1984 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
The 1984 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa in the Big Ten. In Hayden Fry’s sixth season as head coach, the Hawkeyes finished 8–4–1 overall and 5–3–1 in the conference, tied for fourth in the Big Ten. They outscored opponents 304 to 184 and played home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. Iowa ended the year as Freedom Bowl champions after a 55–17 win over Texas, and they were ranked No. 16 in the final AP poll and No. 15 in the final UPI poll.
Key players and leaders
- Ronnie Harmon was the team’s most valuable player, leading the team in rushing with 1,166 yards and in receiving with 151 catches for 715 yards.
- Quarterback Chuck Long passed for 2,871 yards and 22 touchdowns on 216 of 322 attempts.
- Captains: Owen Gill, Jonathan Hayes, Paul Hufford, Keith Hunter, and Kevin Spitzig.
Memorable games and moments
- Iowa beat Illinois, snapping the Illini’s 12-game conference winning streak, with Harmon scoring three rushing touchdowns.
- The defense held Northwestern to just 49 yards of total offense, a single-game school record.
- In a win at Purdue, Long went 17 of 21 for 369 yards and 4 touchdowns, giving Iowa a victory at Ross–Ade Stadium for the first time since 1956.
- Iowa shocked Michigan 26–0, a loss that was Bo Schembechler’s worst in 21 years as Michigan’s coach.
- Against Indiana, Long set an NCAA record by completing 22 straight passes, and Harmon ran for 160 yards.
- After beating Indiana, Iowa briefly led the Big Ten, but they did not win another conference game that season.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 18:43 (CET).