To start, we have Dick Barker. (1919)

Born January 6, 1897, our first All-American was also a standout wrestler in his time at for Iowa State. He was an All-Missouri Valley guard in both 1917 and 1919, and 1919 would also be his All-American season.

He would be the second Cyclone to play in the NFL. George Halas himself sent a telegram asking the jobless, penniless Barker to play for him.

The first Cyclone to play in the NFL (then APFA) was offensive/defensive tackle Lew Reeve (Reeve played for the Cyclones from 1911-1914) out of Hampton, Iowa who played three games and starting two with the Chicago Tigers. The Chicago Tigers are known as the first NFL team to fold, playing only in the 1920 season. They are also known as being the first NFL team to play at Wrigley Field.)

Anyways, in the APFA, Barker according to his son played in the first Green Bay-Chicago game. According to a period newspaper, however, Barker was released before the game to play for the Rock Island Independents. In 1922, Barker due to his feeling that "felt there was no career in playing pro football," became the football and wrestling coach at Cornell College in Mount Vernon. After that stint at Cornell, he went off to start the varsity wrestling program at the University of Michigan.

At Michigan, unfortunately, he went 1-13 in his two seasons.

His first season was tremendously unlucky with the following events happening: heavyweight champion and end on the football team dying of pneumonia, a runner-up at the 1924 Olympic Trials getting severely injured in a car crash, and three athletes becoming ineligible, it did not bode well for Barker.

After Barker, a coach by the name of Cliff Keen took over. Not much is known about Barker until he died in a car crash himself in 1964 at the age of 67. Posthumously inducted in the College Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1991, and the Iowa State Hall of Fame in 2002.

World War I Note: Dick Barker was stationed at Camp Grant which was located on the south side of Rockford, Illinois.

Leigh "Polly" Wallace. All-American center in 1920.

He, along with Dick Barker, hitchhiked from Oklahoma City to Ames in 1916. To make money while at Iowa State College, he sold candy from a concession stand to fraternities, sold programs at athletic events, odd jobs like that. In addition to center, he was also a "pioneer linebacker." Additionally, he was an undefeated wrestler.

He graduated in 1922 with a degree in animal husbandry, which was the same major Jack Trice had. Wallace also coached wrestling, football, and was an athletic director at Cornell College in 1924-1927 and also later in the 1940s.(?) In 1926, he was third team All-American at the University of Oklahoma. He also coached wrestling at Oklahoma from 1925-1927, going 9-7 in meets. (I'm not sure how he coached at both Oklahoma and Cornell, but it's what I found.)

After coaching, he became a sporting goods salesman. By 1937, he moved to Great Falls, Montana where he opened the Wallace Lumber Yard in 1947 which stayed open until 1960. In 1962, he was elected county treasurer of Cascade County. He retired in 1966. He passed away in February 1972 in a car-pedestrian accident. Cyclone Hall of Fame inductee in 2000.

Fred "The Kicking Fool" Poole. All-American punter in 1934.

Poole also played defense. Against Iowa in 1934, he went 5/5 on PATs and averaged 54.4 yards per punt in the 31-6 win over the Hawkeyes. In 1935-1936, he was a halfback. Poole also was a center on the basketball team, and did hurdles for the track team.

Ike Hayes. All-American left guard in 1935.

Brother of legendary coach Woody Hayes, Ike was All-Big 6 in 1934 and 1935. He was only 5'6" tall and weighing 156 pounds, which is impressive for a collegiate lineman. At Iowa State, he was heavily involved with the veterinary medicine program. His brother once said, "The most colorful person I have ever known was my brother Ike. He had three loves in this world – horses, football and family." After graduating, not only did he move to Waterloo, he also volunteered for military duty five months before Pearl Harbor. He served as a captain in the a cavalry division and with in charge of 1,500 horses in a base located in New Guinea. He attended the 1955 Rose Bowl to see Woody coach his Buckeyes to a 20-7 win over the USC Trojans. Unfortunately, however, just 24 days later, Ike woke up complained he wasn’t feeling well. He suffered a massive heart attack and passed at the age of 43.

Everett "Rabbit" Kischer. All-American quarterback in 1938.

In the 1937 game at Northwestern he set a school record with 4 interceptions (seen below) that stayed a record for 34 years until Barry Hill tied it. On December 9, 1938, Kischer was drafted 196th overall (200 picks in the draft) in the 22nd round by the Chicago Bears.

He, along with next on our list Ed Bock, participated in the series of eight College All-Star games that went from August 22-September 15, 1939. Kischer participated in the sixth edition in the game that was played in St. Louis against the St. Louis Gunners who were part of the Midwest Football League. The All-Stars beat the Gunners 21-13, partial thanks can be given to Kischer (No. 25) who had returned an interception for a touchdown on a hot night in St. Louis.

In regards to the heat, The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that "spectators in shirt-sleeves perspired through the long, drawn-out evening of too many penalties and wondered how those players could endure out there on that steaming gridiron, garbed as they were in the heavy accoutrements of football battle." "The crowd of 8,212 spectators saw the All-Stars embarrass the Gunners 21-13."

In November 1939, Kischer joined the Des Moines Comets, a local pro team that played their games on the fields of Dowling High School and Valley High School. One game in particular was against the Peoria Wildcats who were heavily favored. The Comets won 34-6, thanks to two touchdowns scored by Kischer. At halftime of the Peoria game, two squads of six girls a side (none over sixteen) took part in a scrimmage. The final ended up being 6-6 for that intermission entertainment.

During World War II, Kischer was a B-29 flight engineer and served in the Air Force. Additionally, instead of playing for the Bears who drafted him, he decided to work for General Electric in Lynn, Massachusetts where he stayed for over 40 years and he would retire in 1985. In 2001, he would be inducted in the Cyclone Hall of Fame. On February 26, 2011, at the age of 90, Rabbit’s heart hopped for the last time, and he died in Brewster, Massachusetts.

Ed Bock. All-American left guard in 1938.

By many accounts, he is the greatest offensive lineman in Iowa State history. Along with Kischer in the 1938 were on one of the greatest Iowa State teams in history, going 7-1-1 and almost making the Orange Bowl. Following the 1938 season, Bock became the first consensus first team All-American in school history.

Along with Kischer, Ed played in the series of College All-Stars games. His best game came against the 1938 NFL Champion New York Giants in a game played at Soldier Field. The All-Stars would lose 0-9. Bock was named best defensive lineman after his performance. A badly sprained ankle meant his removal in the second quarter. Bock wore his usual number 38 for this game.

He was drafted by the Chicago Bears (13th round/116th overall), in the 1939 NFL Draft. He also was offered an assistant coach job at Iowa State, but the engineer turned both down and in 1941 he started work at Monsanto where he would stay for 31 years, eventually being on the board of directors in 1965 and President and CEO by 1968. In 1970, Bock became the first Cyclone to be admitted by the National Football Foundation to the College Football Hall of Fame.

Ed was a tough player, often losing his teeth in play. In a 1936 game against Nebraska, Bock lost his three front teeth so he made some out of paraffin. (Iowa State was reluctant to buy him false teeth) Another situation involving Bock was in a game against Kansas State.

"A back ran over me for a sizeable gain and as the play ended I looked up at one of the officials and spit out those three wax impressions. He whistled a penalty on Kansas State - 15 yards for unnecessary roughness."

Kischer and others would tease that "he spent more time looking for his teeth than he did in the huddle." Kischer on memory of Bock said that "Ed was one of those guys that never gave up. That, more than anything else, made him the success that he was. That’s what we’ll all remember most."

"You learn to realize, through football and other games, that you are dependent on the other fellow, but yet you are given the chance for individual opportunity and recognition, which are also important in business," Bock stated "Athletics are invaluable as preparation for a business career."

Ed Bock passed away at the age of 87 on July 31, 2004.

Jack "Speedy" Fathauer. All-American offensive guard in 1944.



Arguably the best #31 in Iowa State (football) history, Fathauer was a crucial part of a 6-1-1 team made up of mostly V-12 engineering students. The only loss on the season was a controversial 7-12 loss to Oklahoma. I truthfully don’t know anything else about Fathauer, except that his wife passed in 1975. Here are some game action images to makeup for my lack of information.

Jim Doran. All-American wide receiver in 1950.

Doran didn't play high school football due to only 11 boys in the entire school, and 4 in his class. Doran started his football career for Buena Vista College's "B" Team in 1947. In 1949, he was All-Big Seven, and in 1950, he was All-American. In a 1949 game against Oklahoma, he caught eight passes for 203 yards. He finished his Cyclone career with 1410 yards on 79 receptions. Doran was selected 55th overall (5th round) in the 1951 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions.

In 1952, Doran was selected as MVP of the NFL Champion Lions squad. He was also nicknamed "Graham Cracker" due to his 'ferocious' rushes against Otto Graham in all the Cleveland-Detroit games. In the 1953 NFL Championship game, he had a 33 yard touchdown catch that ultimately led to the Lions to the 17-16 win over the Cleveland Browns. Following the end of the 1959 season, the Lions left him off the list of players exempt from the 1960 NFL Expansion Draft.

Ultimately, the Dallas Cowboys ended up getting him.

Doran was the first person to score a regular season touchdown in Cowboys history and was the first Pro Bowl member for the Cowboys. He finished his 11 season NFL career with 3667 yards on 212 receptions, as well as averaging 17.3 yards per reception.

In 1964 and 1965, he was an assistant coach with the Pittsburgh Steelers. He is a member of ISU's first Hall of Fame Class (1997).

Dwight Nichols. All-American tailback in 1959. Finished 8th in Heisman Trophy balloting in 1959.

Nichols had his first of many battles as a Korean War veteran, he was brought to Ames in 1956 with a "prove yourself scholarship". He recalled coaches saying "we’ve heard some good (stuff) about you. Your credentials are good. But what can you do now?"

He first made waves in a 7-7 tie against Syracuse in 1957. According to a Des Moines Register article, vendors before the game were selling black and gold memorabilia. Local folk thought the Hawkeyes were coming. "It was unbelievable," Nichols recollected "they knew the hell who we were then."

Dwight Nichols (on right) and Coach Clay Stapleton in April 1958



By 1958, he was the Big 7 Conference’s most valuable player. Also in 1958, he was the 3rd leading rusher in the nation.

By 1959, he was captain of the famed "Dirty Thirty" Team.

He was again the 3rd leading rusher in 1959.

He is also Iowa State’s first 2,000 yard career rusher, totaling 2,232 yards.

He played in the Hula Bowl, the Blue-Gray Bowl, and the Optimist Bowl.

Dwight Nichols was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the first ever AFL Draft (1960) who offered him $8,000 a year with a $1,000 signing bonus. He declined due to the weather in upstate New York's winters being worse than Iowa's winters. He then started working at an insurance company. Dwight Nichols was inducted in the Iowa State Hall of Fame in 2009. Also in 2009 he passed away in Dallas at the age of 74.

Tom Watkins. All-American fullback in 1960.

Rushed for 1,605 yards over three years as a Cyclone. Watkins was a two time All-Big Eight Conference. In 1959, he finished second in the nation for rushing. He appeared in the East-West Shrine Game, the Hula Bowl and the Lions’ Club All-American Bowl after the 1960 season. Drafted 177th overall in the 1960 NFL Draft by the Cleveland Browns.

He played for the Lions from 1962-1967. In a 1963 game against the 49ers, Watkins returned a punt 90 yards for a touchdown. A Lions record that stood until 2000. He also led the NFL in punt return average in 1963 and 1964.

He then went to the Steelers for the 1968 season, as seen below, Watkins makes a rush against the Bengals in a preseason game at Mountaineer Stadium in Morgantown.

He finished his NFL career with 1,791 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns.

After finishing his playing career, he became the head coach of Detroit Chadsey High School's football team. He retired after 35 years as head coach in 2006. In 2002, he was inducted in ISU’s Hall of Fame. He passed away 21 days before Iowa State knocked off #2 Oklahoma State in 2011.

Dave Hoppmann. All-America tailback in 1961 and 1962.

Dave Hoppmann is fourth from left.

Iowa State’s first two time All-American.

He also was All-Big Eight those two years. Hoppmann led the nation in total offense with 1,638 yards during the 1961 season. Dave as well played in: the Blue-Gray Bowl, the Senior Bowl and the All-American Game.

He was MVP of the Blue-Gray Bowl and scored a touchdown in the All-American bowl.

He was drafted by the New York Giants, but after a year and a bad wrist, he played in the Canadian Professional Football League from 1962-67.

Dave Hoppmann moved to Winter Park, Florida after playing(hometown of former ISU quarterback Sam Richardson) where he sold water meters all over Florida. In November 1975, he was going to Fort Lauderdale (about 186 miles away). He noticed a school bus parked on the side of the road and as he swerved to miss it, he was hit from behind by a semi-trailer truck. He was 35.

Iowa State Hall of Fame Class of 2001.

Tom Vaughn. All-American fullback in 1963.

Vaughn led the team in rushing in 1963 and 1964, while also leading the team in interceptions as a defensive back his senior year. "I loved Iowa State," Vaughn said. "Coming from Ohio I needed to simmer down. But at Iowa State it was seven guys to every one girl. I told Coach Stapleton to go out and recruit some girls when I arrived."

He like myself, had interesting experiences in speech class, below is one such experience for Tom:



"I had a professor who would pick on Tommy Vaughn every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday," Vaughn said. "I remember her assigning impromptu speeches and the first topic was blue. I ducked down knowing she was going to call on me. Six people got up there and talked about blue for three minutes before I thought to myself 'Blues, BB King, Righteous Brothers' and sat up tall just begging her to call on me. Next thing I know, she was saying 'Now we are switching the word to mukluk and Mr. Vaughn you are first.' I got out of the chair walked up and got my three minutes in and I said, 'We had a 1-8-1 record in 1964 and it was due to mukluk.' I walked off the stage. It wasn't funny because nobody knows what a mukluk is (soft boot made of reindeer skin). But she taught me how to be confident that day."

He was selected to the Hula Bowl which took place in January 1965 unfortunately, South beat the North 16-14.

The Detroit Lions drafted him and changed his number from 10 to 48 in 1965.

He finished his NFL career with 9 interceptions and 9 fumbles recovered.

In 1975, Vaughn returned as a running backs coach with Earle Bruce. He left after the 1977 Peach Bowl and became a high school teacher in Phoenix.

2005 Cyclone Hall of Fame inductee.

John Van Sicklen. All-American offensive tackle in 1964.

While yes, he made All-America as an offensive tackle, he played tackle on offense and defense. In a 1964 loss (7-14) against Nebraska, Van Sicklen made 11 individual tackles and assisted on six more. Coach Clay Stapleton offered high praise of him, "I wouldn't swap Van Sicklen for any tackle in the Big Eight, including 250-pound Ralph Neeley of Oklahoma." Also in 1964 he made All-Big Eight. In the postseason, he was invited to play in the Blue-Gray Bowl and the Senior Bowl.

Iowa State Hall of Fame Class of 2014.

Eppie Barney. All-American receiver in 1966.

He was clocked in the 100-yard dash at 9.8 seconds and high jumped 6-4 as a freshman on the track & field team. In 1966, Tim Van Galder and Barney teamed up to form the best pass-catching duo in the Big Eight for the second consecutive year, as Van Galder led the league in passing (1,645 yards) and Barney paced the league in receiving (782 yards).

Barney's 11 catches at Arizona in 1966 was the first time a Cyclone receiver had double digit receptions in a game. He was selected to play in two post-season games: the Blue-Gray Bowl and the Senior Bowl.

Playing as #82 instead of his usual #11 in the Blue-Gray bowl, he caught a 9 yard pass in what would be the game winning touchdown over Gray, with the game ending 14-9. (If you recall from the 1960 Blue-Gray Bowl on Dwight Nichol's portion, it mentioned "for white people only." Progress I guess?)

In the Senior Bowl, he caught a touchdown pass for 25 yards in that led to the North’s 35-13 win.

Eppie was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the 3rd Round (72nd overall) in the 1967 NFL Draft.

Here, he caught a pass that led to a 11 yard touchdown against the Los Angeles Rams on August 9, 1968. This would be his only NFL touchdown.

In January of 2004, he died at the age of 59.

In 2009, he was posthumously elected the the Cyclone Hall of Fame.

George Amundson. All-American quarterback in 1972. Finished 7th in Heisman Trophy balloting in 1972.

He ranks fourth on ISU’s total offense chart with 4,798 yards.

In the 1971 Sun Bowl, LSU's number one defense held Amundson to 35 yards on 10 carries.

He also threw discus amazingly well, throwing for 211 feet 4 inches as a senior in high school.

George is the only Iowa State player to rush for 2,000 yards (2,130) as well as pass for 2,000 yards (2,668) during his Cyclone career. In 1972, he earned Big Eight Player-of-the-Year honors, beating out Nebraska's Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Rodgers.

He ranks seventh on the ISU single season rushing (1,260), and seventh on the total offense chart (2,387). Invited to the East-West Shrine Game, the Hula Bowl and the All-Star Game.

Our only first round draft pick (14th overall), Amundson went to the Oilers where he stayed from 1973-1974, before going to the Eagles in 1975. He also spent some time with the St. Louis Cardinals as a tight end. In his NFL career, he rushed 74 times for 194 yards and four touchdowns and caught 25 passes for 212 yards and a TD.

In 1978, he tried to become a tight end for the then St. Louis Cardinals.

For those interested, here is an interview with Amundson from 2016.

Iowa State Hall of Fame Class of 1998.

Merv Krakau. All-American defensive end in 1972.

Krakau (pronounced CROAK-er) showcased his talents in the 1972 23-23 against #3 Nebraska . He recorded 11 tackles, 2 sacks, created and recovered 2 fumbles in the game. The game ended Nebraska's 24 game winning streak with the final score being a 23-23 tie. His efforts that week awarded him Big Eight Player of the Week and national lineman of the week for his outstanding play.

He was the first Cyclone on defense to attain All-America status.

He was drafted in the 14th round of the 1973 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills. In 1976, he led the Bills in tackles(132) and was second in the NFL in fumble recoveries. He stayed with the Bills until 1978, before going to New England.

In 1983, he played one season with the Tampa Bay Bandits. (Part of the defunct United States Football League) He is in the third row wearing #52 in the picture.





ISU Hall of Fame Class of 2007.

Geary Murdock. All-American offensive guard in 1972.





All-Big Eight in 1972. After the 1972 season, he would get married to a Diane. They stayed together for 34 years. He played in the Lions’ Club All-American Bowl. Murdock spent two seasons in the CFL with the Calgary Stampeders and the British Columbia Lions.

I don't know anything else about Murdock apart from the fact he passed on March 27, 2007 at the age of 55. There was a tree planted in living memory of him at Fish Creek Provincial Park in Calgary (Alberta).

Matt Blair. All-American linebacker in 1973.

One of the best linebackers in school history. Dubbed a "monster back" by Coach Johnny Majors. He was a part of the 1971 team that went to play in the Sun Bowl against LSU. Below, you will see a picture of Blair playing a mariachi style guitar while teammates Lonnie Coleman and George Campbell look on. The guitar belongs to Guadalupe Aguilar who is in the middle.

He earned defensive MVP honors at the Sun Bowl despite ISU losing 33-15.





Chose Iowa State over Oklahoma and Oklahoma State due to the fact ISU offered him a scholarship, whereas OU and OSU wanted him as a walk-on.