Regular visitors of Notinhalloffame.com know that we are slowly working on the top 50 of every major team in the NHL, NBA, NFL, and MLB. Once that is done, we will examine how each team honors its past players, coaches, and executives. As such, it is important to us that the University of Iowa has announced its 2025 Hall of Fame class.

Eight names comprise Iowa’s 36th class, which will be inducted on August 29.

The new inductees are:

Justin Austin, Men’s Track & Field.  Austin was a five-time All-American (2011 200 M Indoor & 200 M Outdoor, 2012 Outdoor 200 M, 2012 M Outdoor & 400-M Relay Outdoor), and was a two-time Big Ten Track Athlete of the Year (2011 & 2013). 

Lisa Birocci Banse, Softball.  Birocci Banse was the 2003 Big Ten Pitcher of the Year, having won 29 Games.  A two-time All-Big-Ten Selection, she won 90 Games with a 1.20 ERA and 946 Strikeouts.

Bob Bowlsby, Administrator.  Bowlsby was the Athletics Director from 1991 to 2006.  He would later serve as the Commissioner of the Big 12 Conference (2012-2022).

Elena Callas King, Women’s Golf.  Callas Wing was a three-time AIAW National Champion Qualifier and was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team in 1979 and 1980.

Lisa Cellucci, Field Hockey.  A three-time All-American, Cellucci holds the Hawkeyes' record with 582 Saves, and brought the school to three Elite Eights and one Final Four.

Brandon Scherff, Football.  Scherff won the 2014 Outland Trophy and was a unanimous All-American.  He was a five-time Pro Bowl Selection in the NFL.

Brad Smith, Men’s Wrestling.  Smith helped Iowa win the first Wrestling Team Titles in Iowa history (1975 & 1976), and in ’76, Smith won the NCAA 142-pound title.

Tom Williams, Men’s Swimming and Diving).  Williams was a five-time All-American (1984 50 Free, 1985 50 Free & 4x100 Relay, and 1986 50 Free & 4x100 Relay) and was also a fine-time All-Big-Ten Champion.

We here at Notinhalloffame.com would like to congratulate the incoming members of the University of Iowa Athletic Hall of Fame.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marshal Yanda had an illustrious career with the Baltimore Ravens and is considered one of the best Offensive Linemen in the team's history. If not for Jonathan Ogden, he would undoubtedly be the best.

Yanda was selected in the third round of the draft from Iowa. He started 12 of his 16 games as a rookie and was a permanent fixture on the right side of the line from 2010 until his retirement in 2019. He was selected to his first Pro Bowl in 2011 and went on to receive this honor a total of eight times. He was a two-time First Team All-Pro and a Second Team Selection five times. His presence on the O-Line helped the Ravens win Super Bowl XLVII, and his footwork and blocking techniques were so perfect that Offensive Guards will be studying his work for years.

Yanda's lunch pail work ethic made him a star in the eyes of his peers, coaches, and fans. He was one of the most regimented players in the game, and barring injury never having an off year. He was an All-Decade Player and a pleasure to watch play.

John Niland won the starting job at Left Guard for good in his second season in the NFL (1967) with the Dallas Cowboys, and would then go on to stake a claim as one of the elite Offensive Guards in the National Football League.  Niland would be named to the next six Pro Bowls and landed a pair of First Team All-Pros in the process (1971 & 1972).  The former Iowa Hawkeye would win a Super Bowl with the Cowboys in Super Bowl VI, and his upper-echelon blocking played a large part in that historic championship.

There were many stars of the Chicago Bears throughout the 1980s and many were flashy and unforgettable.  Jay Hilgenberg was an unsung hero of that squad and an anchor of the Offensive Line.