The 1988 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa (UI, U of I, UIowa, or simply Iowa) is a public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized into 12 col ...
in the
1988 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1988 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Notre Dame winning the national championship. The Fighting Irish won the title via a 34–21 defeat of previously unbeaten West Virginia in the Fiesta Bowl in Tempe, Arizona. With 4 of the f ...
. The Hawkeyes played their home games at
Kinnick Stadium and were led by legendary coach
Hayden Fry
John Hayden Fry (February 28, 1929 – December 17, 2019) was an American college football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Southern Methodist University (SMU) from 1962 to 1972, North Texas State University—now known ...
. The 1988 season marked the 100th season of Iowa Hawkeyes football.
Schedule
Roster
Game summaries
Hawaii
After surrendering a 23-yard field goal by freshman
Jason Elam
Jason Elam (born March 8, 1970) is a former American football placekicker. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1993 NFL Draft and played 15 seasons with the Broncos and two with the Atlanta Falcons.
A three-time Pro Bo ...
with 1:36 left in the game, Iowa quickly drove to the Hawaii 20-yard line with 48 seconds remaining. A false start penalty pushed the Hawkeyes back five yards, then a devastating holding penalty wiped out a potential go-ahead touchdown from
Chuck Hartlieb to Travis Watkins with 40 seconds left. After converting from the same distance midway through the 4th quarter, freshman kicker Jeff Skillett left a 44-yard field goal attempt short that would have tied the game with 17 seconds on the clock.
Kansas State
The Hawkeyes' 35-point victory extended the Wildcats' winless streak to 18 consecutive games. Iowa Offensive coordinator
Bill Snyder
William D. Snyder (born October 7, 1939) is a retired college football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at Kansas State University from 1989 to 2005 and again from 2009 to 2018. Snyder initially retired from the p ...
was hired as Head coach at Kansas State following the regular season.
Colorado
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Box Score and Game Story
Colorado coach
Bill McCartney
William Paul McCartney (born August 22, 1940) is a former American football player and coach and the founder of the Promise Keepers men's ministry. He was the head coach at the University of Colorado Boulder for thirteen seasons (1982–1994), ...
indicated this win over the Hawkeyes was a major win for the Colorado football program. The Buffaloes finished the 1988 season with an 8-4 record before consecutive 11-win seasons in
1989
File:1989 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Cypress structure collapses as a result of the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake, killing motorists below; The proposal document for the World Wide Web is submitted; The Exxon Valdez oil tanker runs ...
and
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of humanity on Earth, astrophysicist ...
, the latter capped by an AP National Championship.
Iowa State
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Box Score and Game Story
The win over the Cyclones was the Hawkeyes sixth consecutive over their in-state rivals.
Michigan State
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Box Score and Game Story
Wisconsin
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Box Score and Game Story
Michigan
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Box Score and Game Story
A 17-17 tie at Kinnick Stadium was the lone blemish on an otherwise perfect Big Ten season for the Wolverines. After opening the season with consecutive losses, 19-17 at eventual National Champion
Notre Dame and 31-30 at home to the team that finished #2 in the final polls,
Miami
Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at ...
(a game Michigan led 30-14 in the 4th quarter), Michigan went 9-0-1 the rest of the season including a Rose Bowl victory to finish with a #4 ranking.
Purdue
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Box Score and Game Story
Indiana
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Box Score and Game Story
Though Iowa finished only 4th in the final Big Ten standings, this was their lone conference loss. Chuck Hartlieb set the Iowa single game passing record with 558 yards through the air. Wide receiver Deven Harberts had 11 receptions for 233 yards and a touchdown.
Northwestern
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Box Score and Game Story
Ohio State
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Box Score and Game Story
Minnesota
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Box Score and Game Story
Vs. NC State (Peach Bowl)