1983 Iowa Hawkeyes Football Season — Schedule, Stats, Results

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Season Snapshot 1983 at a glance

1983 Iowa Football

9-3

Overall

7-2

Big Ten

Bowl

Postseason

Lost 6-14 · Gator Bowl

#14

Final AP rank

Hayden Fry

Head coach

1983 Schedule 12 games

Date	Opponent	Score
Sep 10	Away Iowa State	51–10	W
Sep 17	Away Penn State	42–34	W
Sep 24	Home (3) Ohio State	20–14	W
Oct 1	Away Illinois	0–33	L
Oct 8	Home Northwestern	61–21	W
Oct 15	Home Purdue	31–14	W
Oct 22	Away (10) Michigan	13–16	L
Oct 29	Home Indiana	49–3	W
Nov 5	Away Wisconsin	34–14	W
Nov 12	Away Michigan State	12–6	W
Nov 19	Home Minnesota	61–10	W
Dec 30	Neutral (11) Florida Gator Bowl (Jacksonville, FL)	6–14	L

Team & Player Stats

Numbers in plain English. Switch to Advanced to see every column. Full stat tables — passing rates, splits, game-by-game breakdowns.

Per-Game Averages

Points per game

31.7 vs 15.8

Iowa scored versus Iowa allowed per game.

+15.9 points per game

Total yards

— vs —

How many yards Iowa moved the ball, versus how many they let the other team move.

Pass yards

279.3 vs 213.5

Yards from passing per game — Iowa versus opponents.

+65.8 difference per game

Rush yards

208.5 vs 129.5

Yards on the ground per game — Iowa versus opponents.

+79.0 difference per game

First downs

— vs —

A first down means a fresh set of four tries — earning more is good.

Turnovers

— vs —

Times Iowa lost the ball (lower is better) versus times the defense took it back (higher is better).

Top Performers

Quarterback

Chuck Long

2,434 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, 8 interceptions (11 games).

Lead rusher

Eddie Phillips

740 rushing yards, 8 touchdowns over 11 games.

Lead receiver

Dave Moritz

50 catches, 912 receiving yards, 5 touchdowns.

Top tackler

Devon Mitchell

0 total tackles, — sacks, 3 interceptions.

Team Stats per Game

Stat

Offense

Defense

Diff

Pass Cmp

16.5

17.8

-1.3

Pass Att

28.7

35.5

-6.8

Pass Cmp %

57.3

50.3

+7.0

Pass Yds

279.3

213.5

+65.8

Pass TD

1.8

1.1

+0.7

Rush Att

44.7

37.8

+6.9

Rush Yds

208.5

129.5

+79.0

Rush Y/A

4.7

3.4

+1.3

Rush TD

2.5

0.7

+1.8

Plays

—

Total Yds

—

Yds/Play

—

1st Downs

—

Penalties

—

Penalty Yds

—

Fumbles

—

Interceptions

—

Turnovers

—

Player Stats

Passing

Player	G	Cmp	Att	Cmp%	Yds	TD	Int	Y/A	AY/A	Y/C	Y/G	Rate
Chuck LongQB	11	144	236	61.0	2,434	14	8	10.3	10.0	16.9	221.3	160.4
Tom GroganQB	11	27	56	48.2	462	3	1	8.3	8.5	17.1	42.0	131.6
Cornelius RobertsonQB	11	9	19	47.4	171	3	1	9.0	9.8	19.0	15.5	164.5
Mark VlasicQB	11	1	4	25.0	5	0	0	1.3	1.2	5.0	0.5	35.5

Rushing & Receiving

Player	G	Rushing					Receiving					Scrimmage
		Att	Yds	Y/A	TD	Y/G	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD	Y/G	Plays	Yds	TD
Eddie PhillipsRB	11	149	740	5.0	8	67.3	13	175	13.5	1	15.9	162	915	9
Dave MoritzWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	50	912	18.2	5	82.9	50	912	5
Owen GillRB	11	119	715	6.0	10	65.0	13	166	12.8	0	15.1	132	881	10
Ronnie HarmonWR	11	22	185	8.4	2	16.8	29	639	22.0	5	58.1	51	824	7
Norm GrangerRB	11	62	429	6.9	2	39.0	8	106	13.3	1	9.6	70	535	3
Robert SmithWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	7	210	30.0	1	19.1	7	210	1
Mike HuffordTE	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	13	210	16.2	2	19.1	13	210	2
Bill BroghamerWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	15	204	13.6	0	18.5	15	204	0
Jonathan HayesTE	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	10	153	15.3	1	13.9	10	153	1
Bill HappelWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	8	137	17.1	0	12.5	8	137	0
Tom GroganQB	11	16	79	4.9	0	7.2	0	0	—	0	0.0	16	79	0
Fred BushRB	11	10	69	6.9	0	6.3	0	0	—	0	0.0	10	69	0
Treye JacksonRB	11	11	37	3.4	1	3.4	2	27	13.5	0	2.5	13	64	1
Glenn BuggsRB	11	8	44	5.5	0	4.0	1	15	15.0	0	1.4	9	59	0
Scott HelversonWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	4	42	10.5	2	3.8	4	42	2
Lon OlejniczakTE	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	5	41	8.2	2	3.7	5	41	2
Paul McCartyRB	11	2	26	13.0	0	2.4	0	0	—	0	0.0	2	26	0
J.C. Love JordanWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	1	23	23.0	0	2.1	1	23	0
Tim SennottRB	11	3	19	6.3	0	1.7	0	0	—	0	0.0	3	19	0
Gregg HammannWR	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	1	12	12.0	0	1.1	1	12	0
Mark VlasicQB	11	1	0	0.0	0	0.0	0	0	—	0	0.0	1	0	0
John Carroll	11	0	0	—	0	0.0	1	0	0.0	0	0.0	1	0	0
Cornelius RobertsonQB	11	3	-8	-2.7	0	-0.7	0	0	—	0	0.0	3	-8	0
Chuck LongQB	11	85	-30	-0.4	5	-2.7	0	0	—	0	0.0	85	-30	5

Defense & Fumbles

Player	G	Solo	Ast	Comb	TFL	Sk	Int	Yds	PD	FR	FF
Devon MitchellDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	3	21	—	—	—
George DavisLB	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	0	—	—	—
Jeff DrostDL	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	-3	—	—	—
Keith HunterDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	2	5	—	—	—
Ken SimsDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	0	—	—	—
Kevin SpitzigLB	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	5	—	—	—
Larry StationLB	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	20	—	—	—
Mike StoopsDB	11	—	—	—	—	—	6	154	—	—	—
Mike YaculloLB	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	0	—	—	—
Nate Creer*DB	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	0	—	—	—
Steve BrownLB	11	—	—	—	—	—	1	3	—	—	—

Kick & Punt Returns

Player	G	Kick Returns				Punt Returns				APYd
		Ret	Yds	Avg	TD	Ret	Yds	Avg	TD
Robert SmithWR	11	3	71	23.7	0	34	292	8.6	1	573
Ronnie HarmonWR	11	11	187	17.0	0	1	7	7.0	0	1,018
Norm GrangerRB	11	3	85	28.3	0	0	0	—	0	620
J.C. Love JordanWR	11	3	33	11.0	0	0	0	—	0	56
Fred BushRB	11	1	0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	69

Kicking & Punting

Player	G	XPM	XPA	XP%	FGM	FGA	FG%	Pts	Pnt	Yds	Y/P
Tom NicholK	11	44	47	93.6	12	18	66.7	80	48	1,842	38.4
Tom GroganQB	11	0	0	—	0	0	—	0	1	28	28.0

Scoring

Player	G	Rush	Rec	PR	FR	Oth	TD	XPM	XPA	FGM	FGA	Sfty	Pts	Pts/G
Tom NicholK	11	0	0	0	—	—	0	44	47	12	18	—	80	7.3
Owen GillRB	11	10	0	0	—	—	10	0	0	0	0	—	60	5.5
Eddie PhillipsRB	11	8	1	0	—	—	9	0	0	0	0	—	54	4.9
Ronnie HarmonWR	11	2	5	0	—	—	7	0	0	0	0	—	42	3.8
Chuck LongQB	11	5	0	0	—	—	5	0	0	0	0	—	30	2.7
Dave MoritzWR	11	0	5	0	—	—	5	0	0	0	0	—	30	2.7
Norm GrangerRB	11	2	1	0	—	—	3	0	0	0	0	—	18	1.6
Mike HuffordTE	11	0	2	0	—	—	2	0	0	0	0	—	12	1.1
Robert SmithWR	11	0	1	1	—	—	2	0	0	0	0	—	12	1.1
Lon OlejniczakTE	11	0	2	0	—	—	2	0	0	0	0	—	12	1.1
Scott HelversonWR	11	0	2	0	—	—	2	0	0	0	0	—	12	1.1
Jonathan HayesTE	11	0	1	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5
Treye JacksonRB	11	1	0	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5

Game Logs

Date	Opp	Rslt	Passing						Rushing			Total			Penalties		TO
			Cmp	Att	Yds	TD	Y/A	Rate	Att	Yds	TD	Plays	Yds	Y/P	No	Yds	FL	Int	TO
Sep 10	@ Iowa State	W 51–10	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 17	@ Penn State	W 42–34	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 24	Ohio State	W 20–14	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 1	@ Illinois	L 0–33	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 8	Northwestern	W 61–21	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 15	Purdue	W 31–14	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 22	@ Michigan	L 13–16	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 29	Indiana	W 49–3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 5	@ Wisconsin	W 34–14	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 12	@ Michigan State	W 12–6	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 19	Minnesota	W 61–10	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Dec 30	vs Florida Gator Bowl	L 6–14	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

1983 Roster 38 players

Player	Class	Pos	Season summary
Devon Mitchell	—	DB
Keith Hunter	—	DB
Ken Sims	—	DB
Mike Stoops	—	DB
Nate Creer*	—	DB
Jeff Drost	—	DL
Tom Nichol	—	K
George Davis	—	LB
Kevin Spitzig	—	LB
Larry Station	—	LB
Mike Yacullo	—	LB
Steve Brown	—	LB
Joel Hilgenberg*	—	OL
John Alt*	—	OL
Chuck Long	—	QB	157 Cmp, 265 Att, 2601 Yds, 14 TD
Cornelius Robertson	—	QB	9 Cmp, 19 Att, 171 Yds, 3 TD
Mark Vlasic	—	QB	1 Cmp, 4 Att, 5 Yds, 0 TD
Tom Grogan	—	QB	27 Cmp, 56 Att, 462 Yds, 3 TD
Eddie Phillips	—	RB	162 Att, 773 Yds, 4.8 Avg
Fred Bush	—	RB	10 Att, 69 Yds, 6.9 Avg
Glenn Buggs	—	RB	8 Att, 44 Yds, 5.5 Avg
Norm Granger	—	RB	71 Att, 466 Yds, 6.6 Avg
Owen Gill	—	RB	129 Att, 798 Yds, 6.2 Avg
Paul McCarty	—	RB	2 Att, 26 Yds, 13.0 Avg
Tim Sennott	—	RB	3 Att, 19 Yds, 6.3 Avg
Treye Jackson	—	RB	11 Att, 37 Yds, 3.4 Avg
Jonathan Hayes	—	TE	10 Rec, 153 Yds, 15.3 Avg
Lon Olejniczak	—	TE	5 Rec, 41 Yds, 8.2 Avg
Mike Hufford	—	TE	14 Rec, 226 Yds, 16.1 Avg
Bill Broghamer	—	WR	15 Rec, 204 Yds, 13.6 Avg
Bill Happel	—	WR	8 Rec, 137 Yds, 17.1 Avg
Dave Moritz	—	WR	50 Rec, 912 Yds, 18.2 Avg
Gregg Hammann	—	WR	1 Rec, 12 Yds, 12.0 Avg
J.C. Love Jordan	—	WR	1 Rec, 23 Yds, 23.0 Avg
Robert Smith	—	WR	7 Rec, 210 Yds, 30.0 Avg
Ronnie Harmon	—	WR	35 Rec, 729 Yds, 20.8 Avg
Scott Helverson	—	WR	4 Rec, 42 Yds, 10.5 Avg
John Carroll	—	—

History Library

Chapters of Iowa football history

Explore Iowa football history by chapter. Dive into legendary seasons, unforgettable rivalries, and the program's rich tradition.

Greatest Iowa Teams

Season	Record	AP Final	Coach	Bowl
1922	7-0	—	Howard Jones	—
1921	7-0	—	Howard Jones	—
1956	9-1	#3	Forest Evashevski	Won — Rose Bowl
1960	8-1	#3	Forest Evashevski	—
1899	8-0-1	—	Alden Knipe	—
1900	7-0-1	—	Alden Knipe	—
2015	12-2	#9	Kirk Ferentz	Lost — Rose Bowl
2009	11-2	#7	Kirk Ferentz	Won — Orange Bowl
2002	11-2	#8	Kirk Ferentz	Lost — Orange Bowl
1991	10-1-1	#10	Hayden Fry	Tied — Holiday Bowl

Iowa Bowl Games

Season	Bowl	Result	Score	Opponent
2025	ReliaQuest Bowl	Won	34-27	vanderbilt
2024	Music City Bowl	Lost	24-27	missouri
2023	Citrus Bowl	Lost	0-35	tennessee
2022	Music City Bowl	Won	21-0	kentucky
2021	Citrus Bowl	Lost	17-20	kentucky
2019	Holiday Bowl	Won	49-24	southern-california
2018	Outback Bowl	Won	27-22	mississippi-state
2017	Pinstripe Bowl	Won	27-20	boston-college
2016	Outback Bowl	Lost	3-30	florida
2015	Rose Bowl	Lost	16-45	stanford
2014	TaxSlayer Bowl	Lost	28-45	tennessee
2013	Outback Bowl	Lost	14-21	louisiana-state
2011	Insight Bowl	Lost	14-31	oklahoma
2010	Insight Bowl	Won	27-24	missouri
2009	Orange Bowl	Won	24-14	georgia-tech
2008	Outback Bowl	Won	31-10	south-carolina
2006	Alamo Bowl	Lost	24-26	texas
2005	Outback Bowl	Lost	24-31	florida
2004	Capital One Bowl	Won	30-25	louisiana-state
2003	Outback Bowl	Won	37-17	florida
2002	Orange Bowl	Lost	17-38	southern-california
2001	Alamo Bowl	Won	19-16	texas-tech
1997	Sun Bowl	Lost	7-17	arizona-state
1996	Alamo Bowl	Won	27-0	texas-tech
1995	Sun Bowl	Won	38-18	washington
1993	Alamo Bowl	Lost	3-37	california
1991	Holiday Bowl	Tied	13-13	brigham-young
1990	Rose Bowl	Lost	34-46	washington
1988	Peach Bowl	Lost	23-28	north-carolina-state
1987	Holiday Bowl	Won	20-19	wyoming
1986	Holiday Bowl	Won	39-38	san-diego-state
1985	Rose Bowl	Lost	28-45	ucla
1984	Freedom Bowl	Won	55-17	texas
1983	Gator Bowl	Lost	6-14	florida
1982	Peach Bowl	Won	28-22	tennessee
1981	Rose Bowl	Lost	0-28	washington
1958	Rose Bowl	Won	38-12	california
1956	Rose Bowl	Won	35-19	oregon-state

Iowa Rivalries

Trophy	Opponent	W-L-T	Years
Cy-Hawk Trophy	Iowa State	47-21	1899–2025
Floyd of Rosedale	Minnesota	54-61-2	1901–2025
Heartland Trophy	Wisconsin	47-48-2	1906–2025
Heroes Trophy	Nebraska	19-26-1	1903–2025

All-time numbers will fill in as historical Iowa schedules are imported.

Best Iowa Defenses

Season	Pts allowed/G	National rank	Record
1899	0.6	#1	8-0
1900	1.5	#3	7-0
1910	2.1	#18	5-2
1929	3.5	#10	4-2
1918	4.0	#14	6-2
1922	4.7	#23	7-0
1935	4.9	#14	4-2
1914	5.1	#21	4-3
1921	5.1	#22	7-0
1928	5.2	#22	6-2

All-Time Single-Season Leaders

Passing yards

Player	Season	Passing
Chuck Hartlieb	1988	3,310
James Vandenberg	2011	3,022
Ricky Stanzi	2010	3,004
Chuck Long	1985	2,978
Nathan Stanley	2019	2,951

Rushing yards

Player	Season	Rushing
Shonn Greene	2008	1,850
Tavian Banks	1997	1,639
Kaleb Johnson	2024	1,537
Marcus Coker	2011	1,384
Fred Russell	2003	1,355

Receiving yards

Player	Season	Receiving
Marvin McNutt	2011	1,315
Keith Chappelle	1980	1,037
Kevin Kasper	2000	1,010
Quinn Early	1987	978
Maurice Brown	2002	966

Tackles

Player	Season	Tackles
Jay Higgins	2023	171
Abdul Hodge	2005	158
Chad Greenway	2005	156
Pat Angerer	2009	145
Jack Campbell	2021	143

AP Poll History

Season	Final AP rank
2025	#17
2023	#24
2021	#23
2020	#16
2019	#15
2018	#25
2015	#9
2009	#7
2008	#20
2004	#8
2003	#8
2002	#8
1996	#18
1995	#25
1991	#10
1990	#18
1987	#16
1986	#16
1985	#10
1984	#16
1983	#14
1981	#18
1960	#3
1958	#2
1957	#6
1956	#3
1953	#9
1939	#9

Updated Oct 21, 12:30 AM

Football History

Season Snapshot 1983 at a glance

1983 Iowa Football

By the Numbers

Memorable Games

Rankings & Streaks

Season Defining Games ranked wins, overtime battles, and heartbreakers

Beat #3 Ohio State

Signature Wins

Beat Iowa State

Beat Wisconsin

Beat Minnesota

Heartbreakers & Tough Tests

Lost to Florida

Lost by 3 to Michigan

Compare This Team

1983 Schedule 12 games

Team & Player Stats

Per-Game Averages

Top Performers

Team Stats per Game

Player Stats

Passing

Rushing & Receiving

Defense & Fumbles

Kick & Punt Returns

Kicking & Punting

Scoring

Game Logs

1983 Roster 38 players

1983 AP Poll Movement

AP Poll

History Library

Greatest Teams

Bowl Games

Rivalries

Best Defenses

Player Leaders

AP Poll History