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Who are the greatest to ever do it as an Iowa Hawkeye? There are cases to be made for so many athletes and coaches across the board, but a few stand above the rest for their contributions at Iowa.
So, the task of narrowing the list down to four to create Iowa's Mount Rushmore of athletes is no easy task.
Iowa Mount Rushmore Locks Nile Kinnick This is a no-brainer - Iowa's only Heisman Trophy winner and the namesake of the Hawkeyes' stadium.
Nile Kinnick's Heisman speech is played before each home game and is simply iconic.
You can't tell the story of Iowa football without him.
Caitlin Clark She changed the game forever.
She broke every record there was.
She put the Iowa Hawkeyes on the map.
Caitlin Clark transcended sports and is forever etched in Iowa greatness.
All-Time Iowa Great Cases Can Be Made Hayden Fry Where is Iowa football without Hayden Fry? From 1979 to 1998, Fry made Iowa into a strong college football program.
With a 143-89-6 mark as Iowa's head coach, his place in this Mount Rushmore would be met with minimal argument.
Kirk Ferentz If Hayden Fry set Iowa football up for success, Kirk Ferentz continued to build the program.
With just as much longevity, Ferentz is essentially synonymous with the Iowa Hawkeyes.
Winning 209 games at Iowa makes Ferentz hard to leave off.
Dan Gable There may not be a more dominant run in wrestling than what Dan Gable did at Iowa.
He brought the Hawkeyes 15 national titles and won 355 of the 381 meets he coached.
Without Gable, Iowa wrestling isn't the powerhouse it is.
Chuck Long No one has ever played quarterback for the Hawkeyes quite like Chuck Long did.
Iowa's all-time passing yards and touchdowns leader with 10,461 yards and 74 touchdowns gives Chuck Long a strong case.
Fringe Candidates Brad Banks His time at Iowa was electric, to put it simply.
Banks was the AP Player of the Year, the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, and nearly Iowa's second Heisman winner after coming in second place.
The only knock is the lack of time at Iowa.
Luka Garza Iowa's all-time scoring leader with 2,306 points, Luka Garza was dominant during his time with the Hawkeyes.
A two-time Big Ten Player of the Year, Garza is arguably the best to ever wear an Iowa basketball uniform.
Lisa Bluder The Caitlin Clark chapter of Iowa can't be told without Lisa Bluder.
Five Big Ten titles and two NCAA Tournament Final Four runs put her atop the list as the greatest Iowa basketball coach of all-time.
Final Selections for Iowa's Mount Rushmore With things limited to just four choices, there are bound to be some tough decisions to be made, especially with a strong group battling for what is really just two spots.
When all is said and done, Iowa's Mount Rushmore becomes clear with a combination of winning, longevity, iconic moments, and being a transcendent athlete.
Iowa Athletics Mount Rushmore In alphabetical order Caitlin Clark Kirk Ferentz Dan Gable Nile Kinnick Those four are Iowa sports and the best of what the school represents.
Riley Donald, a former NCAA student-athlete, played four years of college football and was a team captain at Augustana College.
He has spent nearly five years at USA TODAY Sports covering Iowa football, Iowa mens basketball, and Iowa womens basketball, along with a broader coverage focusing primarily on Big Ten football and basketball.
Began covering the Dallas Cowboys.
Radio guest on several ESPN stations discussing Iowa football, the NFL draft, and more.
Follow rileydonald7.