The Iowa Sports Hall of Fame, sponsored by the ''

Des Moines Register ''The Des Moines Register'' is the daily morning newspaper of Des Moines, Iowa, United States. History Early period The first newspaper in Des Moines was the ''Iowa Star''. In July 1849, Barlow Granger began the paper in an abandoned log cab ...

'', honors outstanding

athlete An athlete is most commonly a person who competes in one or more sports involving physical strength, speed, power, or endurance. Sometimes, the word "athlete" is used to refer specifically to sport of athletics competitors, i.e. including track ...

s and sports contributors. To be eligible, members must have either been born in

Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...

or gained prominence while competing for a college or university in Iowa. Leighton Housh, former executive sports editor of the Register, established the

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

in 1951. Twenty-four athletes were chosen in the inaugural class. The Hall of Fame now includes more than 170 athletes from 20 sports. Inductees are chosen by veteran members of the Register's sports department.

Partial list of inductees

Football

* 1951 -

Jay Berwanger John Jacob "Jay" Berwanger (March 19, 1914 – June 26, 2002) was an American college football player and referee. In 1935, Berwanger was the first recipient of the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy, renamed the Heisman Trophy the following year. A ...

* 1951 - Aubrey Devine * 1951 -

Nile Kinnick Nile Clarke Kinnick Jr. (July 9, 1918 – June 2, 1943) was an American naval aviator, law student, and college football player for the Iowa Hawkeyes. He won the 1939 Heisman Trophy and was a consensus All-American. He died during a training ...

* 1951 -

Elmer Layden Elmer Francis Layden (May 4, 1903 – June 30, 1973) was an American football player, coach, college athletics administrator, and professional sports executive. He played college football for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football, Notre Dame Fi ...

* 1951 -

Duke Slater Frederick Wayman "Duke" Slater (December 9, 1898 – August 14, 1966) was an American professional football player and judge. He was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951 and was named to the Pro Football Hall of Fame's Centen ...

* 1956 - Clyde Williams * 1958 -

Gordon Locke Gordon C. Locke (August 3, 1898 – November 9, 1969) was an American college football player and coach He played college football at the University of Iowa, where he was an All-American. Locke served as the head football coach at Western Reserve ...

* 1959 -

Billy Edson Willis Charles "Billy" Edson (September 25, 1874 – March 5, 1965) was an American college football player, coach, lawyer, and politician in Iowa. He was the head football coach for Buena Vista College—now known as Buena Vista University—fr ...

* 1961 -

Joe Laws Joseph Ray Laws (June 16, 1911 – August 22, 1979) was an American football player. He played his entire career with the Green Bay Packers, winning three World Championships, and was inducted into the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame in 1972. P ...

* 1962 - Eddie Anderson * 1970 -

Johnny Bright John Dee Bright (June 11, 1930 – December 14, 1983) was an American professional football player in the Canadian Football League (CFL). A troubling racist incident he endured as a college football player in the U.S. caused rule changes in the ...

* 1971 -

Cal Jones Calvin Jack Jones (February 7, 1933 – December 9, 1956) was an American professional football guard. Jones played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes and he is one of only two players (along with Nile Kinnick) to have his jersey number ret ...

* 1973 -

Willis Glassgow Willis Allen "Bill" Glassgow (April 21, 1907 – November 1, 1959) graduated from Shenandoah Iowa high school. Willis was an American football player and attorney. He played halfback for the University of Iowa from 1927 to 1929, was selecte ...

* 1975 -

Emlen Tunnell Emlen Lewis Tunnell (March 29, 1924As noted in the "Early years" section below, reliable sources are substantially in dispute as to w whether Tunnell was born in 1922, 1923, 1924, or 1925. – July 23, 1975), nicknamed "the Gremlin", was an Ame ...

* 1976 -

Randy Duncan Hearst Randolph Duncan Jr. (March 15, 1937 – September 27, 2016) was an American professional football player who was a quarterback in the Canadian Football League (CFL) and American Football League (AFL). He played college football for th ...

* 1977 -

Alex Karras Alexander George Karras (July 15, 1935October 10, 2012) was an American professional American football, football player, professional wrestler, sportscaster, and actor. He was a four-time Pro Bowl selection playing defensive tackle for the Detro ...

* 1980 -

Don Perkins Donald Anthony Perkins (March 4, 1938 – June 9, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football at the University of New Mexico. ...

* 1983 -

Mike Enich Mike Enich (September 20, 1918 – January 9, 1978) was an American college football player for the University of Iowa. He was a member of Iowa's 1939 "Ironmen" team and a first team All-American in 1940. Playing career Of Serbian parentage, " ...

* 1985 -

Paul Krause Paul James Krause (born February 19, 1942) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Minnesota Vikings and the Washington Redskins. Gifted with a great frame, speed and ra ...

* 1986 - Ed Podolak * 1987 - Wally Hilgenberg * 1989 -

Forest Evashevski Forest "Evy" Evashevski (February 19, 1918 – October 30, 2009) was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1938 to 1940 and with the Iowa Pre-Flight ...

* 1998 - Roger Craig * 1999 -

Matt Blair Matthew Albert Blair (September 20, 1950 – October 22, 2020) was an American professional football linebacker who played for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) for all 12 seasons of his career from 1974 to 1985. He ...

* 2000 -

Larry Station Larry W. Station Jr. (born December 5, 1963) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at the University of Iowa. He ...

* 2001 -

Chuck Long Charles Franklin Long Jr. (born February 18, 1963) is an American football coach and former player who is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for the Arlington Renegades of the United Football League (UFL). He played as a quarter ...

* 2002 -

Ken Ploen Kenneth Ploen (June 3, 1935 – February 13, 2024) was an American professional gridiron football, football player who was a star quarterback and safety for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The Lost Nation, Iowa ...

* 2002 -

Chad Hennings Chad William Hennings (born October 20, 1965) is an American former professional football defensive tackle who played for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Air Force Falcons, earning u ...

* 2003 -

Reggie Roby Reginald Henry Roby (July 30, 1961 – February 22, 2005) was an American professional football player who was a punter in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for the Iowa ...

* 2006 -

Andre Tippett Andre Bernard Tippett Sr. (born December 27, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the New England Patriots. He played college football for the I ...

* 2012 -

Marv Levy Marvin Daniel Levy (; born August 3, 1925) is an American former football coach and executive who was a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for seventeen seasons. He spent most of his head coaching career with the Buffalo Bills, lea ...

* 2013 -

Tavian Banks Tavian Remond Banks (born February 17, 1974) is an American former professional football player who played as a running back for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes, ...

* 2014 -

Tim Dwight Timothy John Dwight Jr. (born July 13, 1975) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist for 10 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa Hawk ...

Basketball

* 1951 -

Murray Wier Murray Neal Wier (December 12, 1926 – April 6, 2016), nicknamed "Rampaging Redhead" and "Wizard Wier," was an American professional basketball player for the Tri-Cities Blackhawks (now the present-day Atlanta Hawks) and the Waterloo Hawks. He i ...

* 1980 -

Carl Cain Carl Cecil Cain (August 2, 1934 – June 2, 2024) was an American basketball player. He was a member of the United States national team that won the Olympic gold medal in the 1956 Summer Olympics. Born in Freeport, Illinois, Cain played college ...

* 1983 -

Don Nelson Donald Arvid Nelson (born May 15, 1940) is an American former professional basketball player and head coach. Nelson is second all-time in regular season wins of any coach in NBA history, with 1,335 (he held the record for most wins for almost 12 ...

* 1990 - Fred Brown * 1993 - John Johnson * 1994 -

Ronnie Lester Ronnie Lester (born January 1, 1959) is an American former professional basketball player and basketball executive. Lester was an NCAA All-American at the University of Iowa, leading Iowa to the 1980 NCAA Final Four. Lester was a member of the ...

* 1999 - Bobby Hansen

Baseball

* 1951 - "Cap" Anson * 1951 -

Fred Clarke Fred Clifford Clarke (October 3, 1872 – August 14, 1960) was an American Major League Baseball player from 1894 to and manager from 1897 to 1915. Clarke played for and managed both the Louisville Colonels and Pittsburgh Pirates. He was a le ...

* 1951 - "Red" Faber * 1951 -

Bob Feller Robert William Andrew Feller (November 3, 1918 – December 15, 2010), nicknamed "the Heater from Van Meter", "Bullet Bob", and "Rapid Robert", was an American baseball pitcher who played 18 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Clevel ...

* 1952 - "Dazzy" Vance * 1954 - Dave Bancroft * 1956 - "Jack" Coombs * 1961 - "Bing" Miller * 1962 - Hank Severeid * 1963 -

Earl Whitehill Earl Oliver Whitehill (February 7, 1899 – October 22, 1954) was an American Major League Baseball pitcher. He played for the Detroit Tigers for the most significant portion of his career (1923–1932), and later with the Washington Senato ...

* 1965 -

Hal Trosky Harold Arthur Trosky Sr. (born Harold Arthur Trojovsky; November 11, 1912 – June 18, 1979) was an American professional baseball player. He played in Major League Baseball as a first baseman for the Cleveland Indians (1933–1941) and the Chic ...

* 1968 -

Cal McVey Calvin Alexander McVey (August 30, 1849 – August 20, 1926) was an American professional baseball player during the 1860s and 1870s. McVey's importance to the game stems from his play on two of the earliest professional baseball teams, the origi ...

* 1970 - George Stone, batting champion * 1976 - George Pipgras * 1984 -

Chet Brewer Chester Arthur Brewer (January 14, 1907 – March 26, 1990) was an American right-handed pitcher in baseball's Negro leagues. Born in Leavenworth, Kansas, he played for the Kansas City Monarchs, and from 1957 to 1974 he scouted for the Pittsburgh ...

* 1988 - Jack Dittmer * 2000 -

Mike Boddicker Michael James Boddicker (born August 23, 1957) is an American right-handed former Major League Baseball pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles (1980–1988), Boston Red Sox (1988–1990), Kansas City Royals (1991–1992), and Milwaukee Brewers (1993) ...

Other sports

* 1951 - "Farmer" Burns, wrestling * 1951 -

Sabin Carr Sabin William Carr (September 4, 1904, in Dubuque, Iowa – September 12, 1983, in Santa Barbara, California) was an American athlete who competed in the men's pole vault. He competed in Athletics at the 1928 Summer Olympics in Amsterdam a ...

, track and field * 1951 - Welker Cochran, billiards * 1951 -

Frank Gotch Frank Alvin Gotch (April 27, 1878 – December 17, 1917) was an American professional wrestler. Gotch was the first American professional wrestler to win the World Heavyweight Championship in catch wrestling, and he is credited for popularizin ...

, wrestling * 1951 - George Saling, track and field * 1951 -

Morgan Taylor Frederick Morgan Taylor (April 17, 1903 – February 16, 1975) was an American hurdling, hurdler and the first athlete to win three Olympic medals in the 400 m hurdles. He was the flag bearer for the United States at his last Olympics in 19 ...

, track and field * 1952 -

Earl Caddock Earl Caddock (February 27, 1888 – August 25, 1950) was an American professional wrestler and World Heavyweight Champion who was active in the early portion of the twentieth century. As the first man to bill himself as "The Man of 1,000 Holds" ...

, wrestling * 1959 - Harris Coggeshall, tennis * 1963 -

Ray Conger Raymond Milton Conger (November 12, 1904 – October 23, 1994) was an American Middle distance running, middle-distance runner. He held the world record for the 1,000 yards and the American record for the 1500 metres, 1,500 metres. In the U.S. ...

, track and field * 1972 -

Garfield Wood Garfield Arthur "Gar" Wood (December 4, 1880 – June 19, 1971) was an American inventor, entrepreneur, and championship motorboat builder and racer who held the world water speed record on several occasions. He was the first man to travel ...

, speedboat racing * 1972 -

Jack Fleck Jackson Donald Fleck (November 8, 1921 – March 21, 2014) was an American professional golfer, best known for winning the U.S. Open in 1955 in a playoff over Ben Hogan. Early years Born in 1921 and raised in Bettendorf, Iowa, Fleck's parents ...

, golf * 1973 -

Frank Wykoff Frank Clifford Wykoff (October 29, 1909 – January 1, 1980) was an American athletics (sport), athlete, a triple gold medal winner in 4 × 100 m Relay race, relay at the Olympic Games. Career Born in Des Moines, Iowa, Frank Wykoff ha ...

, track and field * 1981 -

Doreen Wilber Doreen Viola Hansen Wilber (January 8, 1930 – October 19, 2008) was an American archer from Rutland, Iowa. Biography At the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Wilber won the gold medal in the women's section of the first modern Olympi ...

, archery * 1981 -

Dan Gable Danny Mack Gable (born October 25, 1948) is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach. Considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Gable is a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, a World gold medalist ...

, wrestling * 1982 -

Bruce Jenner Caitlyn Marie Jenner (born William Bruce Jenner, October 28, 1949), formerly known as Bruce Jenner, is an American media personality and retired Olympic gold medal-winning Decathlon, decathlete. Jenner played college football for the Grace ...

, track and field * 1990 - "Tiny" Lund, auto racing * 1993 - Francis Cretzmeyer, track and field * 1993 - Chris Taylor, wrestling * 1994 -

Nawal El Moutawakel Nawal El Moutawakel ( Amazigh: ⵏⴰⵡⴰⵍ ⵍⵎⵓⵜⴰⵡⴰⵇⵇⵍ ; ; born 15 April 1962) is a Moroccan former hurdler, who won the inaugural women's 400 metres hurdles event at the 1984 Summer Olympics, and is the first Moroccan, ...

, track and field * 1997 - Judy Kimball, golf * 1997 -

Bob Strampe Robert Edwin Strampe ( ; born June 13, 1950) is an American former professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a right-handed pitcher in for the Detroit Tigers. Career Strampe was drafted by the Tigers in the ...

, bowling * 2003 -

Danny Harris Danny Lee Harris (born September 7, 1965) is an American former track and field athlete who specialized in the 400-meter hurdles (400 mH), in which he won silver medals at the 1984 Olympics and the 1987 World Championships. Hurdling car ...

, track * 2012 -

Cael Sanderson Cael Norman Sanderson ( ; born June 20, 1979) is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler who is the current head coach of Penn State's wrestling team. As a wrestler, he won an Olympic gold medal and was undefeated in four years of ...

, wrestling

External links

Iowa Sports Hall of Fame
webpage (DesMoinesRegister.com) {{State sports halls of fame All-sports halls of fame State sports halls of fame in the United States Halls of fame in Iowa Sports museums in Iowa Sports in Iowa Awards established in 1951

Partial list of inductees

Football

Basketball

Baseball

Other sports

See also

External links