Favorite Hawkeyes in your lifetime

[Hawkeyes4Life32]

Thought it would be interesting to see different takes on your favorite (not necessarily the best) Hawks that you've seen play at each position. I'm younger so my list only covers the last two decades. My team would look like this:

Offense
QB - close call but I gotta take Stanzi
RB - Shonn Greene
RB - Albert Young
FB - Brett Morse
WR - Marvin McNutt
WR - Clinton Solomon
Slot - Matt Vandeberg
TE - TJ Hockenson
TE - Tony Moeaki
TE - Brandon Myers
T - Brandon Scherff
G - James Daniels
C - Rob Bruggeman
G - Kyle Calloway
T - Marshal Yanda

Defense
DE - Adrian Clayborn
DT - Mitch King
DT - Mike Daniels
DE - AJ Epenesa
OLB/Cash - Chad Greenway/Amani Hooker
MLB - Josey Jewell or Angerer. Can't choose
OLB - AJ Edds or move Jewell outside
CB - Charles Godfrey
CB - Josh Jackson
CB - Amari Spievey
S - Tyler Sash
S - Brett Greenwood ( I would put Bob Sanders but I was too young to remember much from his Hawk years)

Special Teams
K - Keith Duncan
P - Ryan Donahue
LS - Tyler Kluver

KR - Micah Hyde
PR - Desmond King

It's a pretty difficult list to make for sure. We've had the privilege of watching a lot of great football over the years!

 

[kcgolfer]

1. Hayden Fry
2. Chuck Long
3. Larry Station
4. Tim Dwight
5. Bob Sanders
6. Marv Cook

 

[IowaHawkeyeFBnBB4Life]

Kevin Kasper of course has to make the list.

 

[West CO Hawk]

Chuck Long,
Ricky Stanzi
Merton Hanks
Herky The Hawk

 

[Hawkfan_08]

This could be a great thread. I am going to try to limit this to an actual 11 which is going to be sooooo hard.

Offense
QB- Brad Banks
RB- Shonn Greene
FB- Jeremy Allen
WR- Ed Hinkel
WR- Marvin McNutt
TE- Dallas Clark
TE- TJ Hockenson (TE was almost impossible. How I am leaving out Moeaki is impossible in my mind)
OL- David Porter
OL- Robert Gallery
OL- Bryan Bulaga
OL- Marshall Yanda
C- Tyler Linderbaun

DE- Adrian Clayborn
DT- Mitch King
DT- Colin Cole
DE- Matt Roth
LB- Chad Greenway
LB- Abdul Hodge
LB- Anthony Hitchens
CB- Des King
CB- Micah Hyde
S- Bob Sanders
S- Amani Hooker

PR- Tim Dwight
KR- CJ Jones
LS- Casey Kreiter
P- Jason Baker
K- Nate Kaeding
Special- Jayme Murphy/Devonte Young

I feel disgusting leaving off so many more of my favorite Hawks...

 

[24 so far]

First Hawk jersey I ever had was Larry Station, so gotta include him, but my all-timer was probably Timmy Dwight. Fast and tougher than Wang leather. Timmy D.!

 

[giveitall]

Tim Dwight, Kevin Kasper, Ed Hinkel, Abdul Hodge, Freddy Russell

 

[Hawkeyes4Life32]

Tim Dwight, Kevin Kasper, Ed Hinkel, Abdul Hodge, Freddy Russell

Ed Hinkel is a good one I forgot about

 

[scotthawk1964]

I'd have to say Hayden Fry and Kirk Ferentz are my favorite Hawkeyes, because Hayden brought Iowa to respectability and Kirk has continued that, as well as doing it the right way.

 

[Gonzo Bloor]

QB - Chuck Long
RB - Eddie Phillips
RB - Shonn Greene
WR - Robert Smith
WR - Marvin McNutt
TE - Dallas Clark
OL - Robert Gallery
OL - Joel Hilgenberg
OL - Marshall Yanda
OL - Brandon Scherff
OL - Tristan Wirfs

DE - Andre Tippett
DT - Dave Haight
DT - Mark Bortz
DE - AJ Epenesa
LB - Larry Station
LB - Josey Jewell
LB - Chad Greenway
CB - Merton Hanks
CB - Dez King
S - Bob Sanders
S - Tyler Sash

P - Reggie Roby
K - Nate Kaeding
PR/KR - Tim Dwight

Coach - Hayden Fry

 

[Chicagohawk2019]

QB Tate
RB Greene
WR McNutt
WR Tevaun Smith
TE Hockenson
TE Moeaki
OL Bulaga
OL Scherff
OL Reiff
OL Wirfs
C J Daniels

DE Clayborn
DE Epenesa
DT Daniels
DT Johnson
LB Jewell
LB Kirksey
LB Hitchens
CB King
CB Jackson
S Sash
S Hooker

K Duncan
P Donahue
LS Krieter
PR Hyde
KR Ihmir

 

[SansSouci]

Hayden and Bob. Hayden was larger than life to me as a youngster and Bob just was everywhere. There are plenty more, but those two stick our. Gallery was fun to watch too.

 

[Hawkize31]

S - Brett Greenwood ( I would put Bob Sanders but I was too young to remember much from his Hawk years)

I'll help you there - you ever see a video of a freight train hitting a car? Bob Sanders did that to people holding a football. Often.

 

[gojojo]

As great as Long, Station and Dwight were, no one player has had a bigger impact on Iowa football in my lifetime than Bob Sanders. He set the tone for KF's style of football and raised the expectations of his teammates and the players that followed.

 

[87alum87]

1. Bob Sanders
2. Tavian Banks
3. Tim Dwight
4. Dallas Clark
5. Shonn Greene
6. Ricky Stanzi
7. Chad Greenway
8. TJ Hockenson
9. Reggie Roby
10. Nate Kaeding
Up and Coming to the list:. Tyler Goodson

 

[FlickShagwell]

Bob Sanders

First game I saw in person was 1995. Seen a lot of greats like Dwight, Clark, Gallery, Tate, Brad Banks, Greenway, Hodge, etc.

Really loved Ladell Betts and Kevin Kasper but then Bob Sanders took over games and proved himself to be a once in a generation player. No one’s compared to him since, so I’ll just leave it there.

 

[Hkfan23]

Gonzo - we are probably close to the same age. Your list is very close to mine. I would consider Ronnie (I know, I know) or Tavian in place of Eddie. Maybe Danan in place of Smith. OL is so hard as is TE. On DL, consider Leroy Smith and Clayborn. LB’s likewise tough. Consideration for Quast and Hodge. And would have Damien Robinson over Sash. But great list as some of these young guys never saw Station or Andre let alone Chuck, Hanks and Roby! People forget how critical Roby was in the old Big 10 where field possession was king.

 

[hawk halen]

Levi Mitchell
Earl Douthitt
Jon Lazar
Tom Rusk

 

[Gonzo Bloor]

Gonzo - we are probably close to the same age. Your list is very close to mine. I would consider Ronnie (I know, I know) or Tavian in place of Eddie. Maybe Danan in place of Smith. OL is so hard as is TE. On DL, consider Leroy Smith and Clayborn. LB’s likewise tough. Consideration for Quast and Hodge. And would have Damien Robinson over Sash. But great list as some of these young guys never saw Station or Andre let alone Chuck, Hanks and Roby! People forget how critical Roby was in the old Big 10 where field possession was king.

Those were awesome days of Iowa football. We had the triple-headed monster at RB of Eddie Phillips, Owen Gill, and Norm Granger. For some reason, I just always loved Eddie, even though the others were probably the better backs, and yes Ronnie turned out to be better than all of them. And I remember the plays where Chuck would hit speedy Robert Smith with a huge bomb, perfectly placed and he'd catch it over his shoulder in stride and glide into the end zone. DL was probably the hardest to choose out of all the positions. Choosing between Tippett, Clayborn, Epenesa, Roth... I actually may have to change from Epenesa to Roth. Loved his fire.

 

[m.stoops2013]

QB - Brad Banks
RB - Tavian Banks
RB - Shonn Greene
FB - Jeremy Allen
WR - Tim Dwight
WR - Marvin Mcnutt
Slot - DJK
TE - Dallas Clark
TE - Tony Moeaki
TE - Fant
T - Robert Gallery
G - James Daniels
C - Rafael Eubanks
G - Eric Steinbach
T - Marshal Yanda

DE Clayborn
DE Roth
DT Babineaux
DT Luebke
LB Hodge
LB Greenway
LB Hitchens
CB King
CB Hyde
S Sanders
S D. Robinson

K Duncan
P Roby
LS Krieter
PR Dwight
KR ISM

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

First season I remember is 1988 or ‘89. So...

Offense
QB - Beathard (he would have been a clear #1 with Brian Ferentz rather than GD)
RB - Shonn Greene
RB - Sedrick Shaw
FB - Mark Weisman (Lew Montgomery as pure FB)
WR - Marvin McNutt
WR - Danan Hughes
TE - TJ Hockenson
TE - Dallas Clark
OL - Brandon Scherff
OL- Bryan Bulaga
C - Mike Devlin
OL - Robert Gallery
OL - Marshal Yanda

Defense
DE - Adrian Clayborn
DT - Mitch King
DT - Colin Cole
DE - AJ Epenesa
OLB -Chad Greenway
MLB - Pat Angerer
OLB - AJ Edds
CB - Desmond King
CB - Amari Spievey (almost a coinflip with JJ)
FS - Merton Hanks
SS - Bob Sanders

Nickel Safety - Micah Hyde

Special Teams
K - Keith Duncan (crazy that Kaeding is now my second)
P - Jason Baker (too young to remember Roby)
LS - Casey Kreiter

KR - Ihmir Smith-Marsette (nod to “Razor” Ramon Ochoa)
PR - Tim Dwight

Coach - Hayden Fry
OC - Brian Ferentz
DC - Norm Parker

 

[Kinnick.At.Night]

Tim Dwight.

 

[Chiefwoodenfrog]

Leroy Smith

 

[HungryHawk]

1. Bob Sanders
2. Tavian Banks
3. Tim Dwight
4. Dallas Clark
5. Shonn Greene
6. Ricky Stanzi
7. Chad Greenway
8. TJ Hockenson
9. Reggie Roby
10. Nate Kaeding
Up and Coming to the list:. Tyler Goodson

Lots of good lists so far, I just came to add Tyler to the watch list but glad to see I’m not the only one thinking it.

 

[HawkCat]

To me, it probably boils down to Bob Sanders or Tim Dwight. I probably would give the nod to Dwight because he was the most electric Hawkeye I can remember. Everyone would move to the edges of their seats every single time he returned a punt, as the odds were quite high that something great was about to happen.

 

[HawkIDrummer]

Wow...this could be a long list, but here's the first tier.

Hayden- He changed the landscape of IOWA football in a way nobody could have predicted and that few would have thought possible. The word "Icon" is thrown around a lot...but John Hayden Fry truly is an Icon.

Chuck Long- The golden boy of Hayden's revival and almost our second Heisman trophy winner

Bob Sanders- The guy who set the tone for KFz's refresh of the program. He set the toughness bar for everybody and proved that you don't have to be a 4* recruit to excel at IOWA.

Tim Dwight- Lightning in a bottle...one of those guys where you held your breath every time he touched the ball.

KFz- The odds of getting 2 coaches back-to-back that did what Hayden and KFz did are astronomical. Not only did KFz reboot the program, he put his own stamp on it with the kind of integrity and class Iowans embrace.

Me- Hey...I've seen some shit and been to so many great games...marched in the Rose Bowl, went to the Final Four and watched the wrestlers win a National title in person. I also have a story about the construction of CHA that I won't post here. Let's just say...my college buddy and I left our mark.

I'm all in.

 

[Hkfan23]

Gonzo - I totally agree. I was 10 in 1980 and there were awesome players and coaches that put Iowa back on the map and did their best to break-up the Big 2. Sucks I couldn’t even put one of my mentors and law partners for close to 20 years on the list at QB cause I never saw him play!

 

[LGEND24]

Banks (Brad and Tavian), Clayborn, Sash, Sanders, King, Scherff, McNutt, Solomon, Clark, Dwight, Hodge

 

[Hawkeyes4Life32]

Lots of good lists so far, I just came to add Tyler to the watch list but glad to see I’m not the only one thinking it.

Yep I think Goodson, ISM, and Tracy all have a good shot at making it on to my list by the time their Hawkeye careers are finished. They are fun to watch. LaPorta looks like a stud in the making also

 

[Gonzo Bloor]

Gonzo - I totally agree. I was 10 in 1980 and there were awesome players and coaches that put Iowa back on the map and did their best to break-up the Big 2. Sucks I couldn’t even put one of my mentors and law partners for close to 20 years on the list at QB cause I never saw him play!

Yep, I was 8 in 1980, I was 11 for that 1983 team that doesn't get nearly as much credit as it should, that was an amazing team.

 

[SigMaintHawk]

Sedrick Shaw
Bob Sanders
Tom Knight
Robert Gallery
Dallas Clark
Chuck Long
Robert Smith
Andre Tippet
Larry Station
Eric Steinbach
Reggie Toby
Nate Kaiding
Nick Bell
Matt Roth
Josey Jewell

 

[MikeT2425]

Bob

 

[not_mantiteo]

By far Ricky Stanzi. I was in the band during his tenure and he made football so much fun. My friends and I used to yell "Stanzi!" during drinking games, and to this day still talk highly of him. I'd argue that we are (if not me) his biggest fans haha. If I could get a picture with him someday, I think I could die happy.

 

[VicHawkeye]

Tim Dwight, Bob Sanders, Nick Bell, Reggie Roby

 

[BirdistheWord]

Tim Dwight
Tavian Banks
Brad Banks
Drew Tate
Bob Sanders
Dallas Clark
Shonn Greene
Adrian Clayborn
Micah Hyde
Richard Stanzi

(tried to keep to 10)

Making this list i cannot lie, Tim/Tavian were such special players and cannot help but wonder if their talents were wasted slightly. Tim and Tavian on the same team? They were a couple of the most electric Hawks EVER! Its a shame we could not have done a little more as a team.

 

[bowlhawk]

Tim Dwight. Goosebumps.

 

[michael.nelson311]

OP must be 18 or 19. No list should have Tyler sash as the best safety.

Robert Gallery
Bob Sanders
Dallas clark
Matt Roth

 

[keosauquahawk]

Ed Podolak

 

[InsaneHawkJJP]

Dwight
Sanders
Fry
Ferentz
It’s really hard to narrow it down, but these four had the biggest impact on me. So many Awesome Hawks!

 

[BlackNGoldBleeder]

Offense:

QB: Matt Rodgers, Brad Banks, Drew Tate
RB: Nick Bell, Tavian Banks, Sedrick Shaw
FB: Lew Montgomery
WR: Tim Dwight, Clinton Solomon, Marvin McNutt, Mo Brown, CJ Jones
TE: Dallas Clark, TJ Hockensen
OL: Robert Gallery, Marshall Yanda, James Daniels, Tristan Wirfs, Brandon Scherff

Defense:

DL: Jared Devries, Matt Roth, Leroy Smith, Adrian Clayborn, Aaron Kampman
LB: Abdul Hodge, Chad Greenway, Pat Angerer, Anthony Hitchens
DB: Bob Sanders, Merton Hanks, Desmond King, Tyler Sash