The Iowa Hawkeyes football team was founded in 1889 to represent the University of Iowa in intercollegiate competition, and it has participated in the sport every season since. Over the course of the team's history, individual Hawkeye players of exceptional ability have received many accolades.

Iowa has had several players inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, College Football Hall of Fame, Canadian Football Hall of Fame, and Iowa Sports Hall of Fame. Individual Hawkeyes have won many prestigious national awards, including the Outland Trophy, the Davey O'Brien Award, the Doak Walker Award, the Jim Thorpe Award, and the Heisman Trophy. 92 Hawkeyes have been named a first-team or second-team All-American, and 28 have been named consensus first-team All-Americans.

The Iowa Hawkeyes have had ten players win the Big Ten Most Valuable Player Award, and 219 Hawks have earned All-Big Ten recognition. Iowa has had 244 NFL draft picks, and several former Hawkeye players have gone on to become NFL head coaches or Division I college head coaches.

The most prestigious of these individual awards is the Heisman Trophy. Nile Kinnick won the award in 1939, and four other Hawkeyes have placed second in the voting. In all, nine Hawkeye players have finished in the top ten in the Heisman Trophy balloting, with Chuck Long doing so twice:^[1]

Two numbers have been retired by the Hawkeye football program, Nile Kinnick's #24 and Cal Jones' #62. Both Kinnick and Jones were consensus first team All-Americans, and both men died in separate plane crashes before their 25th birthday.

Kinnick won the University of Iowa's only Heisman Trophy in 1939 and is the man for whom Kinnick Stadium is named. Jones was the first African-American to win the Outland Trophy and is the only Hawkeye to be named first-team All-American three times.^[7]

Each year, numerous publications and organizations release lists of All-America teams, hypothetical rosters of players considered the best in the nation at their respective positions.^[8] The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) uses officially recognized All-America selectors to determine the consensus selections. Over time, the sources used to determine the consensus selections have varied. Currently, the NCAA uses five "major" selectors to determine consensus All-Americans: the Associated Press (AP), American Football Coaches Association (AFCA), Football Writers Association of America (FWAA), The Sporting News (TSN), and the Walter Camp Football Foundation (WCFF).^[9] Many other publications and organization compile their own "minor" All-America teams in addition to the selectors listed here.

Clyde Williams is often referred to as "Iowa's first All-American". Williams, who led the Hawkeyes to its first Big Ten championship in 1900, was named a third-team All-American by Walter Camp that season. Williams was the first player west of the Mississippi River to garner All-American honors.^[10][11] However, since the following list constitutes only first-team and second-team All-Americans, Williams is not included here.

Iowa has had 77 first-team All-Americans and 33 second-team All-Americans. Of Iowa's 77 first-team All-Americans, 33 were consensus first-team All-American selections (31 individuals as Cal Jones and Larry Station won the award twice), while 15 were unanimous first-team selections.^[12][13] As of 2023, Iowa's 15 unanimous All Americans is tied for 11th most in college football history.

*—Unanimous selection

In 1989, Iowa fans selected an all-time University of Iowa football team during the 100th anniversary celebration of Iowa football. Twelve starters and eight honorable mentions were selected on both offense and defense, along with a Most Valuable Player:^[17]

The following is a list of team and individual NCAA FBS records that are held by the Iowa Hawkeyes.

• Best Perfect Passing Game - Iowa vs. Northwestern, 2002 - 12 for 12 (100 PCT.)
• Most Touchdowns on Fumble Returns - Iowa vs. Minnesota, 1994 - 2 (tied)
• Most Opponent's Field Goals Blocked, One Quarter - Iowa vs. Northern Iowa, 2009 - 2 (tied)
• Most Games Gaining 100 or More Rushing in a Season - Shonn Greene, 2008–13
• Most Consecutive Rushes for a Touchdown in a Game - Aaron Greving, Iowa vs. Kent State 2001 - 3 (tied), (TD's for 14, 1, & 26 yards)
• Highest Average per Punt in a Season (min. 40-49 punts) - Reggie Roby, 1981 - 49.8 (44 for 2,193)
• Most Passes Intercepted by a Linebacker in One Game - Grant Steen, Iowa vs. Indiana 2002 - 3 (tied)
• Players Gaining 1,000 Yards on Punt Returns and 1,000 Yards on Kickoff Returns in a Career - Tim Dwight, 1994-1997 - (1,051 & 1,133)
• Most Touchdowns Scored on Kick Returns in a Game (At Least One Punt Return & One Kickoff Return) - Kahlil Hill, Iowa vs. Western Michigan 1998 - 2 (tied)
• Most Blocked Field Goals in a Game - Kenny Iwebema, Iowa vs. Syracuse 2008 - 2 (tied)
• Passing for a Touchdown and Scoring on a Pass Reception and Punt Return in a Game - Tim Dwight, Iowa vs. Indiana 1997
• Most Field Goals Made, 50 Yards or More in a Game - Tim Douglas, Iowa vs. Illinois 1998 - 3 (tied), (51, 58, & 51 yards)

^[18]

Iowa has had at least one player drafted in every NFL draft since 1978. Through the 2023 NFL draft, Iowa has had 290 draft picks: 276 in the NFL, 21 in the AFL, and seven in the AAFC (the AFL and AAFC both later merged with the NFL). Iowa has had the following 26 first round NFL Draft selections:^[19]

Several former Hawkeye players have later been named NFL head coaches or Division I college head coaches:^[20]

• See also: Iowa Players
• See also: List of Letterwinners

A few notable players not previously mentioned:

This section does not cite any sources. (December 2018)