 Classic SI photo by Vincent Muzik |
Mighty Dwight
Though only 5-foot-9 and and 185 pounds, Tim Dwight used his 4.4 speed to excel at both football and track at Iowa City High School and then for the University of Iowa. Hawkeyes coach Hayden Fry called the all-purpose dynamo -- who caught passes, returned kicks and punts, threw a touchdown pass and even played defensive back -- the "most exciting player" he ever coached.
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FACES IN THE CROWD |
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Raef LaFrentz Manoa
March 14, 1994 -- Raef, a 7-foot, 225-pound senior center, averaged 36.6 points, 16.4 rebounds and 6.2 blocks to lead the MFL/Mar-Mac High basketball team to a 22-1 record and a berth in the state finals. He had 50 points and 17 rebounds against New Hampton and 48 and 25 against West Central.
Career highlight: First-round pick by Nuggets in 1998.
Now photo by Gregory Shamus/NBAE/Getty Images
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Dedric Ward Cedar Rapids
Dec. 2, 1996 -- Ward, a senior receiver at Northern Iowa, moved into second in career Division I-AA receiving yards, with 3,876, after he gained 214 yards on seven catches during a 34-19 win over Indiana State. The division's alltime leader, Jerry Rice, had 4,693 yards at Mississippi Valley State from 1981 to '84.
Career highlight: Six years experience in NFL.
Now photo by Eliot Schecter/Getty Images
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GREATEST ATHLETES |
Dan Gable, Waterloo
Won 1972 Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medal (149.5 pounds); coached Iowa to nine straight NCAA titles, 15 in all.
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Bob Feller, Van Meter
Led AL in strikeouts seven times, tossed three no-hitters; first to fan 18 in a game; won 266 games for Indians (1936 to '56).
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Nile Kinnick, Adel
Won Heisman Trophy at Iowa in 1939, for a season in which he had a hand in 107 of Hawkeyes' 130 points.
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FLASHBACK |
2002: Perfect!
Iowa State senior Cael Sanderson closed out his sensational career
with a sterling 159-0 record and his fourth NCAA title
To appreciate what Cael Sanderson did last Saturday, when the Iowa State senior became the first college wrestler to finish his career undefeated (159-0) and win four national titles, you have to understand how hard it is for a wrestler to be perfect.
FULL STORY
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SI COVERS |
Prophet of pressure
Iowa coach Ralph Miller's confidence in the full-court press had the Hawkeyes positioned to dominate the Big Ten. According to this Jan. 24, 1966 SI cover story, Miller's style of play had sparked a revival of basketball throughout the Midwest, from Michigan State to Purdue.
Click here to view a gallery of every Iowa cover
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THE SI POLL |
Who do Iowans root for? SI asked the Hawkeye State residents to weigh in* on sports.
Favorite major league baseball team
Chicago Cubs | 36% |
Minnesota Twins | 10% |
St. Louis Cardinals | 8% |
Favorite NFL team
Green Bay Packers | 18% |
Minnesota Vikings | 15% |
Chicago Bears | 14% |
Favorite NBA team
Chicago Bulls | 19% |
Los Angeles Lakers | 8% |
No favorite | 54% |
Favorite NHL team
Minnesota Wild | 7% |
No favorite | 72% |
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Favorite pro team
Chicago Cubs | 21% |
Green Bay Packers | 13% |
Minnesota Vikings | 9% |
Favorite college team
Greatest athlete who ever lived in or played for a team in your state
Nile Kinnick | 35% |
Dan Gable | 10% |
Kurt Warner | 9% |
Bob Feller | 6% |
Cael Sanderson | 4% |
State's biggest rivalry
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More a fan of college or pro sports?
Pro | 37% |
College | 39% |
Equal | 24% |
Favorite sport to play
Golf | 21% |
Fishing | 16% |
Football | 13% |
Baseball/softball | 10% |
Favorite sports to watch on TV**
Football | 78% |
Basketball | 51% |
Baseball | 50% |
Winter Olympics | 43% |
**Multiple responses allowed. | |
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*Harris Interactive poll, conducted online, of 401 Iowa residents who identified themselves as sports fans. Margin of error +/- 5%.
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Sports Illustrated's 50th Anniversary |
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STATITUDES |
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1 Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Iowa, Nile Kinnick in 1939. Hawkeyes have finished as the Heisman runner-up four times -- Alex Karras (1957), Randy Duncan (1958), Chuck Long (1985) and Brad Banks (2002).
3 Sanderson brothers who wrestled at Iowa State. Cody, Cael and Cole were teammates and All-America grapplers for the Cyclones.
5 National AIAW championships won by the Iowa State women's cross country team (1975-78 and 1981). Native Iowan Peg Neppel led ISU to its first title by winning the individual championship.
19 Seasons Marshalltown, Iowa, native Cap Anson batted .300 or better during his major league career with the Philadelphia A's and Chicago White Sox. The Hall of Famer owned a career average of .339.
33 Years radio play-by-play announcer Pete Taylor called basketball and football games at Iowa State. He outlasted five athletic directors, seven football coaches, seven basektball coaches and 675 losses in those two sports combined.
111 Points scored by Union-Whitten (Iowa) High School phenom Denise Long in a game against Dows High School in 1968. Long followed that up with an Iowa girls state tournament record 93 points in a first-round game against Bennett High, and 282 points in four postseason games.
1969 Year Long was drafted by the San Francisco Warriors, the first woman to be selected by an NBA team. She never played in the NBA; the pick was disallowed because at the time high school players couldn't be drafted.
10,465 Total passing yards amassed by Iowa Barnstormers quarterback Kurt Warner while guiding the the team to two Arena Bowls in three seasons.
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ENEMY OF THE STATE |
Bob Knight
The General was 34-20 against Big Ten rival Iowa while coaching Indiana. Iowans' most hated opponents: the Nebraska Cornhuskers (22%) and the Minnesota Golden Gophers (18%).
Bob Knight | 30% |
George Steinbrenner | 5% |
Brett Favre | 4% |
Tom Osborne | 4% |
Joe Paterno | 4% |
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FAST FACTS |
Admission to statehood: Dec. 28, 1846 (29th state)
Area: 56,276 square miles
Bird: Eastern Goldfinch
Capital: Des Moines
Economy: Agriculture -- Hogs, corn, soybeans, oats, cattle, dairy products. Industry -- Food processing, machinery, electric equipment, chemical products, printing and publishing, primary metals.
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Flower: Wild Prairie Rose
Nickname: Hawkeye State
Population: 2,926,324
Pro sports teams: None
Major college programs: Iowa Hawkeyes, Iowa State Cyclones, Northern Iowa Panthers
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