Iowa football's top five NFL players of all time

Iowa football’s top five NFL players of all time

Posted by Admin July 23, 2024 Football

Year after year, Iowa football has produced quality NFL players capable of altering a franchise. Although not all of those former Hawkeyes entered the league with overwhelming hype, many delivered exceptional careers worth remembering.

Tight ends and offensive linemen have been Iowa’s NFL specialties, with several strong defensive backs, linebackers and defensive linemen splattered throughout. Each one of them have worn and black and gold with pride along the way.

With that, here are the top five former Hawkeyes in NFL history. This list factors in individual and team accomplishments, awards accumulated and longevity in the league.

Alex Karras (DT, 1958-70)

After two all-Big Ten selections and consensus all-American status at Iowa in 1956, Karras went 10th overall to the Detroit Lions in the 1958 NFL Draft. The awards quickly piled up from there.

Four Pro Bowls (1960-62), three first-team All-Pro selections (1960-61, 1965) and six second-team All-Pro selections (1962, 1964, 1966-69) arrived over Karras’ 161-game career.

He was named to the NFL 1960s all-decade team and has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame (1991) and the Pro Football Hall of Fame (2020) as a Centennial Member. Karras unofficially finished his NFL career with 100 sacks (the stat didn’t become official until 1982), despite missing the entire 1963 season for violating the league’s gambling policy.

Andre Tippett, (LB, 1982-93)

Tippett racked up consensus all-American honors while leading the Hawkeyes defense in 1981, resulting in a second-round selection in the 1982 NFL Draft (41st overall).

From there, Tippett spent the next decade-plus with the New England Patriots — the only NFL jersey he ever wore. Tippett was named to five Pro Bowls (1984-88) twice named a first-team All-Pro selection (1985, 1987) and earned two second-team All-Pro selections (1986, 1988).

Tippett’s best pro season was in 1985, when he was named the NFL co-defensive player of the year while piling up 16.5 sacks in 16 games. Tippett is a member of the 2008 NFL Hall of Fame class and the 2021 College Football Hall of Fame class.

Paul Krause (S, 1964-79)

Krause did it all at Iowa, starring as a two-way weapon at wide receiver, running back and defensive back. The latter was Krause’s ticket to NFL stardom.

After the Washington Redskins selected him in the second round of the 1964 NFL Draft at No. 18 overall, Krause quickly became one of the league’s best defensive players. He led the league in interceptions as a rookie and was named to the first of his three first-team all-Pro selections.

Suprinigsly, though, Krause was traded to the Minnesota Vikings ahead of the 1968 season. He didn’t miss a beat. Six of Krause’s eight Pro Bowl selections came in Minnesota (1969, 1971-75), as did three second-team All-Pro selections. Krause finished as the NFL’s career leader in interceptions (81) and the league in 1975 with 201 interception-return yards.

Krause was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1998.

Emlen Tunnell, (S, 1948-61)

Following World War II, Tunnell played the 1947 and 1948 seasons with the Hawkeyes. He led the team in total offensive yards his first season and set a single-game school record for receiving yards his second season.

Tunnell went undrafted but signed with the New York Giants in 1948 before taking off. He was a first-team All-Pro selection six times (1949, 1951-52, 1954-56) and was named to nine Pro Bowls (1950-57, 1959) as a safety and return specialist. Tunnell was ultimately selected for the NFL’s 1950s all-decade team, as well as the league’s 50th anniversary and 100th anniversary squads.

After finishing his career with the Green Bay Packers (1959-61), Tunnell retired with 79 interceptions, 2,209 punt-return yards and 1,215 kickoff-return yards over 14 seasons. Tunnell was selected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1967.

Marshall Yanda (G, 2007-2019)

The epitome of Iowa’s O-line success, Yanda delivered a memorable career after earning second-team all-Big Ten honors in 2006. The Baltimore Ravens drafted him in the third round of the 2007 NFL Draft (86th overall), and he never looked back.

Yanda was a two-time first-team All-Pro selection (2014-15), a five-time second-team All-Pro selection (2011-12, 2016, 2018-19) and was named to eight Pro Bowls (2011-16, 2018-19). He played his entire career in Baltimore and won a Super Bowl with the Ravens in 2012.

After retiring, Yanda was named the NFL’s 2010s all-decade team and is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame starting in 2025.

Dargan Southard is a sports trending reporter and covers Iowa athletics for the Des Moines Register and HawkCentral.com. Email him at msouthard@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Dargan_Southard.