Iowa Hawkeyes The Iowa Hawkeyes are the athletics teams that represent the University of Iowa in Iowa City , Iowa , United States . The Hawkeyes have varsity team s in 24 sports , 11 for men and 13 for women . The teams participate in Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) and are members of the Big Ten Conference . Currently , the school ' s athletic director is Gary Barta . The term " Hawkeye " originally appeared in the book " The Last of the Mohicans " and was later used in its plural form to describe the people of Iowa . The University of Iowa adopted this as the nickname for its athletic teams . Historically , Iowa has been very successful in wrestling , with 34 team Big Ten championships and 23 team national championships . The Hawkeyes have also won national championships in three other sports : men ' s gymnastics , football and field hockey . In basketball , Iowa has reached the Final Four on four occasions . The men ' s team has done this three times , most recently in 1980 , while the women ' s team has done it once , in 1993 . The baseball team has reached the College World Series once , in 1972 . Iowa ' s softball team has played in the Women ' s College World Series on four occasions , most recently in 2001 . Football home games are played at Kinnick Stadium , while basketball , gymnastics , volleyball , and wrestling events are held at Carver - Hawkeye Arena . The school ' s baseball team plays at Duane Banks Field and the softball team plays at Bob Pearl Softball Field . Varsity sports . The University of Iowa currently fields 24 varsity teams . Participating in the Big Ten and the NCAA ' s Division I , they are : Men ' s sports . Baseball . Iowa began playing baseball in 1890 , when the Hawkeyes went a combined 2 – 1 ( two wins and one loss ) against two teams , Cornell and Vinton . To date , Iowa has won eight Big Ten titles , and has also played in the College World Series once , in 1972 . Iowa earned its way to the CWS at Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha with a 13 - 3 Big Ten record , which is still the best Big Ten winning percentage in Iowa baseball history . That record included another school record that still stands , an 11 - game Big Ten winning streak . It was Iowa ' s first outright Big Ten baseball title since 1939 , and the last one since , although the Hawkeyes did earn ties for the conference championship in 1974 and 1990 . But that 1972 Iowa team fought its way to Omaha the hard way , losing its first game in the regional tournament , then winning doubleheaders on consecutive days on the campus of Bowling Green University in Ohio . Lose one of those four games , and Iowa goes home . In 1972 , only conference champions competed for the eight World Series berths . The Hawkeyes opened the 1972 CWS against # 1 - ranked Arizona State , who entered the game with an incredible record of 60 wins and only 4 losses . But Iowa , a huge underdog , outhit the Sun Devils 8 - 3 only to lose , 2 - 1 . Iowa had the tying run thrown out at the plate in the 9th inning , and left another runner at third as the final out was made . Iowa had also threatened in the 7th with a lead - off double , but could not score . The Hawkeyes then played in the losers ' bracket the next day against Temple . But after taking a 6 - 2 lead into the sixth inning , the Hawkeyes ended up being knocked out of the Series with a 12 - 8 loss . Arizona State lost the championship game that year to Southern Cal , while Temple finished 3rd . The Hawkeyes finished ranked No . 9 in the nation , still the highest national ranking in the history of Iowa Hawkeye baseball . Future Major Leaguer Jim Sundberg , catcher from Galesburg , Ill . , was one of the team leaders . The Hawkeyes featured several Iowans in the starting lineup , including Tom Hurn ( 1B - Cedar Rapids ) , Mike Kielkopf ( 2B - Ottumwa ) , Brad Trickey ( 3B - Cedar Rapids ) , along with the top two starting pitchers , Mark Tschopp ( Cedar Rapids ) and Bill Heckroth ( Dysart ) . Basketball . Men ' s basketball as a varsity sport at the University of Iowa began in 1902 , but it was on January 18 , 1896 , that Iowa played the University of Chicago in the first five - on - five college basketball game . The Maroons won that game , 15 – 12 . Six years later , men ' s basketball became a sanctioned varsity sport under head coach Ed Rule . Rule coached the Hawkeyes in four non - consecutive seasons until 1908 , compiling a 37 – 15 record . Iowa began competing in Big Ten games in 1909 , and since then the Hawkeyes have won eight regular season Big Ten championships , the last in 1979 . Iowa ' s first Big Ten title came in 1923 , under coach Sam Barry . Barry also led the Hawkeyes to their second conference championship in 1926 . Following Rollie Williams ' 13 seasons , which lasted until 1942 , Pops Harrison became coach . Harrison coached at Iowa until 1951 , leading the Hawkeyes to their first unshared Big Ten championship in 1945 . Perhaps the most - successful time period in Iowa basketball came under head coach Bucky O ' Connor , who coached at Iowa until his death in 1958 . Under O ' Connor , the Hawkeyes played in two Final Four events , while winning two unshared Big Ten championships . Iowa played in the national championship game against San Francisco in 1956 , but lost by 12 after taking an early double - digit lead . The Hawkeyes played in a third Final Four in 1980 , and have also won the Big Ten Tournament twice since its 1998 inception , in 2001 and 2006 . Iowa ' s current coach is Fran McCaffery , who coached at Siena College before coming to Iowa in 2010 . The Hawkeyes have played their home games in Carver - Hawkeye Arena since 1983 ; the arena can currently hold up to 15 , 500 people . Cross country . The Hawkeyes ' men ' s cross country team won team Big Ten titles in 1961 and 1966 and have also had nine individual Big Ten champions , most recently with Larry Wieczorek in 1967 . Wieczorek ' s time in the 8 , 000 meter race still stands as the sixth - quickest time in school history . To date , Deacon Jones is Iowa ' s lone national champion , having won the award in 1957 . Both Jones and Wieczorek were all - Americans for the Hawkeyes , along with Kevin Herd , Stetson Steele , and Ted Wheeler . Football . Football at the University of Iowa dates back as far as November 27 , 1872 , when the Iowa Academics played a game against the University of Iowa College of Law . However , football was not officially recognized as a varsity sport until November 16 , 1889 , when the Hawkeyes played against and lost to Grinnell . The next year , Iowa got its first win against Iowa Wesleyan , and since then , the Hawkeyes have won 11 Big Ten championships and have played in 25 post - season bowl games . The Hawkeyes are 14 – 10 – 1 in such games , having most recently won against Missouri Tigers , 27 - 24 , in the 2010 Insight Bowl played December 28 , 2010 . Iowa won the 2010 Orange Bowl vs Georgia Tech 24 - 14 . The Orange Bowl is a BCS bowl game . Iowa ' s first bowl game was the 1957 Rose Bowl , which ended in a 35 – 19 win over Oregon State . The Hawkeyes ' lone claim to a national championship came after winning the Rose Bowl following the 1958 season , when they were awarded the Grantland Rice trophy by the Football Writers Association of America . Currently , the Hawkeyes ' coach is Kirk Ferentz . In eleven seasons under Ferentz , the Hawkeyes have won a BCS bowl , two Big Ten titles and have played in eight bowl games . Preceded by Hayden Fry , Ferentz has the second - longest head coaching tenure in Iowa football history . Fry , who coached the Hawkeyes for 20 seasons , had 143 wins and 14 bowl trips in his tenure at Iowa . Fry also led the Hawkeyes to eight - straight bowl games from 1981 – 1988 , the longest such streak in Iowa football history . Fry was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003 . Since 1929 , the Hawkeyes have played their home games in Kinnick Stadium . Renamed in 1972 in honor of Iowa ' s lone Heisman Trophy winner , Nile Kinnick , the stadium can currently hold up to 70 , 585 fans . Kinnick won the Heisman Award following the conclusion of the 1939 season , but died on June 2 , 1943 , in the Gulf of Paria during a World War II training flight . His face can still be seen today , on the coins that officials toss at the beginning of some Big Ten games . Golf . Since Iowa began competing in men ' s golf , the Hawkeyes have won the Big Ten team title once , in 1992 . Brad Klapprott won an individual Big Ten championship that year , becoming only the second Iowa men ' s golfer to do so . He was preceded only by John Jacobs , who achieved the individual conference championship in 1946 . Sean McCarty also added to the 1992 team ' s accolades in winning the Big Ten Freshman of the Year award . In 1995 , McCarty became Iowa ' s first and only men ' s golf all - American . Gymnastics . Iowa ' s men ' s gymnastics team is credited with winning the first national championship in school history . This , in turn , allowed the University of Iowa to become the last Big Ten school to have won a national championship in any sport . The Hawkeyes have also won seven Big Ten team titles , the last coming in 1998 . On the individual level , 12 Hawkeyes have won national championships . Michael Reavis is Iowa ' s most - recent national champion , having won on vault in 2005 . Swimming . Men ' s swimming became a sanctioned varsity sport at the University of Iowa in 1917 , with David Armbruster as the team ' s coach . Coaching from 1917 – 1958 , Armbruster led the Hawkeyes to one Big Ten championship , in 1936 . He was followed by Robert Allen , who coached the Hawkeyes until 1975 . Under Allen , Iowa ' s best finish in the Big Ten was fifth , on two occasions . Glenn Patton was next in the line of coaches , and during his tenure , the Hawkeyes won two Big Ten championships and finished as high as eighth on the national level . Currently , Marc Long is Iowa ' s men ' s and women ' s swimming coach . On 19 occasions has a men ' s swimmer at Iowa won an individual national championship . Ray Walters was the Hawkeyes ' first national champion , having won the 50 meter freestyle in 1936 . Nine of Iowa ' s national championships in men ' s swimming , however , are credited to Artur Wojdat , who competed at the collegiate level from 1989 – 1992 . Wojdat was an 18 - time all - American , a 10 - time Big Ten champion , and a four - time national champion in the 500 yard freestyle event . Wojdat also won the bronze medal in the 400 meter freestyle at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul , South Korea . Receiving NCAA Swimmer of the Year in 2010 & 2011 while on the University of Florida swim team , Olympian Conor Dwyer swam with the Hawkeyes swim team on scholarship for his first two collegiate seasons : the Hawkeyes were the only university to offer Dwyer a scholarship after high school . Tennis . Men ' s tennis became a varsity sport at Iowa in 1939 , and from that time to the present , the Hawkeyes have won the Big Ten championship once , in 1958 . That year , the Hawkeyes recorded a 10 – 1 team record and finished third at the national level . In 1998 , Tyler Cleveland won the Big Ten Freshman of the Year Award . He later won the Big Ten Player of the Year Award twice , in 2000 and 2001 . Cleveland and 14 other men ' s tennis players have named to an all - Big Ten team ; Stuart Waters is the most - recent player to have accomplished this , doing so in 2002 and 2003 . Track . In indoor track , the Hawkeyes have won three team Big Ten titles , the last coming in 1963 . On the individual level , Iowa has had 64 Big Ten championships . Nine - time Big Ten champion Bashir Yamini won three of his Big Ten titles in indoor competitions . Named the 1996 Big Ten Indoor Freshman of the Year , Yamini won the indoor long jump every year from 1997 through 1999 . 10 Iowa relay s have also been named Big Ten champions , most - recently in 1989 . In outdoor track competition , Iowa has won team Big Ten titles in 1963 , 1967 , and 2011 , ending a 44 - year drought . Iowa jumped Minnesota on the last day of the tournament by placing ahead of the Golden Gophers in the 4x400 - the last event of the tournament . Since 1902 , the Hawkeyes have had 92 separate individual Big Ten championships . Yamini currently shares the Big Ten Outdoor Championships long jump record with Ohio State ' s Jesse Owens . Former Iowa football player Tim Dwight also competed in track . Dwight won the 100 meter Big Ten championship in 1999 with a time of 10 . 51 seconds . Wrestling . Wrestling at the University of Iowa began with the 1910 – 1911 season . Under coach E . G . Schroeder , the Hawkeyes wrestled and lost to one opponent that season : Nebraska . The next year , Iowa got its first dual win , over Iowa State . Soon later , in 1914 , Oscar Hobbet became the Hawkeyes ' first individual Big Ten champion . Iowa ' s first all - American and national champion came in the 1927 – 1928 season , with Leslie Beers achieving these honors . Beers wrestled at the 158 - pound weight class . Iowa ' s first Big Ten championship came in 1958 , a year in which the Hawkeyes also had 10 dual wins for the first time . However , Iowa would not win another Big Ten title until 1974 , under head coach Gary Kurdelmeier . Kurdelmeier led the Hawkeyes to their first national championship in 1975 and their second in 1976 . Iowa lost only one dual match in those two seasons . Following the 1976 national championship , Dan Gable took over as coach . The Hawkeyes finished third on the national level in Gable ' s first year , but with another national championship in 1978 , Iowa began a streak that , at that time , was only matched by Yale ' s golf team and Southern California ' s track team . From 1978 through 1986 , Iowa won nine consecutive national championships , a record which equals what Yale ' s golf team did from 1905 – 1913 and what Southern California ' s track team did from 1935 through 1943 . In his career at Iowa , which lasted until 1997 , Gable led the Hawkeyes to 15 national titles and 21 consecutive Big Ten championships . Gable ' s 355 dual wins at Iowa make him the university ' s all - time winningest wrestling coach . Gable was replaced as coach by Jim Zalesky . Under Zalesky , the Hawkeyes won three straight national titles from 1998 – 2000 and placed ten individual national champions . However , Zalesky was fired following the 2005 – 2006 season , as the Hawkeyes began to fade on the national level . He was replaced by Tom Brands , who in 2008 led Iowa to its first team national title since 2000 . Brent Metcalf and Mark Perry won individual national championships in 2008 , with Perry becoming Iowa ' s 17th four - time all - American . Brands ' Hawkeyes also won team NCAA championships in 2009 and 2010 . Women ' s sports . Basketball . Women ' s basketball at the University of Iowa began in 1974 , under head coach Lark Birdsong . The Hawkeyes finished 5 – 16 that season , getting their first win over Big Ten rival , Minnesota . Birdsong would continue to coach Iowa until the 1978 – 1979 season , the first winning season in Iowa women ' s basketball history . Judy McMullen replaced Birdsong , and after coaching at Iowa for four seasons , McMullen was replaced by C . Vivian Stringer in 1983 . Prior to her tenure at Iowa , Stringer coached at Cheyney University , and took the school to new heights when she led the Wolves to the national championship game in 1982 . Beginning with the 1983 – 1984 season , Stringer coached at Iowa for 12 seasons . In that time , the Hawkeyes won six Big Ten championships , played in nine NCAA Tournaments , and reached the Final Four in 1993 . Unprecedented attention was shown to the Hawkeyes under Stringer , as evidenced by the record - setting 22 , 157 fans that watched Iowa play Ohio State on February 3 , 1985 , in Carver - Hawkeye Arena . Stringer , however , left Iowa to coach at Rutgers in 1995 , following the death of her husband , Bill . Angie Lee replaced Stringer , and led the Hawkeyes to a Big Ten championship in her first season . Under Lee , Iowa won another Big Ten title in 1998 , but success began to wane soon thereafter . Lee ' s successor as head coach was Lisa Bluder , who remains as Iowa ' s current women ' s basketball coach . Under Bluder , the Hawkeyes have won one regular season Big Ten championship and two Big Ten Tournament championships . The 2008 – 2009 season will be her ninth season as head coach . Rowing . Women ' s Rowing became a varsity sport at the University of Iowa in 1994 at which time Mandi Kowal was hired as head coach . In 1997 and 1998 the Hawkeye ' s Varsity 4 ( V4 + ) was invited to the NCAA Championships ; 1997 marked the first ever NCAA rowing championships . The Hawkeyes made a whole team appearance at Nationals in 2001 . With the combined novice and varsity teams , the Hawkeyes typically have 70 - 80 rowing athletes , making it the second largest team on campus , second only to football . The fall of 2009 brought the completion of a new state - of - the - art boathouse . Prior to that time the rowing Hawkeyes had no permanent home , but instead their boats were housed in an excess area of the Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratories . The new P . Sue Beckwith , M . D . Boathouse is named after the benefactor , a former University of Iowa basketball letterwinner , who gave the seed money that made the boathouse possible . The boathouse is and designed to withstand flooding . The building has workout facilities , team locker rooms , boat bays , indoor rowing tanks , and meeting spaces . Notable non varsity sports . Rugby . The University of Iowa Rugby Football Club plays in Division 1 in the Big Ten Universities conference . Iowa rugby has had some success in recent years , finishing third at the 2011 Big Ten 7s tournament , and coming close to achieving a Top 25 ranking in 2011 . Iowa plays its matches at the University of Iowa Cricket and Rugby Fields on Hawkeye Park Road . Iowa are led by head coach Jim Lloyd . Pageantry . The University of Iowa borrowed its nickname from the state of Iowa years ago . The term " Hawkeye " originally appeared in the novel , " The Last of the Mohicans " , written by James Fenimore Cooper . In the book , a character named Natty Bumppo is given the word " Hawkeye " as a nickname from the Delaware Indians . Twelve years following the publishing of the book , the nickname was also given to people in the territory of Iowa ( the state is now known as the Hawkeye State ) . Two men , Judge David Rorer and James G . Edwards , sought out to popularize the nickname , and were rewarded when territorial officials gave their approval . The nickname gained a palpable symbol in 1948 when a cartoon character was created . Later named Herky , it was created by Richard Spencer III . The mascot was instantly popular among fans and gained its name through a statewide contest . A man named John Franklin suggested the Herky name . Since the mid - 1950s , Herky has been a fixture at Iowa football games and has played a prominent role in all Iowa athletic events . Iowa ' s primary school colors are black and old gold . The school ' s fight song s are " On Iowa ! , " the " Iowa Fight Song , " and " Roll Along Iowa . " A fourth song , the " Hawkeye Victory Polka , " commonly referred to as " The Beer Song " or " In Heaven There is No Beer , " is played specifically following Iowa football and basketball victories . The school ' s alma mater is " Alma Mater , Iowa . " Athletic directors . Iowa has had 12 athletic directors in its history . They are :