Your Favorite Hawk Victory

[nilehawk]

I enjoyed Psyclone's thread about Iowa's biggest win. Obviously there are a lot of different opinions on the subject.

I'm curious, what is your most memorable Hawk victory? Which win that you witnessed (either on tv, or in person) had you going completely insane?

Just a handful of my favorites:

1985: #1 vs. # 2 for obvious reasons
2002: vs. Purdue
2004: vs. Wisconsin locked up a share of a conference title and the bowl game vs. LSU
2008: Penn St.
2009: Penn St. Went absolutely crazy on Clayborn's blocked punt for td, and the td on the last play against Mich St. Orange Bowl vs. Ga Tech.

Like I said, these are your opinions only. No need to argue over them. For whatever reason, these are stamped in my memory.

 

[SWIowahawks]

The blowout in Lincoln 2 years ago. My wife (no pic) and I were there to see the Husker faithful walking out mid way through the 4th quarter.

 

[ichawk24]

2002 Purdue.

 

[swihawkeye]

The blowout in Lincoln 2 years ago. My wife (no pic) and I were there to see the Husker faithful walking out mid way through the 4th quarter.

Yup. My favorite too.

 

[jdv77]

1987 Ohio State--late TD to Marv Cook. (With the caveat that I was listening on the radio as a 10 year old kid, so my experience was via Jim Zabel.)

 

[Cougar63]

Probably the Capital One Bowl against LSU.

You know... that one.

 

[EpenesaEpenesa]

90 at Illinois

 

[IOU1]

1987 Ohio State--late TD to Marv Cook. (With the caveat that I was listening on the radio as a 10 year old kid, so my experience was via Jim Zabel.)

This one is on my list as well...same experience. Listening to the radio (12 at the time) with my Dad outside of a funeral home. Dad refused to go in until that game was over. We were the last ones in our seats and the ONLY people in the place smiling...mom was not impressed.

 

[Hawk_4shur]

Oh crap, so many! Cap One Bowl, Marv Cook Ohio State win, Adrian Clayborn Penn State win, Orange Bowl #2, Michigan St in 1980 (push-ups), at Minny in '02 (goal post game), Nebby in 1980 (we hucked the fuskers!). at Mich in 02 (domination).

But, have to go with #1 v #2 in Iowa City vs. Michigan. Chuck Long, Ronnie "goat" Harmon, Rob Houghtlin, Billy Happel, Larry "filling" Station. Beat Bo. Brent Mussberger. Finished under the lights on a rainy day.

Perfect.

 

[soybean]

1987 Ohio State--late TD to Marv Cook. (With the caveat that I was listening on the radio as a 10 year old kid, so my experience was via Jim Zabel.)

This.

 

[Recruiting Violation]

Most memorable to attend in person:
Tie between the Tate-Holloway Capital One Bowl and 55-0 at Kinnick North in the last Gopher game ever held there.

Most memorable to watch on TV:
Nebraska in 2013. My dad was in the UI hospital, and it was the last football game he and I ever watched together. This was followed a few days later by our win over Notre Dame in basketball, which I was also able to watch with him. Those two schools are the ones my dad would most have wanted us to beat in any sport, and they were the last sporting events he ever watched.

 

[Big Hawk D-Port]

For me it's the 2003 Michigan game. It is the epitome of how hostile Kinnick was during that long home winning streak in the early 00s.

 

[twindman]

I forget the date, but it was when Long bootlegged and pretty much walked into the end zone.

 

[QChawks]

2004 Wisconsin.

Knowing they win the Big Ten with a win the Hawks kicked arse.

 

[cedarvalleykid14]

All of these are great choices, and Recruiting Violation, you made me cry. I lost my dad a few months ago, and he was a Hawkeye fan and a Cub fan for about 80 years...

Anyway, I have to go back to the one that I think re-established Iowa on the national scene for the first time in 20 years, the first time since Evy's excellence in the 50s. It was the season opener in 1981. The year before, I had traveled to Lincoln to see Hayden's second Hawkeye team face Nebraska. It was a dismal day that ended in a 57-0 annihilation of the Hawkeyes.

But then, one season later, the Huskers were in Kinnick Stadium where no sane person expected an Iowa win. And yet when that final gun sounded, the scoreboard showed unranked and anonymous Iowa had upset #7 Nebraska, 10-7. Kinnick was going crazy, and some of us celebrated by shouting "Rose Bowl! Rose Bowl! Rose Bowl!" And damned if Hayden didn't make us unwitting prophets.

And so Iowa has been a pretty consistent national power ever since. Sure, there have been some down years, but overall Iowa has been in the conversation since that game. So yah, gotto go with the Nebraska upset in 1981.

 

[Psyclone]

I enjoyed Psyclone's thread about Iowa's biggest win. Obviously there are a lot of different opinions on the subject.

I'm curious, what is your most memorable Hawk victory? Which win that you witnessed (either on tv, or in person) had you going completely insane?

Just a handful of my favorites:

1985: #1 vs. # 2 for obvious reasons
2002: vs. Purdue
2004: vs. Wisconsin locked up a share of a conference title and the bowl game vs. LSU
2008: Penn St.
2009: Penn St. Went absolutely crazy on Clayborn's blocked punt for td, and the td on the last play against Mich St. Orange Bowl vs. Ga Tech.

Like I said, these are your opinions only. No need to argue over them. For whatever reason, these are stamped in my memory.

I have to pick 1985 Michigan game. The victory over Michigan State that same year, with the Chuck Long bootleg touchdown is right up there too. It helps that my seat was in the north endzone where both of those games were won.

 

[Pepperman]

For me it was the Orange Bowl in 2009. We had so much coming back in 2010 that I really did believe the Hawks had a shot at the national championship. And then 2010 was just a total disaster after Wisconsin (although at Arizona already ruined the NC talk, I know)

 

[polly933]

September 17th, 1977: Iowa 12 Iowa State 10. No game in this series has ever had the hype this one had. That idiot Earle Bruce and his "Beat Iowa" jerseys had the Kinnick crowd in a frenzy. Years later he admitted it was a huge mistake.

 

[MadDogC]

Iowa 10
Nebraska 7

 

[Quintana]

 

[Psyclone]

September 17th, 1977: Iowa 12 Iowa State 10. No game in this series has ever had the hype this one had. That idiot Earle Bruce and his "Beat Iowa" jerseys had the Kinnick crowd in a frenzy. Years later he admitted it was a huge mistake.

The pre-game build up to that game was off the charts. And it went on for months prior to the game. I went to a bar and bought a mug which had the game data and teams on it. Beverage cans had it printed on it.

The ride down I380 to Kinnick that morning was crazy. Every car was full of fans of one team or the other headed to the game. When the game was being played, reports were that no one was out and about in the entire state of Iowa. Everyone was glued to their TV sets or at the game.

I don't think any pregame hype has ever been so big or lasted so long. It will be hard to ever duplicate that.

 

[hawk halen]

1981...the Rose Bowl clincher over Michigan State.

-

 

[St. Louis Hawk]

It's a close call for me. 85 Iowa Michigan, as a freshman at Iowa - Doesn't get much better than that.

But it may be 2004 Wisconsin. Everything falls right before the game for us; kicking Wisky's ass, the gloaming, the lights, the look on KF's face after the game - this is tempered by the fact that it was the second big ten title with KF, and I would have placed a big bet on that day that the Hawks would have a third in the next ten years, but no such luck.

I want those KF teams back.

 

[JRHawk2003]

Lots of good ones mentioned here. Here are a few others that came to my mind during my lifetime as a fan:

1981:
Iowa 9
Michigan 7

1976:
Iowa 7
Penn State 6

1984:
Iowa 55
Texas 17

 

[Cougar63]

I agree the last B1G game in the metrodome was blast, especially because the hardest hit was when SG23 laid out DJK. Only thing bad about that hit was it probably cost Shonn the TD.

 

[NevadaHawk]

Probably the Capital One Bowl against LSU.

You know... that one.

That is the one for me as well. I will never forgot the finish in that one.

 

[bagdropper]

I forget the date, but it was when Long bootlegged and pretty much walked into the end zone.

1985, home against MSU. The infamous "show 'em the ball, Chuckie...show 'em the ball!" game.

 

[bagdropper]

Oh, and my favorite was probably the 33-7 OSU win in the early 00's. It was the first time in my life Iowa crushed OSU. Sure, it was a weak by their standards OSU, but still. I grew up with 33-7 crushings a regular occurrence with them and UM. If not worse.

To even be competitive was a feat in the 70's...and it truly never occurred.

There are a bunch of others obviously...the Orange Bowl win might very well be the biggest because it was my 1st Iowa win in a traditional 3 old school NYD bowl game (Rose, Sugar. Orange). I just wish it was against a better program than Ga Tech (no offense to them, but beating say an FSU or Oklahoma would have been much sweeter).

 

[CJ_Lucky]

PSU 2009 is right up there for me. A night game in Happy Valley against a highly ranked PSU team. The atmosphere was crazy, especially after PSU scored on their first play. They wanted payback on the Hawks from 2008 and showed a great deal of arrogance and swagger early on.

After the 1Q they were PWNED, although the score didn't really reflect Iowa's dominance.

 

[hawks127]

2008 Penn State. I was a junior in college and it was a great time to be a hawkeye fan. I remember get trampled on the field after the field goal. Scary at the time but so worth it. Downtown was electric that night....from what I can remember.

 

[SailorJerryHawk]

2004 Iowa/Ohio St.33-7.I can't remember the Hawks beating Ohio St that badly in a game.

 

[LGEND24]

2009 @ PSU. I've never freaked out at any moment more than AC blocking that punt and scoring. The game was at a standstill and it just happened so sudden. It was great to not let them have revenge and win a huge night game on the road.

 

[IACentralHawk73]

It's a 3 way tie for me, 2005 Iowa-LSU was awesome to see, 2008 Iowa-Penn State was a sign of an Iowa resurgence in the late 2000's. That very next season Iowa-MSU is also tied, I went nuts once Stanzi hit McNutt on that slant.

 

[CUHawkeye91]

1981...the Rose Bowl clincher over Michigan State.

-

Mine, too. First Iowa game I ever attended.

 

[BIG BOY HAWK]

2004 Iowa 6
Penn St. 4

Butt ugly game

But memorable

 

[Carlton]

1981 v. UCLA

 

[HawkinMN]

This.

I thought Z was going to pass that day. It was a great finish.

 

[Curt Furence]

The 2002 Purdue game- Best one I have been to in person
The LSU Cap One bowl for obvious reasons
The 08 and 09 Penn State games
The Michigan State last second win

The Orange Bowl in 09 would be on the list but I admittedly had too much to drink and don't remember much of the second half.

 

[IACentralHawk73]

2004 Iowa 6
Penn St. 4

Butt ugly game

But memorable

Still remember Pam Ward fighting with the color analyst about Iowa taking that safety, which was obviously the right call.

 

[markfromj]

I agree the last B1G game in the metrodome was blast, especially because the hardest hit was when SG23 laid out DJK.

In the end, the hit Lois took was harder.