1954 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
| 1954 Iowa Hawkeyes football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 5–4 (4–3 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| MVP | Warren Lawson |
| Captain | George Broeder |
| Home stadium | Iowa Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Ohio State $ | 7 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 9 Wisconsin | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 15 Michigan | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Purdue | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 3 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1954 Iowa Hawkeyes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Iowa as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1954 Big Ten football season. In their third season under head coach Forest Evashevski, the Hawkeyes compiled a 5–4 record (4–3 in conference games), finished in fifth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 192 to 141.[1][2]
The 1954 Hawkeyes gained 2,083 rushing yards and 677 passing yards. On defense, they gave up 1,496 rushing yards and 913 passing yards.[3]
The team's statistical leaders included Eddie Vincent (618 rushing yards); Jerry Reichow (34-of-73 passing for 386 yards); Frank Gilliam (15 receptions for 223 yards); and Earl Smith (66 points scored, 17.8 yard per punt return).[4] Guard Cal Jones was a consensus All-American. Eddie Vincent set the Iowa record (still intact) for longest run from scrimmage with a 96-yard run against Purdue on November 6, 1954.[5]
Iowa's game against Michigan State was nationally televised on ABC, the second Iowa game to be televised.[6] The team played its home games at Iowa Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Home attendance was 245,421, an average of 49,084 per game.[7]
Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 25 | No. 7 Michigan State | No. 12 | ABC | W 14–10 | 50,000 | ||
| October 2 | Montana* | No. 3 |
| W 48–6 | 37,590 | [8] | |
| October 9 | at Michigan | No. 4 | L 13–14 | 64,283 | |||
| October 16 | at No. 4 Ohio State | No. 13 | L 14–20 | 82,141 | |||
| October 23 | at Indiana | W 27–14 | 30,789 | ||||
| October 30 | No. 8 Wisconsin |
| W 13–7 | 52,185 | |||
| November 6 | No. 8 Purdue | No. 12 |
| W 25–14 | 52,900 | ||
| November 13 | at No. 13 Minnesota | No. 9 | L 20–22 | 65,464 | |||
| November 20 | No. 4 Notre Dame* | No. 19 |
| L 18–34 | 56,576 | ||
| |||||||
Personnel
Players
The following players received varsity letters for their performance on the 1954 Iowa football team:
- George "Binky" Broeder, fullback and captain, No. 32, St. Louis, MO
- Cameron Cummins, tackle, No. 72, Cedar Rapids, IA
- Richard Deasy, tackle, No. 73, Chicago
- Don Dobrino, quarterback, No. 20, Mt. Olive, IL
- James Freeman, end, No. 80, Iowa City, IA
- Frank Gilliam, end, junior, No. 87, Steubenville, OH
- Lester Green, tackle, No. 78
- John Hall, tackle, senior, No. 75, Chicago
- Jim Hatch, fullback, Lancaster, WI
- James Head, fullback, No. 42, Evansville, IN
- Don Inman, halfback, No. 40, Tama, IA
- Cal Jones, guard, junior, No. 62, Steubenville, OH
- Dick Klein, tackle, senior
- Bud Lawson, center, No. 50, Fairfield, IA
- Eldean Matheson, halfback, No. 12, Lake Mills, IA
- Lou Matykiewicz, quarterback/end, senior, No. 23, Calumet Park, IL
- Kenneth Meek, end, No. 82, Ladd, IL
- Terry Moran, guard, No. 63, River Forest, IL
- Ken Ploen, quarterback, No. 11, Clinton, IA
- Bill Reichow, guard, No. 21, Decorah, IA
- Jerry Reichow, quarterback, junior, No. 25
- Terry Shuck, tackle, No. 79, Des Moines, IA
- Norman Six, center, No. 52, Newell, WV
- Earl Smith Jr., halfback, No. 14, Gary, IN
- Robert Stearnes, halfback, No. 44, Gary, IN
- Donald Suchy, center, No. 55, Belle Plaine, IA
- Rodger Swedberg, tackle, No. 74, Sycamore, IL
- Eddie Vincent, halfback, junior, No. 41, Steubenville, OH
- Roger Wiegmann, fullback, No. 30, Waverly, IA
Coaches
- Head coach - Forest Evashevski
- Assistant coaches - Bump Elliott, Whitey Piro, Jerry Burns (freshman)
Awards and honors
Guard Cal Jones was a consensus first-team pick on the 1954 All-America team. He also received first-team honors from the AP, UP, and INS on the 1954 All-Big Ten Conference football team. Jones was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Fullback George "Binky" Broeder was the team captain.[10]
Center Warren Lawson was selected as the team's most valuable player.[11]
References
- ^ a b "1954 Iowa Hawkeyes Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
- ^ a b "2022 Iowa Football Media Guide" (PDF). University of Iowa. p. 241. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
- ^ 2022 Iowa Football Media Guide, p. 161.
- ^ 2022 Iowa Football Media Guide, pp. 278-279.
- ^ 2022 Iowa Football Media Guide, p. 284.
- ^ 2022 Iowa Football Media Guide, p. 234.
- ^ 2022 Iowa Football Media Guide, p. 260.
- ^ "Iowa's 48–6 Montana honeymoon over". The Cedar Rapids Gazette. October 3, 1954. Retrieved May 1, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ 2022 Media Guide, pp. 250-258.
- ^ 2022 Iowa Football Media Guide, p. 220.
- ^ 2022 Iowa Football Media Guide, p. 222.