1990

Heralded running back Nick Bell, a senior from Las Vegas, scored 12 touchdowns for the Hawkeyes in 1990 and was voted Most Valuable Player by his teammates.

Penn State joined the Big Ten, giving the conference 11 members.

October 6
Iowa upperclassmen showed their teammates how to shake it all about in East Lansing, when they danced the Hokey Pokey for the first time since 1987. The underdog Hawkeye defense dug in and refused to budge, holding MSU scoreless for the first 55 minutes of play. Jeff Skillett’s two field goals gave Iowa the winning margin, 12-7.

October 20
The Hawkeyes shocked the college football world and silenced more than 105,000 screaming Wolverine fans when they marched 85 yards into the end zone during the final minutes of Michigan’s homecoming game for a 24-23 victory. Matt Rodgers led the attack. Again, the Hawkeyes danced their victory jig in the locker room to celebrate an incredible win. Noting that his 1990 Hawkeyes were the first team in Iowa history to sweep the state of Michigan in one season, Fry was ecstatic. “Whooooo-ee!” he whooped. “I’m happier than if we won the Big Ten championship or a big bowl game.”

November 3
Iowa traveled to enemy territory when it headed for Champaign-Urbana in the wake of a basketball recruitment story that created bad blood between the conference foes. Ranked fifth in the nation, Illinois reportedly had the country’s third-best defense. Iowa, on the other hand, enjoyed an explosive offense. The game could have gone either way, but it was Nick Bell’s finest hour. With 130 yards rushing and three touchdowns, he led Iowa to chalk up 28 points in the first quarter. Iowa won the game, 56-14.

Fellow league coaches voted Hayden Fry the 1990 Big Ten Coach of the Year, an honor he’d also received in 1981.

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