1981 Iowa Hawkeyes football team

American college football season

1981 Iowa Hawkeyes football
Big Ten co-champion
Rose Bowl, L 0–28 vs. Washington
Conference	Big Ten Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 15
AP	No. 18
Record	8–4 (6–2 Big Ten)
Head coach	Hayden Fry (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Bill Snyder (3rd season)
Defensive coordinator	Bill Brashier (3rd season)
MVP	Mel Cole
Captain	Tracy Crocker Pete Gales Bruce Kittle Andre Tippett Brad Webb
Home stadium	Kinnick Stadium
Seasons← 1980 1982 →

1981 Big Ten Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 15 Ohio State +	6	–	2	–	0	9	–	3	–	0
No. 18 Iowa +	6	–	2	–	0	8	–	4	–	0
No. 12 Michigan	6	–	3	–	0	9	–	3	–	0
Illinois	6	–	3	–	0	7	–	4	–	0
Wisconsin	6	–	3	–	0	7	–	5	–	0
Minnesota	4	–	5	–	0	6	–	5	–	0
Michigan State	4	–	5	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Purdue	3	–	6	–	0	5	–	6	–	0
Indiana	3	–	6	–	0	3	–	8	–	0
Northwestern	0	–	9	–	0	0	–	11	–	0

+ – Conference co-champions Rankings from AP Poll

The 1981 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa in the 1981 Big Ten Conference football season. The Hawks were 6–2 in conference play and were Big Ten Conference co-champions. Iowa went to the Rose Bowl for the first time in 23 years. Their previous appearance in the 1958 season, when Iowa won the 1959 Rose Bowl. This time Iowa had a more difficult time, shutout by Don James's Washington Huskies, 28–0. It was also Iowa's first winning season since 1961. The Hawkeyes finished the 1981 season at 8–4.

Several Iowa players ranked among the Big Ten leaders, including the following:

Lou King led the conference with eight interceptions.
Phil Blatcher ranked fourth in the conference with 708 rushing yards.
Tom Nichol ranked fourth in the conference with 11 field goals made.
Jeff Brown ranked fourth in the conference with 137 punt return yards and 6.5 yards per punt return.
Quarterback Gordy Bohannon ranked 10th in the conference with 1,303 total yards.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 12	No. 7 Nebraska*		Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA		W 10–7	60,160
September 19	at Iowa State*		Cyclone Stadium Ames, IA (rivalry)		L 12–23	53,922
September 26	No. 6 UCLA*		Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA		W 20–7	60,004
October 3	at Northwestern	No. 18	Dyche Stadium Evanston, IL		W 64–0	30,113
October 10	Indiana	No. 15	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA		W 42–28	60,000
October 17	at No. 5 Michigan	No. 12	Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, MI		W 9–7	105,915
October 24	Minnesota	No. 6	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA (rivalry)	ABC	L 10–12	60,000
October 31	at Illinois	No. 16	Memorial Stadium Champaign, IL		L 7–24	66,877
November 7	Purdue		Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA		W 33–7	60,114
November 14	at Wisconsin		Camp Randall Stadium Madison, WI	ESPN	W 17–7	78,731
November 21	Michigan State	No. 19	Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, IA		W 36–7	60,103
January 1	vs. No. 12 Washington*	No. 13	Rose Bowl Pasadena, CA (Rose Bowl)	NBC	L 0–28	105,611
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

In 1981, Iowa played eight conference games, missing one opponent. The government of Iowa mandated that they resume their series with Iowa State.
Iowa did not play Ohio State in 1981; OSU was also 8-3 and 6-2 in the Big Ten to tie for the conference title. The Buckeyes won their bowl game, the 1981 Liberty Bowl over Navy, and finished at 9-3. Iowa was awarded the Rose Bowl berth because it had not been to Pasadena since the 1958 season, while Ohio State went two years earlier.

Roster

1981 Iowa Hawkeyes football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
TE	`87`	John Alt	So
C	`69`	Bill Bailey	So
RB	`28`	Phil Blatcher	Sr
QB	`11`	Gordy Bohannon	Sr
WR	`27`	Jeff Brown	Jr
QB	`8`	Dave Chambers	Jr
QB	`12`	Pete Gales (C)	Sr
RB	`33`	Owen Gill	Fr
RB	`26`	Norm Granger	So
G	`76`	Ron Hallstrom	Sr
C	`53`	Joel Hilgenberg	So
OT		Bruce Kittle (C)	Sr
G	`55`	Joe Levelis	So
QB	`16`	Chuck Long	Fr
OT	`65`	Dave Mayhan	Sr
OT	`79`	Brett Miller	Jr
WR	`5`	Dave Moritz	So
WR	`83`	Lon Olejniczak	Jr
RB	`22`	Eddie Phillips	So
OT	`71`	Paul Postler	Sr
G	`66`	Jon Roehlk	So
WB	`25`	Ivory Webb	Sr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DL	`63`	Mark Bortz	Jr
LB	`31`	Mel Cole	Sr
LB	`32`	James Erb	Jr
DB	`46`	Tracy Crocker (C)	Sr
DL	`58`	Pat Dean	Sr
DB	`10`	Jim Frazier	Sr
DB	`43`	Lou King	Sr
DT	`77`	George Little	Fr
DL	`74`	Jim Pekar	Sr
LB	`37`	Todd Simonsen	Sr
DB	`41`	Bob Stoops	Jr
DB	`2`	Mike Stoops	So
DE	`99`	Andre Tippett (C)	Sr
DL	`94`	Brad Webb (C)	Sr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
K	`3`	Tom Nichol	Fr
K	`83`	Lon Olejniczak	Jr
P	`7`	Reggie Roby	Jr

Head coach

Hayden Fry

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Bill Snyder – Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks
Bill Brashier – Defensive Coordinator
Kirk Ferentz – Offensive line
Carl Jackson – Running backs
Del Miller – Offensive assistant
Dan McCarney – Defensive line
Barry Alvarez – Linebackers
Don Patterson – Defensive Backs
Bernie Wyatt – Defensive Ends/Recruiting Coordinator
Bill Dervich – Strength and Conditioning

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Rankings

Further information: 1981 NCAA Division I-A football rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	Final
AP	—	—	—	—	18	15	12	6	16	—	—	19	13	13	18
Coaches	—	—	—	—	20	15	12	7	16	—	18	17	11	11	15

Game summaries

No. 7 Nebraska

#7 Nebraska at Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 7 Cornhuskers	0	0	0	7	7
• Hawkeyes	7	3	0	0	10

Date: September 12, 1981
Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
Game attendance: 60,160
Referee: John Nealon

Sources: Box Score

Scoring summary

1	9:16	Iowa	Eddie Phillips 2-yard run (Olejniczak kick)	Iowa 7-0

2	14:55	Iowa	Olejniczak 35-yard field goal	Iowa 10-0

4	11:42	Neb	Roger Craig 1-yard run (kick)	Iowa 10-7

At Iowa State

Iowa at Iowa State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hawkeyes	0	6	0	6	12
• Cyclones	10	7	3	3	23

Date: September 19, 1981
Location: Cyclone Stadium, Ames, Iowa
Game attendance: 53,922

Sources: Box Score and Game Story

Scoring summary

1	ISU	Quinn 7-yard run (Giffords kick)	ISU 7-0

1	ISU	Giffords 48-yard field goal	ISU 10-0

2	ISU	Crutchfield 3-yard run (Giffords kick)	ISU 17-0

2	Iowa	Phillips 1-yard run (kick blocked)	ISU 17-6

3	ISU	Giffords 40-yard field goal	ISU 20-6

4	ISU	Giffords 34-yard field goal	ISU 23-6

4	Iowa	Blatcher 1-yard run (pass failed)	ISU 23-12

No. 6 UCLA

#6 UCLA at Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 6 Bruins	0	7	0	0	7
• Hawkeyes	7	0	3	10	20

Date: September 26
Location: Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, Iowa
Game start: 1:05 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 2:45
Game attendance: 60,004
Referee: Glen Fortin

Sources: Box Score

Scoring summary

1	5:02	Iowa	Gales 16-yard run (Olejniczak kick)	Iowa 7-0

2	10:47	UCLA	Tom Ramsey 1-yard run (Johnson kick)	Tied 7-7

3	9:48	Iowa	Nichol 35-yard field goal	Iowa 10-7

4	13:37	Iowa	Mark Bortz recovered fumble in end zone (Nichol kick)	Iowa 17-7
4	6:24	Iowa	Nichol 43-yard field goal	Iowa 20-7

at Northwestern

#18 Iowa at Northwestern

	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 18 Hawkeyes	30	0	20	14	64
Wildcats	0	0	0	0	0

Date: October 3, 1981
Location: Dyche Stadium, Evanston, Illinois
Game start: 1:00 p.m. CDT
Game attendance: 30,113
Referee: Otho Kortz

Sources: Box Score and Game Story

Scoring summary

1	13:39	Iowa	Phillips 12-yard run (Nichol kick)	Iowa 7-0
	11:29	Iowa	Granger 6-yard run (Nichol kick)	Iowa 14-0
	8:52	Iowa	King blocked punt for a safety	Iowa 16-0
	6:39	Iowa	Phillips 15-yard run (Nichol kick)	Iowa 23-0
	4:43	Iowa	Webb 29-yard interception return (Nichol kick)	Iowa 30-0

3	13:15	Iowa	Brown 24-yard pass for Bohannon (Nichol kick)	Iowa 37-0
	11:34	Iowa	Moritz 26-yard pass for Bohannon (kick failed)	Iowa 43-0
	2:40	Iowa	Gill 20-yard run (Nichol kick)	Iowa 50-0

4	6:58	Iowa	Buggs 2-yard run (Nichol kick)	Iowa 57-0

4	5:46	Iowa	Brown 74-yard punt return (Nichol kick)	Iowa 64-0

Indiana

Indiana at #15 Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
Hoosiers	7	7	7	7	28
• No. 15 Hawkeyes	14	21	7	0	42

Date: October 10
Location: Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, Iowa
Game start: 1:05 p.m. CDT
Elapsed time: 3:11
Game attendance: 60,000
Referee: Tom Quinn

Sources: Box Score

Scoring summary

1	13:14	Indiana	Gunn 58-yard pass from Laufenberg (Greenstein kick)	Indiana 7-0
	8:27	Iowa	Granger 2-yard run (Nichol kick)	Tied 7-7
	0:54	Iowa	Jones 51-yard pass from Bohannon (Nichol kick)	Iowa 14-7

2	10:40	Indiana	Roggeman 1-yard run (Greenstein kick)	Tied 14-14
	10:24	Iowa	Granger 99-yard kick return (Nichol kick)	Iowa 21-14
	8:41	Iowa	Hufford 21-yard pass from Bohannon (Nichol kick)	Iowa 28-14
	6:04	Iowa	Blatcher 1-yard run (Nichol kick)	Iowa 35-14

3	13:05	Indiana	Gunn 71-yard pass from Laufenberg (Greenstein kick)	Iowa 35-21
3	11:08	Iowa	Hufford 11-yard pass from Bohannon (Nichol kick)	Iowa 42-21

4	3:12	Indiana	Hines 2-yard run (Greenstein kick)	Iowa 42-28

At No. 5 Michigan

#12 Iowa at #5 Michigan

	1	2	3	4	Total
• No. 12 Hawkeyes	6	0	3	0	9
No. 5 Wolverines	0	7	0	0	7

Date: October 17
Location: Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, Michigan
Game attendance: 105,915

Sources: Box Score and Game Story

Scoring summary

Q1	IOWA	Tom Nichol 20-yard field goal	IOWA 3–0

Q1	Iowa	Nichol 36-yard field goal	IOWA 6–0

Q2	MICH	Anthony Carter 17-yard pass from Steve Smith (Haji-Sheikh kick)	MICH 7–6

Q3	IOWA	Nichol 30-yard field goal	IOWA 9–7

The Hawkeyes won 9-7 at #5 Michigan, their third victory over a top ten team during the 1981 season. It was Iowa's first victory over the Wolverines since 1962.

Minnesota

Minnesota at #6 Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Golden Gophers	0	9	0	3	12
No. 6 Hawkeyes	0	0	10	0	10

Date: October 24
Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
Game attendance: 60,000
Television network: ABC

Sources: Box Score and Game Story

Scoring summary

2		Minn	Gallery 52-yard field goal	Minn 3-0

2		Minn	Gallery 31-yard field goal	Minn 6-0

2		Minn	Gallery 33-yard field goal	Minn 9-0

3		IOWA	Nichol 34-yard field goal	Minn 9-3

3		IOWA	Blatcher 2-yard run (Nichol kick)	IOWA 10-9

4	2:22	Minn	Gallery 27-yard field goal	Minn 12-10

At Illinois

#16 Iowa at Illinois

	1	2	3	4	Total
#16 Hawkeyes	0	7	0	0	7
• Fighting Illini	3	14	0	7	24

Date: October 31, 1981
Location: Memorial Stadium, Champaign, Illinois
Game attendance: 66,877

Sources: Box Score and Game Story

Scoring summary

1	Illinois	Bass 27-yard field goal	Illinois 3-0

2	Illinois	Burgard fumble recovery in end zone (Bass kick)	Illinois 10-0

2	Illinois	Williams 56-yard pass from Eason (Bass kick)	Illinois 17-0

2	Iowa	Brown 12-yard pass from Bohannon (Nichol kick)	Illinois 17-7

4	Illinois	Williams 4-yard pass from Eason (Bass kick)	Illinois 24-7

Purdue

Purdue at Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
Boilermakers	0	0	0	7	7
• Hawkeyes	17	13	3	0	33

Date: November 7
Location: Kinnick Stadium • Iowa City, Iowa
Game attendance: 60,114

Sources: Box Score and Game Story

Scoring summary

1	Iowa	Nichol 42-yard field goal	Iowa 3-0

1	Iowa	Blatcher 1-yard run (Nichol kick)	Iowa 10-0

1	Iowa	Bohannon 12-yard run (Nichol kick)	Iowa 17-0

2	Iowa	Crocker recovered blocked punt in end zone (kick failed)	Iowa 23-0

2	Iowa	Bohannon 7-yard run (Nichol kick)	Iowa 30-0

3	Iowa	Nichol 48-yard field goal	Iowa 33-0

4	Purdue	Feulner 1-yard run (Clark kick)	Iowa 33-7

The 33-7 win was Iowa's first over the Boilermakers since 1960, and secured the Hawkeyes' first winning season since 1961.

At Wisconsin

Iowa at Wisconsin

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Hawkeyes	3	14	0	0	17
Badgers	0	0	0	7	7

Date: November 14
Location: Camp Randall Stadium • Madison, Wisconsin
Game attendance: 78,731
Television network: ABC Sports

Sources: Box Score and Game Story

Scoring summary

Q1	6:48	IOWA	Tom Nichol 35-yard field goal	IOWA 3–0

Q2		IOWA	Phil Blatcher 1-yard run (Tom Nichol kick)	IOWA 10–0

Q2		IOWA	Phil Blatcher 2-yard run (Tom Nichol kick)	IOWA 17–0

Q4		Wisc		IOWA 17–7

Michigan State

Michigan State at #19 Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
Spartans	0	7	0	0	7
• Hawkeyes	16	0	10	10	36

Date: November 21
Location: Kinnick Stadium, Iowa City, Iowa
Game attendance: 60,103
Game weather: Mid-60s°F

Sources: Box Score and Game Story

Scoring summary

1	Iowa	Blatcher 9-yard run (Nichol kick)	IOWA 7-0

1	Iowa	Safety, blocked punt through end zone	IOWA 9-0

1	Iowa	Phillips 1-yard run (Nichol kick)	IOWA 16-0

2	Michigan St	Hodo 1-yard pass from Clark (Andersen kick)	IOWA 16-7

3	Iowa	Nichol 26-yard field goal	IOWA 19-7

3	Iowa	Blatcher 1-yard run (Nichol kick)	IOWA 26-7

4	Iowa	Nichol 23-yard field goal	IOWA 29-7

4	Iowa	Campbell 9-yard pass from Gales (Nichol kick)	IOWA 36-7

Iowa earns first Rose Bowl since 1958 with Michigan's loss to Ohio State, which was announced with 6:14 left in the first quarter.

Statistics

Phil Blatcher 27 Rush, 247 Yds

vs. No. 12 Washington (Rose Bowl)

#12 Washington vs. #13 Iowa

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Huskies	0	13	0	15	28
Hawkeyes	0	0	0	0	0

Date: January 1, 1982
Location: Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California
Game attendance: 105,611
Referee: Rich McVay
TV announcers (NBC): Dick Enberg, Merlin Olsen

Sources:

Scoring summary

2	UW	Robinson 1-yard run (Nelson kick)	UW 7-0

2	UW	Coby 1-yard run (pass failed)	UW 13-0

4	UW	Robinson 34-yard run (Pelluer pass to Skansi)	UW 21-0

4	UW	Cowan 3-yard run (Nelson kick)	UW 28-0

Main article: 1982 Rose Bowl See also: 1981 Washington Huskies football team

Postseason Awards

Hayden Fry – Big Ten Coach of the Year
Andre Tippett – Consensus first-team All-American (Defensive end)
Reggie Roby – Consensus first-team All-American (Punter), NCAA single-season record with a 49.8-yard average

Team players in 1982 NFL Draft

Main article: 1982 NFL draft

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Ron Hallstrom	G	1	22	Green Bay Packers
Andre Tippett	LB	2	41	New England Patriots

References

^ "1981 Big Ten Conference Year Summary". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved November 19, 2016.
"Hawkeyes embarrass Nebraska". Columbia Daily Tribune. September 13, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Cyclones 'kick' Hawks, 23–12". The Des Moines Register. September 20, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Hawkeyes stun UCLA". The Sioux City Journal. September 27, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Hawkeyes devastate Northwestern, 64–0". The Post-Crescent. October 4, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Iowa zaps Indiana". Dayton Daily News. October 11, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Iowa boots Michigan". The Tampa Tribune-Times. October 18, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Gophers upset No. 6 Iowa 12–10". Star Tribune. October 25, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Defense leads Illini over Iowa". Chicago Tribune. November 1, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Purdue foiled, 33–7, by stingy Hawkeye D". Dayton Daily News. November 8, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"No roses for the Badgers". Green Bay Press-Gazette. November 15, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"The reward is roses for Hawkeyes' victory". Wisconsin State Journal. November 22, 1981. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"Washington blanks Iowa, 28–0". The Lincoln Star. January 2, 1982. Retrieved November 3, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
"1981 Iowa Hawkeyes Schedule and Results". sports-reference.com.
"Iowa 1981 AP Football Rankings".
"Iowa Upset Nebraska, 10-7". The New York Times. September 13, 1981. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
"Iowa State 23, Iowa 12". The New York Times. September 20, 1981. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
"U.C.L.A. Is Upset By Iowa". The New York Times. September 27, 1981. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
"Iowa's Performance Surprises Its Coach". The New York Times. September 28, 1981. Retrieved November 15, 2017.
"64-0!". Chicago Tribune. October 4, 1981. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
"'Surprise' get Iowa untracked". Chicago Tribune. October 11, 1981. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
"3 Iowa Field Goals Stop Michigan, 9-7". The New York Times. October 18, 1981. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
"Iowa Defeats No. 5 Michigan". Washington Post. October 18, 1981. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
"Minnesota kicks Iowa back down". Chicago Tribune. October 25, 1981. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
"Iowa linebacker Mel Cole is a contradiction on a football team making a lot of noise this fall". UPI. October 27, 1981. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
"Illinois turns to defense". The Pantagraph. November 1, 1981. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
"Iowa 33, Purdue 7". The New York Times. November 8, 1981. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
"Wisconsin's odor is not of roses". Chicago Tribune. November 15, 1981. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
Eugene Register-Guard. 1981 Nov 22.
Iowa Hawkeyes athletics website.
"Iowa Wins Trip to Rose Bowl". The New York Times. November 22, 1981. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
"Iowa Goes to Rose Bowl as Michigan Loses". The Washington Post. November 22, 1981. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
"Hawkeyes make Iowa sick with Rose Bowl fever". Chicago Tribune. November 22, 1981. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
"Iowa flat embarrassed by Washington romp". Chicago Tribune. January 2, 1981. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
"Washington Wilts Iowa's Rose, 28-0". The Washington Post. January 2, 1981. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
"1982 NFL Draft". pro-football-reference.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007. Retrieved March 28, 2018.

v t e Iowa Hawkeyes football
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Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Iowa State Minnesota Nebraska Wisconsin
Culture & lore	History Herky the Hawk "Iowa Fight Song" Marching band Kinnick Wave
People	Head coaches Honorees NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold

v t e Big Ten Conference football champions
Western Conference	Wisconsin (1896) Wisconsin (1897) Michigan (1898) Chicago (1899) Iowa & Minnesota (1900) Michigan & Wisconsin (1901) Michigan (1902) Michigan, Minnesota, & Northwestern (1903) Michigan & Minnesota (1904) Chicago (1905) Michigan, Minnesota, & Wisconsin (1906) Chicago (1907) Chicago (1908) Minnesota (1909) Illinois & Minnesota (1910) Minnesota (1911) Wisconsin (1912) Chicago (1913) Illinois (1914) Illinois & Minnesota (1915) Ohio State (1916)
Big Ten	Ohio State (1917) Illinois, Michigan, & Purdue (1918) Illinois (1919) Ohio State (1920) Iowa (1921) Chicago, Iowa, & Michigan (1922) Illinois & Michigan (1923) Chicago (1924) Michigan (1925) Michigan & Northwestern (1926) Illinois & Minnesota (1927) Illinois (1928) Purdue (1929) Michigan & Northwestern (1930) Purdue, Michigan & Northwestern (1931) Michigan & Purdue (1932) Michigan & Minnesota (1933) Minnesota (1934) Minnesota & Ohio State (1935) Northwestern (1936) Minnesota (1937) Minnesota (1938) Ohio State (1939) Minnesota (1940) Minnesota (1941) Ohio State (1942) Michigan & Purdue (1943) Ohio State (1944) Indiana (1945)
Big Nine	Illinois (1946) Michigan (1947) Michigan (1948) Michigan & Ohio State (1949)
Big Ten	Michigan (1950) Illinois (1951) Purdue & Wisconsin (1952) Illinois & Michigan State (1953) Ohio State (1954) Ohio State (1955) Iowa (1956) Ohio State (1957) Iowa (1958) Wisconsin (1959) Minnesota & Iowa (1960) Ohio State (1961) Wisconsin (1962) Illinois (1963) Michigan (1964) Michigan State (1965) Michigan State (1966) Indiana, Minnesota, Purdue (1967) Ohio State (1968) Michigan & Ohio State (1969) Ohio State (1970) Michigan (1971) Michigan & Ohio State (1972) Michigan & Ohio State (1973) Michigan & Ohio State (1974) Ohio State (1975) Michigan & Ohio State (1976) Michigan & Ohio State (1977) Michigan & Michigan State (1978) Ohio State (1979) Michigan (1980) Iowa & Ohio State (1981) Michigan (1982) Illinois (1983) Ohio State (1984) Iowa (1985) Michigan & Ohio State (1986) Michigan State (1987) Michigan (1988) Michigan (1989) Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, & Michigan State (1990) Michigan (1991) Michigan (1992) Ohio State & Wisconsin (1993) Penn State (1994) Northwestern (1995) Ohio State & Northwestern (1996) Michigan (1997) Michigan, Ohio State, & Wisconsin (1998) Wisconsin (1999) Michigan, Northwestern, & Purdue (2000) Illinois (2001) Ohio State & Iowa (2002) Michigan (2003) Iowa & Michigan (2004) Ohio State & Penn State (2005) Ohio State (2006) Ohio State (2007) Ohio State & Penn State (2008) Ohio State (2009) Michigan State & Wisconsin (2010) Wisconsin (2011) Wisconsin (2012) Michigan State (2013) Ohio State (2014) Michigan State (2015) Penn State (2016) Ohio State (2017) Ohio State (2018) Ohio State (2019) Ohio State (2020) Michigan (2021) Michigan (2022) Michigan (2023) Oregon (2024)
National championships in bold

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