The 1939 Iowa Hawkeyes football team, known as the "Ironmen" team, was an American football team that represented the University of Iowa as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1939 Big Ten football season. In their first season under head coach Eddie Anderson, the Hawkeyes compiled a 6–1–1 record (4–1–1 in conference games), finished in second place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 130 to 91. They were ranked No. 9 in the final 1939 AP poll and No. 26 in the final Litkenhous Ratings.
The 1939 Hawkeyes gained 1,014 rushing yards and 749 passing yards. On defense, they gave up 1,074 rushing yards and 605 passing yards.2022 Iowa Football Media Guide, p. 161.
Halfback Nile Kinnick was a consensus first-team All-American who won the Heisman Trophy, the Maxwell Award, and the Chicago Tribune Silver Football. Kinnick starred on offense, defense, and special teams. He led the 1939 team in passing (638 yards), rushing (374 yards) and scoring (41 points) and set a school record with 23 points scored against South Dakota (9/30/39). He still shares Iowa's single-season record with his eight interceptions in 1939. He also contributed as the team's punter and punt returner. He set Iowa single-game records that still stand with 731 yards on 16 punts against Notre Dame (11/11/39) and 201 yards on nine punt returns (including a 73-yard punt) against Indiana (19/7/39).2022 Iowa Football Media Guide, p. 265.
Anderson won the AFCA Coach of the Year award. Kinnick, end Erv Prasse, and tackle Mike Enich received first-team All-Big Ten honors. Prasse was the team captain.2022 Iowa Media Guide, p. 220.
The team played its home games at Iowa Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Home attendance was 129,500, an average of 32,375 per game.2022 Iowa Football Media Guide, p. 260.
Preseason Iowa football was clearly struggling as 1939 began. In fact, the entire Iowa athletic department was in poor financial shape. The Great Depression had greatly impacted the small farming state, and Iowa's athletic receipts sharply declined throughout the 1930s. The debt on Iowa Stadium, which was built in 1929, grew by the year. The Hawkeyes had finished among the worst three teams in the Big Ten standings every year in the 1930s except 1933. Iowa had won just one Big Ten game in the last three years, and the team they beat, Chicago, announced that they would be dropping their football program following the 1939 season. Chicago soon withdrew from the Big Ten Conference.
After compiling a 2–13–1 record in two years at Iowa, head football coach Irl Tubbs was fired. Iowa athletic director E. G. Schroeder tried to inject some life into the program by hiring Dr. Eddie Anderson of Holy Cross. Anderson, a Mason City, Iowa native, played and coached under Knute Rockne at Notre Dame. He was the 1921 Notre Dame team captain, and Notre Dame went 28–1 in Anderson's last three years as a player. Ironically, the lone loss was to the 1921 Hawkeyes.
Around 85 players arrived for spring practice in 1939. About fifty of them did not return in the fall. Anderson installed a complicated new offense and conducted rigorous practices. The 1939 Hawkeye team would be severely lacking in depth. Anderson felt the Hawks could still be a good team in 1939, but only if the starters played significant minutes. A coach brought in temporarily to help with Iowa's spring practice was quoted as saying when he left, "Among 5000 male students at the University of Iowa, there are only five real football players."
Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, and Ohio State were the Big Ten favorites for the 1939 season, while many sportswriters liked Purdue. Notre Dame was also highly ranked nationally. Iowa was picked at the bottom of the Big Ten.
Before the season, Iowa's best player appeared to be Nile Kinnick. Kinnick was an all-Big Ten selection as a sophomore, when he led the nation in punting average, but he struggled through an injury-riddled junior season. As a result, end Erwin Prasse, an all-Big Ten selection in 1938, was elected as the team captain of the 1939 Hawkeyes. However, Kinnick had recovered from his injuries and was ready for a standout senior season.
Schedule
Roster
The following players received varsity letters for their performance on the 1939 Iowa football team: # Name Position Year Hometown 10 Larry Ely Guard Sophomore Des Moines, Iowa 11 Gerald Ankeny Quarterback Sophomore Dixon, Illinois 12 Floyd Dean Halfback Senior Atlantic, Iowa 14 Bruno Andruska Center Junior Chicago, Illinois 15 George Falk Halfback Senior Des Moines, Iowa 16 Jack Edling Center Junior Moorhead, Minnesota 19 George Frye Center Sophomore Albia, Iowa 20 Edwin McLain Halfback Senior Wauwatosa, Wisconsin 21 Jens Norgaard End Junior Iowa City, Iowa 23 Carl Conrad Tackle Junior Fonda, Iowa 24 Nile Kinnick Halfback Senior Adel, Iowa 25 William B. Gallagher Quarterback Junior Oskaloosa, Iowa 27 Charles Tollefson Guard Junior Elk Point, South Dakota 29 William Diehl Center Sophomore Cedar Rapids, Iowa 30 Al Couppee Quarterback Sophomore Council Bluffs, Iowa 31 James Robert Otto Tackle Sophomore Fort Dodge, Iowa 33 Mike Enich Tackle Junior Boone, Iowa 35 Richard Evans End Senior Chicago, Illinois 37 Erwin Prasse End, captain Senior Chicago, Illinois 39 Ken Pettit End Junior Logan, Iowa 43 William C. Green Fullback Sophomore Newton, Iowa 44 Wallace Bergstrom Tackle Sophomore Winfield, Iowa 45 Robert Kelley Tackle Sophomore Sioux City, Iowa 49 Henry Vollenweider Fullback Sophomore Dubuque, Iowa 50 Burdell Gilleard Halfback Sophomore New London, Iowa 52 Herman Snider Guard Junior Iowa City, Iowa 55 Fred Smith End Senior Cedar Rapids, Iowa 60 Russell Busk Halfback Senior Clinton, Iowa 63 James Walker Tackle Sophomore South Bend, Indiana 64 Max Hawkins Guard Junior Philadelphia, Mississippi 65 Joseph Moore End Senior Ida Grove, Iowa 68 Roger Pettit Halfback Sophomore Logan, Iowa 69 James Murphy Jr. Fullback Junior Great Neck, New York 88 Henry Luebcke Guard Junior Chicago, Illinois 2022 Media Guide, pp. 250-258.
Game summaries
South Dakota
After a few uneventful series, Iowa got its first touchdown of the year on a 65-yard touchdown run by Kinnick. The Hawkeyes broke the game open in the second quarter, as Kinnick scored three touchdowns (two rushing, one passing) in the period.
Coach Anderson pulled many of his starters at halftime, but Vollenweider returned the second half kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown. Anderson, upset with the futility of the offense in the second half, reinserted Kinnick into the lineup with less than a minute remaining in the game. Kinnick quickly led Iowa down the field and passed for the touchdown, his fifth of the game.
Box Score – South Dakota vs. Iowa, 9/30/1939 IA – Kinnick 65-yard run (Kinnick kick good) IA – Kinnick 4-yard run (Kinnick kick good) IA – Kinnick 13-yard run (Kinnick kick good) IA – Kinnick 62-yard pass to Busk (Kinnick kick good) IA – Vollenweider 92-yard kickoff return (Roger Pettit kick missed) IA – Kinnick 15-yard pass to Kelley (Kinnick kick good)
The Hawkeyes started Diehl, Tollefson, Luebcke, Walker, and Enich on the line, Prasse and Evans at end, and Couppee, Busk, Murphy, and Kinnick in the backfield. Kinnick's father, Nile Kinnick Sr., traveled to Iowa City to see this game, thinking that it might be his only chance all season to see Iowa get a win. Green and Dean got interceptions for Iowa. Moore and Couppee each recovered a fumble. It was Iowa's first home win since October 1937. Kinnick carried 8 times for 110 yards and three touchdowns. His 23 points were the most in a game at Iowa since Oran "Nanny" Pape scored 24 points in a game in 1928. Kinnick would sit for most of the second half, the only game action he would miss until the season finale against Northwestern. Vollenweider's kickoff return set a stadium record that stood for 10 years. It was broken by Bill Reichardt, who returned a kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown in 1949 against Oregon. Vollenweider's touchdown was Iowa's only special teams touchdown of the season.
Indiana
Indiana jumped out to a quick 10–0 lead, but a 73-yard Kinnick punt changed field position to lead to Iowa's first touchdown. Kinnick then used a 55-yard run to set up Iowa's second touchdown. Prasse caught his second touchdown pass of the game to give Iowa 20 unanswered points, but Indiana countered with a touchdown pass of their own just before halftime.
Indiana dominated play in the third period, taking a nine-point lead. Diehl got a crucial interception to stop another Indiana drive early in the fourth period, and Iowa responded with an 11 play drive to cut Indiana's lead to 3 points. Green came up with an interception that gave Iowa the ball in Indiana territory. Iowa advanced to the Indiana ten-yard line, but the Hoosiers drove Iowa five yards back in three plays to bring up fourth and goal from the fifteen. Rather than attempt a game-tying field goal with minutes to play, Iowa went for the win and got it, as Kinnick fired his third touchdown pass to Prasse.
Box Score – Indiana vs. Iowa, 10/7/1939 IN – Herbert 24-yard FG IN – Brooks 23-yard run (Herbert kick good) IA – Kinnick 30-yard pass to Prasse (Kinnick kick good) IA – Kinnick 3-yard run (Kinnick kick good) IA – Kinnick 50-yard pass to Prasse (Kinnick kick missed) IN – Hursh 8-yard pass to Tipmore (Topil kick good) IN – Hursh 35-yard pass to Zimmer (Herbert kick blocked) IN – Hursh 5-yard pass to Rucinski (Herbert kick blocked) IA – Green 3-yard run (Kinnick kick missed) IA – Kinnick 15-yard pass to Prasse (Kinnick kick missed)
The temperature at kickoff was in the mid 90s. Several players had to leave the game due to dehydration, as the heat was oppressive. Iowa started the same players as they did against South Dakota. It was just the fourth time in 40 years that Iowa had won its first conference game. It was Iowa's first conference victory at home since 1933 and Iowa's first victory over Indiana since 1921. 23 Iowa players participated, the most in any game all season. Kinnick, Tollefson, and Walker played all 60 minutes. Couppee injured his shoulder and had to leave the game; he would wear a brace for the rest of the season. Luebcke suffered a career-ending abdominal hernia. Enich collapsed on the field from severe dehydration and was sent to the hospital. Before the game, the Indianapolis News reported that the Hoosiers had "a quiet confidence that they will win it. Of course, Iowa feels the same, maybe more so. And Indiana doesn't have a Kinnick." Kinnick's stat line was astounding. He returned nine punts for 201 yards, both school records which still stand today. He had 103 yards rushing on 19 carries and one touchdown, 108 yards passing and three touchdowns, 201 punt return yards, 171 kick return yards, 4 punts for 172 yards, an interception return for 20 yards, and two extra point kicks. Prasse's three touchdowns receiving set a stadium record that stood for 66 years. It was finally broken by Ed Hinkel, who caught four touchdowns against Minnesota in 2005.
Michigan
An early Kinnick touchdown pass was not enough for the Hawks, as Michigan scored the last 27 points of the game. Iowa outgained the Wolverines by over 100 yards, but turnovers and special teams woes doomed the Hawkeyes to their only defeat of the season. Kinnick fumbled a Michigan punt, which set up Michigan's game tying score. An Iowa drive to the Michigan 12-yard line was halted when Harmon intercepted a Kinnick pass attempt for Prasse in end zone.
A long punt return led to Michigan's second score, and Kinnick's only blocked punt of the season gave Michigan position for a third touchdown. Iowa's best field position of the second half saw Iowa with the ball at the Michigan 18-yard line. Tom Harmon sealed the game for Michigan when he snatched Kinnick's pass for the end zone and returned it 90 yards for the Wolverines' fourth touchdown.