University of Iowa

Kinnick won Iowa's first Heisman while leading his team, nicknamed "The Ironmen," to a 6-1-1 record.

"The Cornbelt Comet"

Nile Kinnick

RB | Senior | University of Iowa

Kinnick won Iowa’s first Heisman while leading his team to a 6-1-1 record.
Born in Adel, Iowa, Kinnick was the grandson of a governor and a star athlete in football and basketball at Adel High for three years before the family moved to Omaha, Neb., after his junior year.

Kinnick grew to be 5-8 and 170 pounds and, after failing a football tryout with Minnesota, he went to Iowa. His shifty running style helped earn him the nickname “The Cornbelt Comet.”

The Hawkeyes struggled in those days, though. The team went 1-7 when Kinnick was all-Big Ten as a sophomore in 1937 and 1-6-1 in 1938 when Kinnick was slowed to a near halt by an ankle injury suffered in the opening game.

In 1939, Kinnick was on the field an average of 57 minutes per game. He played 402 consecutive minutes against Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin, Purdue, Notre Dame, Minnesota and Northwestern before a separated shoulder in the season-finale against the Wildcats forced him to the sideline.

A halfback who was the team’s main passer, Kinnick threw for 638 yards and 11 touchdowns as well as rushing for 374 yards on 106 carries (3.5-yard average). He also made 11-of-17 dropkick conversion attempts and scored 41 points. By passing, running or kicking, Kinnick was directly involved in 107 of Iowa’s 130 points that season. He also made eight interceptions.

He finished his career with 1,674 yards rushing, 18 interceptions (an Iowa record that lasted half a century) and an average of 39.9 yards per punt.

Kinnick was named the Big Ten MVP award as well as the winner of the Walter Camp and Maxwell awards, plus the Heisman Trophy. In his acceptance speech at the Heisman Dinner, Kinnick reflected the prevailing isolationist mood of the country, saying that he thanked God he had been born in America, “where they have football fields instead of in Europe where they have battlefields.” And he added that he knew, “the football players of this country had rather battle for such medals as the Heisman Trophy than for such medals as the Croix de Guerre and the Iron Cross.”

During World War II, Nile was a pilot attached to an aircraft carrier in the Caribbean. In June 1943, he crash-landed his fighter in the sea and was killed in action.

Kinnick was elected to the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame in 1951.

More Articles About Nile Kinnick

Heisman Voting Results

Number of electors: 700 - Announced: November 28, 1939.

 PlayerClassPositionSchoolTotal Points
1Nile KinnickSRHBIowa651
2Tom HarmonJRHBMichigan405
3Paul ChristmanJRQBMissouri391
4George CafegoSRTBTennessee296

Three points are awarded for first place on a ballot, with two points for second place and one point for third place.

Heisman Voting By Region

At this time, Heisman voters are spread out across five regions.

South

 Player
1George Cafego
2Nile Kinnick
3Paul Christman
4Tom Harmon

East

 Player
1Nile Kinnick
2Tom Harmon
3Paul Christman
4George Cafego

Midwest

 Player
1Nile Kinnick
2Paul Christman
3Tom Harmon
4George Cafego

Southwest

 Player
1John Kimbrough
2Paul Christman
3Nile Kinnick
4George Cafego

Far West

 Player
1Paul Christman
2Nile Kinnick
3Kenny Washington
4George Cafego

Statistics

Records of Kinnick’s Heisman season are incomplete.

What we do know:

— Kinnick threw for 638 yards and 11 touchdowns
— He rushed for 374 yards on 106 carries (3.5-yard average).
— He also made 11-of-17 dropkick conversion attempts and scored 41 points.
— By passing, running or kicking, Kinnick was directly involved in 107 of Iowa’s 130 points that season.
— He also made eight interceptions.
— He played 402 of a possible 420 minutes.

Media

Kinnick won Iowa’s first Heisman while leading his team to a 6-1-1 record.  Born in Adel, Iowa, Kinnick was the grandson of a governor and a star athlete in football and basketball at Adel High for three years before the family moved to Omaha, Neb., after his junior year. Kinnick grew to be 5-8 and 170 pounds and, after failing a football tryout with Minnesota, he went to Iowa.