Chuck Long unveiled as Big Ten Icon 43
Big Ten Icons, a program on the Big Ten Network, is counting down the top 50 student-athletes in conference history based solely on their collegiate careers. The network unveiled Big Ten Icon 43 as Iowa’s Chuck Long, the legendary football player.
Long was lightly recruited out of Wheaton, Illinois, but went on to greatness as Iowa’s quarterback from 1981 to 1985. He led the Hawkeyes to a memorable No. 1 vs. No. 2 victory against Michigan as a senior, and took Iowa to the Rose Bowl that year. Long was the 1985 Heisman Trophy runner-up to Bo Jackson and was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999. He was the first Big Ten player to pass for more than 10,000 yards in a career. In an essay for www.BigTenIcons.com, former Chicago Tribune editor sports editor Dan McGrath writes, “Long was at the forefront of big-armed quarterbacks who brought the passing game to the Big Ten and performed a total makeover on its stodgy, ground-oriented image.” To read the entire essay and watch a video feature on Long, visit his Big Ten Icons locker at www.BigTenIcons.com.
Icons 50 through 21 are being unveiled through September 16 at www.BigTenIcons.com. The website also features essays, video, and other key facts about each student-athletes’ career. Viewers can also participate in the “Talk of the Locker Room” contest.
The television show, hosted by legendary college sports broadcaster Keith Jackson, debuts September 18 on the Big Ten Network.
Karissa Wikert
Assistant Director of Marketing
Iowa Insider 