1984 Iowa Hawkeyes Football Season — Schedule, Stats, Results

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Season Snapshot 1984 at a glance

1984 Iowa Football

8-4-1

Overall

5-3-1

Big Ten

Bowl

Postseason

Won 55-17 · Freedom Bowl

#16

Final AP rank

Hayden Fry

Head coach

1984 Schedule 13 games

Date	Opponent	Score
Sep 8	Home Iowa State	59–21	W
Sep 15	Home (12) Penn State	17–20	L
Sep 22	Away (5) Ohio State	26–45	L
Sep 29	Home Illinois	21–16	W
Oct 6	Away Northwestern	31–3	W
Oct 13	Away (14) Purdue	40–3	W
Oct 20	Home Michigan	26–0	W
Oct 27	Away Indiana	24–20	W
Nov 3	Home Wisconsin	10–10	T
Nov 10	Home Michigan State	16–17	L
Nov 17	Away Minnesota	17–23	L
Dec 1	Away Hawaii	17–6	W
Dec 26	Neutral (19) Texas Freedom Bowl (Anaheim, CA)	55–17	W

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

27.6 vs 15.5

Iowa scored versus Iowa allowed per game.

+12.2 points per game

Total yards

— vs —

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

Pass yards

215.3 vs 170.5

Yards from passing per game — Iowa versus opponents.

+44.8 difference per game

Rush yards

167.8 vs 99.4

Yards on the ground per game — Iowa versus opponents.

+68.4 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

2,410 passing yards, 16 touchdowns, 13 interceptions (12 games).

Lead rusher

Ronnie Harmon

907 rushing yards, 11 touchdowns over 12 games.

Lead receiver

Bill Happel

39 catches, 528 receiving yards, 2 touchdowns.

Top tackler

Dave Strobel

0 total tackles, — sacks, 1 interceptions.

Team Stats per Game

Stat

Offense

Defense

Diff

Pass Cmp

16.3

15.6

+0.7

Pass Att

25.7

29.3

-3.6

Pass Cmp %

63.6

53.3

+10.3

Pass Yds

215.3

170.5

+44.8

Pass TD

1.4

1.1

+0.3

Rush Att

47.2

36.6

+10.6

Rush Yds

167.8

99.4

+68.4

Rush Y/A

3.6

2.7

+0.9

Rush TD

1.6

0.6

+1.0

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 LongQBH-7	12	187	283	66.1	2,410	16	13	8.5	7.6	12.9	200.8	147.1
Mark VlasicQB	12	8	20	40.0	156	0	0	7.8	7.8	19.5	13.0	105.5
Kevin HarmonRB	12	1	4	25.0	18	1	2	4.5	-13.0	18.0	1.5	45.3
Ronnie HarmonRB	12	0	1	0.0	0	0	1	0.0	-45.0	—	0.0	-200.0

Rushing & Receiving

Player	G	Rushing					Receiving					Scrimmage
		Att	Yds	Y/A	TD	Y/G	Rec	Yds	Y/R	TD	Y/G	Plays	Yds	TD
Ronnie HarmonRB	12	190	907	4.8	11	75.6	32	318	9.9	1	26.5	222	1,225	12
Owen GillRB	12	182	859	4.7	4	71.6	22	201	9.1	0	16.8	204	1,060	4
Bill HappelWR	12	0	0	—	0	0.0	39	528	13.5	2	44.0	39	528	2
Jonathan HayesTE	12	0	0	—	0	0.0	39	442	11.3	4	36.8	39	442	4
Robert SmithWR	12	7	45	6.4	0	3.8	15	391	26.1	4	32.6	22	436	4
Rick BaylessRB	12	26	138	5.3	0	11.5	3	47	15.7	0	3.9	29	185	0
Scott HelversonWR	12	0	0	—	0	0.0	14	184	13.1	3	15.3	14	184	3
J.C. Love JordanWR	12	0	0	—	0	0.0	11	165	15.0	1	13.8	11	165	1
Tim SennottRB	12	27	87	3.2	0	7.3	5	25	5.0	0	2.1	32	112	0
Mike FlaggTE	12	0	0	—	0	0.0	6	108	18.0	1	9.0	6	108	1
Fred BushRB	12	21	69	3.3	0	5.8	2	24	12.0	0	2.0	23	93	0
Kevin HarmonRB	12	10	68	6.8	0	5.7	0	0	—	0	0.0	10	68	0
Kerry BurtWR	12	0	0	—	0	0.0	2	61	30.5	0	5.1	2	61	0
Quinn EarlyWR	12	0	0	—	0	0.0	3	57	19.0	0	4.8	3	57	0
Marshall CottonRB	12	4	16	4.0	0	1.3	3	33	11.0	1	2.8	7	49	1
Eddie PoliteRB	12	4	3	0.8	0	0.3	0	0	—	0	0.0	4	3	0
Mark VlasicQB	12	11	-4	-0.4	0	-0.3	0	0	—	0	0.0	11	-4	0
Chuck LongQBH-7	12	84	-174	-2.1	4	-14.5	0	0	—	0	0.0	84	-174	4

Defense & Fumbles

Player	G	Solo	Ast	Comb	TFL	Sk	Int	Yds	TD	PD	FR	FF
Dave StrobelDL	12	—	—	—	—	—	1	38	1	—	—	—
Devon MitchellDB	12	—	—	—	—	—	5	110	0	—	—	—
Jay NorvellDB	13	—	—	—	—	—	1	1	0	—	—	—
Keith HunterDB	12	—	—	—	—	—	4	27	0	—	—	—
Ken SimsDB	12	—	—	—	—	—	1	18	0	—	—	—
Mike StoopsDB	12	—	—	—	—	—	2	22	0	—	—	—
Nate Creer*DB	12	—	—	—	—	—	3	31	0	—	—	—
Zane CorbinDB	12	—	—	—	—	—	1	13	0	—	—	—

Kick & Punt Returns

Player	G	Kick Returns				Punt Returns				APYd
		Ret	Yds	Avg	TD	Ret	Yds	Avg	TD
Robert SmithWR	12	4	108	27.0	0	27	179	6.6	0	723
Ronnie HarmonRB	12	11	262	23.8	0	0	0	—	0	1,487
Bill HappelWR	12	0	0	—	0	4	119	29.8	1	647
Kerry BurtWR	12	2	38	19.0	0	0	0	—	0	99
Quinn EarlyWR	12	1	21	21.0	0	0	0	—	0	78
Scott HelversonWR	12	1	13	13.0	0	0	0	—	0	197
Mike StoopsDB	12	0	0	—	0	2	9	4.5	0	31
Eddie PoliteRB	12	1	6	6.0	0	0	0	—	0	9
Kirk BanksOL	12	1	0	0.0	0	0	0	—	0	0

Kicking & Punting

Player	G	XPM	XPA	XP%	FGM	FGA	FG%	Pts	Pnt	Yds	Y/P
Gary KostrubalaP	12	0	0	—	0	0	—	0	52	2,043	39.3
Tom NicholK	12	34	36	94.4	14	20	70.0	76	9	318	35.3

Scoring

Player	G	Rush	Rec	PR	FR	Oth	TD	XPM	XPA	FGM	FGA	Sfty	Pts	Pts/G
Tom NicholK	12	0	0	0	—	—	0	34	36	14	20	—	89	7.4
Ronnie HarmonRB	12	11	1	0	—	—	12	0	0	0	0	—	72	6.0
Jonathan HayesTE	12	0	4	0	—	—	4	0	0	0	0	—	36	3.0
Robert SmithWR	12	0	4	0	—	—	4	0	0	0	0	—	30	2.5
Owen GillRB	12	4	0	0	—	—	4	0	0	0	0	—	24	2.0
Chuck LongQB	12	4	0	0	—	—	4	0	0	0	0	—	24	2.0
Bill HappelWR	12	0	2	1	—	—	3	0	0	0	0	—	24	2.0
Scott HelversonWR	12	0	3	0	—	—	3	0	0	0	0	—	24	2.0
Mike FlaggTE	12	0	1	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	12	1.0
Marshall CottonRB	12	0	1	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5
J.C. Love JordanWR	12	0	1	0	—	—	1	0	0	0	0	—	6	0.5
Fred BushRB	12	0	0	0	—	—	0	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 8	Iowa State	W 59–21	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 15	Penn State	L 17–20	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 22	@ Ohio State	L 26–45	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Sep 29	Illinois	W 21–16	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 6	@ Northwestern	W 31–3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 13	@ Purdue	W 40–3	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 20	Michigan	W 26–0	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Oct 27	@ Indiana	W 24–20	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 3	Wisconsin	T 10–10	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 10	Michigan State	L 16–17	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Nov 17	@ Minnesota	L 17–23	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Dec 1	@ Hawaii	W 17–6	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—
Dec 26	vs Texas Freedom Bowl	W 55–17	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—	—

1984 Roster 30 players

Player	Class	Pos	Season summary
Devon Mitchell	—	DB
Jay Norvell	—	DB
Keith Hunter	—	DB
Ken Sims	—	DB
Mike Stoops	—	DB
Nate Creer*	—	DB
Zane Corbin	—	DB
Dave Strobel	—	DL
Tom Nichol	—	K
Larry Station	—	LB
Kirk Banks	—	OL
Gary Kostrubala	—	P
Chuck Long	—	QB	216 Cmp, 322 Att, 2871 Yds, 22 TD
Mark Vlasic	—	QB	9 Cmp, 21 Att, 164 Yds, 0 TD
Eddie Polite	—	RB	6 Att, 10 Yds, 1.7 Avg
Fred Bush	—	RB	24 Att, 74 Yds, 3.1 Avg
Kevin Harmon	—	RB	14 Att, 66 Yds, 4.7 Avg
Marshall Cotton	—	RB	9 Att, 24 Yds, 2.7 Avg
Owen Gill	—	RB	199 Att, 920 Yds, 4.6 Avg
Rick Bayless	—	RB	27 Att, 140 Yds, 5.2 Avg
Ronnie Harmon	—	RB	190 Att, 907 Yds, 4.8 Avg
Tim Sennott	—	RB	27 Att, 87 Yds, 3.2 Avg
Jonathan Hayes	—	TE	42 Rec, 512 Yds, 12.2 Avg
Mike Flagg	—	TE	11 Rec, 179 Yds, 16.3 Avg
Bill Happel	—	WR	47 Rec, 632 Yds, 13.4 Avg
J.C. Love Jordan	—	WR	13 Rec, 180 Yds, 13.8 Avg
Kerry Burt	—	WR	2 Rec, 61 Yds, 30.5 Avg
Quinn Early	—	WR	4 Rec, 64 Yds, 16.0 Avg
Robert Smith	—	WR	19 Rec, 506 Yds, 26.6 Avg
Scott Helverson	—	WR	18 Rec, 250 Yds, 13.9 Avg

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 Jun 1, 5:30 AM

Football History

Season Snapshot 1984 at a glance

1984 Iowa Football

By the Numbers

Memorable Games

Rankings & Streaks

Season Defining Games ranked wins, overtime battles, and heartbreakers

Beat #19 Texas

Signature Wins

Beat #14 Purdue

Beat Iowa State

Beat Northwestern

Heartbreakers & Tough Tests

Lost by 3 to Penn State

Faced Minnesota

Faced #5 Ohio State

Compare This Team

1984 Schedule 13 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

1984 Roster 30 players

1984 AP Poll Movement

AP Poll

History Library

Greatest Teams

Bowl Games

Rivalries

Best Defenses

Player Leaders

AP Poll History