Rank ‘Em: University of Iowa Athletic Moments Edition

[Menace Sockeyes]

Rank in order of greatest in terms of moment in the national consciousness:

-1956 NCAA Men’s Championship vs U of San Fran and Bill Russell

-1959 Rose Bowl vs Joe Kapp and Cal. National Championship on the line. (W!)

-1980 Men’s Final Four vs Louisville

-1986 Rose Bowl vs UCLA. POSSIBLE natty on the line.

-1997 NCAA Wrestling, came in underdogs but have 5 in the finals and a chance to be GOATs. (W!)

-2003 Orange Bowl - “Rose Bowl East” Heisman winner vs Heisman runner-up QB battle.

-2015 Big Ten Football Championship for a chance to play in the Natty.

-2023 Iowa vs LSU in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Final

For me, definitely the biggest Hawkeye game in my lifetime (that I can remember). For my Dad it’s a close second to the Rose Bowls of 1959 and 1986. Let’s all enjoy this moment today!

 

[JRHawk2003]

1921 National Championship in Football.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

So, we are supposed to rank those games BEFORE they were played?

Hard to not be tainted by the result in many of them.

 

[FlickShagwell]

-2009 Big Ten Football Championship for a chance to play in the Natty.

 

[Menace Sockeyes]

Oops. 2015 😆

 

[Tenacious E]

Rank in order of greatest in terms of moment in the national consciousness:

-1956 NCAA Men’s Championship vs U of San Fran and Bill Russell

-1959 Rose Bowl vs Joe Kapp and Cal. National Championship on the line. (W!)

-1980 Men’s Final Four vs Louisville

-1986 Rose Bowl vs UCLA. POSSIBLE natty on the line.

-1997 NCAA Wrestling, came in underdogs but have 5 in the finals and a chance to be GOATs. (W!)

-2003 Orange Bowl - “Rose Bowl East” Heisman winner vs Heisman runner-up QB battle.

-2009 Big Ten Football Championship for a chance to play in the Natty.

-2023 Iowa vs LSU in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Final

For me, definitely the biggest Hawkeye game in my lifetime (that I can remember). For my Dad it’s a close second to the Rose Bowls of 1959 and 1986. Let’s all enjoy this moment today!

Growing up in wisconsin, my Hawkeye memories start in 1990. I didn’t care about them until 1994, when a high school teammate was on the team, and I started undergrad too. So I will limit my ranking to that time period. In that period, for me, rhe 2003 orange bowl topped the chart.

 

[FlickShagwell]

For me it’ll always be football by a hundred miles. So immediately throw all Rose Bowls and 9+ win seasons at the top of the list. This women’s basketball Natty appearance can go next in order before wrastlin’, though.

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

These are always skewed by recency of the event.

Many who experienced the first few are dead.

 

[LuteHawk]

The Decade of the 1950's made Iowa Hawkeyes significant.

1955....NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four
Semi-Final Game La Salle 76 Iowa 73

1956...NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament Final Four
Championship game San Francisco 83 Iowa 71

1957 Rose Bowl Iowa 35 Oregon St. 19

1959 Rose Bowl Iowa 39 California 12

 

[JRHawk2003]

If we are talking just games I have been to....

I would say the Nebraska game in 1981 was the greatest. It was the dawn of an era.

 

[Hawki97]

These are always skewed by recency of the event.

Many who experienced the first few are dead.

It’s so awesome that Lute posted right after this.

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

It’s so awesome that Lute posted right after this.

Yeah, Lute's not dead yet.

Great observation.

 

[Hawki97]

Yeah, Lute's not dead yet.

Great observation.

Whoa, whoa…who pissed in your cheerios this morning? I find it funny that you posted about most people being dead during the first items on the list and right after the guy who most consider to be the board elder posts - and you get defensive? I must really have hurt your feelings in our other exchanges. Awwww, sorry Nordy.

 

[SolarHawk]

So, we are supposed to rank those games BEFORE they were played?

Hard to not be tainted by the result in many of them.

This x1000000. FFS 7 of those games were losses, some embarrassingly so. 8th to be determined today. It’s like every time I see or hear someone bring up 2015 and our “undefeated season”. We were a paper tiger and got curb stomped in the rose bowl. I love the UofI and am a Hawkeye fan, but the sugar coating of our history needs to stop. There’s not a whole lot to thump our chests about outside of wrestling, which for the majority of people is not interesting AT ALL. sorry, not sorry.

 

[NorthernHawkeye]

Whoa, whoa…who pissed in your cheerios this morning? I find it funny that you posted about most people being dead during the first items on the list and right after the guy who most consider to be the board elder posts - and you get defensive? I must really have hurt your feelings in our other exchanges. Awwww, sorry Nordy.

Don't be angry.

 

[Hawki97]

Don't be angry.

Ohhh...poor little buddy.

 

[JRHawk2003]

If we are being totally honest. The greatest moment was tearing down Minnesota's goal posts and trying to get them out of the Metrodome.

 

[NewVicHawkeye]

This x1000000. FFS 7 of those games were losses, some embarrassingly so. 8th to be determined today. It’s like every time I see or hear someone bring up 2015 and our “undefeated season”. We were a paper tiger and got curb stomped in the rose bowl. I love the UofI and am a Hawkeye fan, but the sugar coating of our history needs to stop. There’s not a whole lot to thump our chests about outside of wrestling, which for the majority of people is not interesting AT ALL. sorry, not sorry.

I really wish this wasn’t true. Even in wrestling, we were going for 10 straight national championships but lost. I still have the black n gold Roman numeral X lapel.

 

[SolarHawk]

If we are being totally honest. The greatest moment was tearing down Minnesota's goal posts and trying to get them out of the Metrodome.

That was a top 3 moment in Hawkeye sports history for me personally. 2nd beating LSU with the the catch, and number 1 winning the orange bowl.

 

[SL Hawk Fan]

I love the UofI and am a Hawkeye fan, but the sugar coating of our history needs to stop.

Sounds like you'd support a little CHFT (Critical Hawkeye Fandom Theory). Mighty woke of you, early on a Sunday morning 😉

 

[JRHawk2003]

That was a top 3 moment in Hawkeye sports history for me personally. 2nd beating LSU with the the catch, and number 1 winning the orange bowl.

Yep. For me personally it was either Nebraska in 1981 or the Orange Bowl win.

I was at the 1985 Michigan game, and that was great.

Honestly. The first game against Illinois in 1975 was huge for me. We lost, but the whole experience blew the mind of a 9 year old.

 

[jamesvanderwulf]

I'll go with the drubbing of Michigan State in the season finale in 1981 that put us in the first Rose Bowl since '59. We went back to celebrate at one of my friends place in Bon Aire trailer court. The star of the game that day was Hawkeye Phil Blatcher who had just set the Iowa single game rushing record with 247 yards. He lived next door. So there was a big welcome home party and Phil and us partied into the night. At 5'9"/188 he was really small, but a very nice and humble kid from New Orleans. I believe he joined the Marines after graduation...

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

The wins:

1. Iowa - Georgetown - '80 - last final four
2. Iowa - Michigan - '85 - #1 v. #2
3. Orange Bowl win

I'll add Iowa - Wisconsin - 2004 - Big Ten title - damn close to being my favorite game, not huge on the national stage, but that day was about perfect


The what ifs:

1. Iowa - UNLV - @stillh8unlv has it right
2. Iowa - Jacksonville State - didn't see it, but my Dad said this was the most painful loss for him
3. Iowa - UCLA - we might have a share of the natty
4. Iowa - USC - same
5. Iowa - Louisville - If Ronny doesn't hurt his knee ...

 

[Hawk_4shur]

This x1000000. FFS 7 of those games were losses, some embarrassingly so. 8th to be determined today. It’s like every time I see or hear someone bring up 2015 and our “undefeated season”. We were a paper tiger and got curb stomped in the rose bowl. I love the UofI and am a Hawkeye fan, but the sugar coating of our history needs to stop. There’s not a whole lot to thump our chests about outside of wrestling, which for the majority of people is not interesting AT ALL. sorry, not sorry.

I suppose this is accurate. Like using your brain accurate.

But the heart need not be so precise or logical. This is an Iowa board, not a national one. And those were some highly anticipated Hawkeye events - many that didn't work out obviously.

Let us not think we have to be Bama football to be excited for Iowa sports.

 

[TJ8869]

This x1000000. FFS 7 of those games were losses, some embarrassingly so. 8th to be determined today. It’s like every time I see or hear someone bring up 2015 and our “undefeated season”. We were a paper tiger and got curb stomped in the rose bowl. I love the UofI and am a Hawkeye fan, but the sugar coating of our history needs to stop. There’s not a whole lot to thump our chests about outside of wrestling, which for the majority of people is not interesting AT ALL. sorry, not sorry.

Perhaps a better way for OP to phrase the thread title would have been biggest opportunities for the Hawkeyes on the national stage. Not so much whether they took advantage of the moment, but rather the chance to shine.

 

[jamesvanderwulf]

Missed the 1970 undefeated Big X Miller 6 pack team. Bad match up for Iowa with 2 seven footers on the Jacksonville team. Losing on a last second tip in was the low point of Iowa BB in my opinion. 2 career NBA stars on the Iowa team...

 

[RollingBallofButcherKnives]

Rank in order of greatest in terms of moment in the national consciousness:

-1956 NCAA Men’s Championship vs U of San Fran and Bill Russell

-1959 Rose Bowl vs Joe Kapp and Cal. National Championship on the line. (W!)

-1980 Men’s Final Four vs Louisville

-1986 Rose Bowl vs UCLA. POSSIBLE natty on the line.

-1997 NCAA Wrestling, came in underdogs but have 5 in the finals and a chance to be GOATs. (W!)

-2003 Orange Bowl - “Rose Bowl East” Heisman winner vs Heisman runner-up QB battle.

-2015 Big Ten Football Championship for a chance to play in the Natty.

-2023 Iowa vs LSU in the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Final

For me, definitely the biggest Hawkeye game in my lifetime (that I can remember). For my Dad it’s a close second to the Rose Bowls of 1959 and 1986. Let’s all enjoy this moment today!

2015. 1 non called hold away from CFP.

 

[SolarHawk]

This x1000000. FFS 7 of those games were losses, some embarrassingly so. 8th to be determined today. It’s like every time I see or hear someone bring up 2015 and our “undefeated season”. We were a paper tiger and got curb stomped in the rose bowl. I love the UofI and am a Hawkeye fan, but the sugar coating of our history needs to stop. There’s not a whole lot to thump our chests about outside of wrestling, which for the majority of people is not interesting AT ALL. sorry, not sorry.

Annnd, 8/10 losses. Hawkeye sports, they'll break your heart. Not that I really cared about womens basketball, nor do I now. Would have been nice for that team and the school. Oh well.

 

[HawCory]

I enjoyed watching this Women's team, which I'll admit I didn't think would be the case.
That said, their run this year ranks dead last on the OP's list by a long shot.

 

[CarolinaHawkeye]

1975 Wrestling championships
1959 Rose Bowl
but had the women won yesterday, they would be before the 1959 Rose Bowl.

 

[hexumhawk]

For me the biggest heartbreak were 2015 FB and 1987 BB.