment in 2023 eclipsed 31,000 students. A member of the Association of American Universities (AAU), the public research institution had research expenditures in fiscal year 2021 of $818 millions.

In the latest U.S. News and World Report rankings, Iowa is No. 93 among national universities and No. 47 among public schools.

Football Program History

Iowa football began as a club sport in 1872, but the program was not officially recognized by the university as a varsity team until 1899. The Hawkeyes were an Independent that year, going undefeated and earning an invitation to the Western Conference, the precursor to the Big Ten.

In their first season with the Western Conference, Iowa went undefeated again to win a share of the league title. That success waned as Iowa soon split time between the Western Conference and the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the precursor to the Big Eight.

Success picked up again in the 1920s, with undefeated seasons in 1921 and 1922. Both of those seasons resulted in claimed national titles, though are not among the recognized national championships from the NCAA.

A 6-1-1 record in 1939 produced the program’s first top-10 finish from the Associated Press. That same year, the Hawkeyes notched their only Heisman Trophy winner in program history, Nile Kinnick, would become he namesake for their football stadium.

The 1950s saw Iowa become a national power. From 1953 to 1961, the Hawkeyes were ranked in the top-12 every season, posting five top-10 finishes. In 1961, Iowa was preseason No. 1, but managed to go just 5-4. That was the last season Iowa would be ranked until the 1980s when Heyden Fry took over.

Fry held the reigns for more than 20 years, leading the Hawkeyes to three Big Ten titles and 14 bowl games, including a trio of Rose Bowls. His 1985 team won a school-record 10 games and took the Big Ten title outright.

In 1998, Fry retired and handed the keys to former assistant Kirk Ferentz. Ferentz kept the consistency going with a trio of top-10 finished in 2002, 2003, and 2004. Despite no Big Ten titles since 2004, Iowa has only missed the bowl season once while reaching double-digit wins six times.

Iowa represented the West Division in two of the final three Big Ten Championship games before the league eliminates divisions this fall.

Championships and Heisman Trohpy Winners

Claimed National Championships: 5 (1921, 1922, 1956, 1958, 1960

Confrence Titles: 13

Heisman Trophy Winners: Nile Kinnick (1939)

Oregon is set to join the Big Ten Conference in 2024. For information on the league as a whole and where to read about the other programs, refer toOregon Football’s New Big Ten Conference Opponents: Rich History, Distance.

IOWA PARK, Texas (KAUZ) – The Iowa Park Lady Hawks are set to face the Coahoma Bulldogettes for a chance to go to the UIL State Tournament.

The game will be on Saturday, May 24 at the Graham ISD Softball Field.

The team defeated River Road in their last matchup to become Regional Semifinal Champions.

“From day one they were trying to be last year’s team and they are not,” Iowa Park Softball Coach, Eric Simmons said.

“We graduated so many players and got so many new faces. So, I just had to tell them to be themselves, be the best version of themselves, and let what happens happen through the season,” Simmons said.

The Lady Hawks have won 12 of their last 13 games.

They have outscored their opponents this off-season by a total of 60 to 14.

“When I got moved up earlier this season, I just wanted to come in and help the team in whatever way possible,” Iowa Park Lady Hawks, Rowan Pike said.

“I was a little nervous at first, but as the season went on I got more comfortable,” Pike said.

The Lady Hawks will face the defending 3A State Champions, Coahoma Bulldogettes.

The Bulldogettes have won 55 straight games. Their last time losing was in March of 2023.

“I do not doubt in my mind that we are winning, like if we beat Coahoma we are going to win state,” Iowa Park Lady Hawks, Raylee Huse said.

The Lady Hawks look to punch their ticket to the state tournament for the first time since 2022.

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DES MOINES, Iowa — Several tornadoes were reported in Iowa and Illinois as storms downed power lines and trees on Friday, just days after a deadly twister devastated one small town.

The large storm system began overnight in Nebraska before traveling across central Iowa and into Illinois. A weak tornado touched down in suburban Des Moines, according to the National Weather Service, which was also assessing damage from several other reported twisters south of Iowa City and near Moline, Illinois. No injuries or deaths were reported.

The storm also brought rain that was heavy in some areas of Iowa, where totals have reached as much as 8 inches over the last week, according to the weather service.

Also Friday, a church caught fire in Madison, Wisconsin, as a thunderstorm rolled through the area. Nate Moll, who lives two doors down from Holy Redeemer Catholic Church, said he heard a “zap zap zap” electrical sound, followed by a loud crack of thunder. Firefighters extinguished the blaze.

In Oklahoma, a tornado was on the ground for about an hour Thursday evening in Jackson County and neighboring counties as a slow-moving storm moved through, according to Ryan Bunker, a meteorologist with the weather service’s Norman, Oklahoma, office. News outlets reported downed power lines and outages and damage to some structures.

Severe weather was expected in areas around the U.S. throughout the long Memorial Day weekend, with a strong risk of tornadoes on Saturday in the Great Plains, particularly Kansas and Oklahoma. In New Mexico, strong winds and low humidity could fuel wildfires.

“It’s really important if you have outdoor plans to make sure that you remain aware of approaching thunderstorms,” said Matt Elliott, warning coordination meteorologist with the weather service’s Storm Prediction Center.

“May is the peak time of year for tornadoes and for severe weather across the United States,” Elliott said.

The latest severe weather comes as residents of Greenfield, Iowa, a community of about 2,000 people, have been cleaning up after a strong tornado on Tuesday.

Friday’s storm system inflicted heavy rains, dime-sized hail and wind gusts of 75 mph on a community still recovering after four people were killed and 35 others injured when a tornado destroyed more than 100 homes and crumpled turbines at a nearby wind farm. A fifth person was killed about 25 miles from Greenfield when her car was blown off the road in a tornado, according to the Adams County Sheriff’s Office.

Among the Greenfield residents who were killed were Dean and Pam Wiggins, said their grandson Tom Wiggins.

On Thursday, he tried to find any of his grandparents’ mementos that remained after the tornado demolished their home, leaving little more than its foundation. He described them as “incredibly loved by not only our family but the entire town.”

Not far away, Bill Yount was cleaning up.

“It’s like somebody took a bomb,” said Yount, gesturing to the land — covered with wood, debris, trees stripped of their leaves, heavy machinery and equipment to clean up the mess.

He waited out the storm in a closet.

The National Weather Service determined that three separate powerful tornadoes carved paths totaling 130 miles (209 kilometers) across Iowa on Tuesday.

In addition to tornadoes, Saturday’s storms could bring extremely large hail, according to Elliott with the Storm Prediction Center. The risk of strong tornadoes, large hail and damaging winds shifts into parts of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky on Sunday. On Monday, the Mid-Atlantic region could see some severe thunderstorms.

Tornado risks increase in May because cold, dry air that occasionally flows down from Canada clashes with moist, warm air from the Gulf of Mexico and strong upper-level winds in the atmosphere, Elliott said.

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O’Malley reported from Philadelphia. Associated Press writer Rick Callahan in Indianapolis also contributed.