07/28/2005
Hawkeye hero to greet fans at Kinnick Stadium
IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) - Iowa football legend Nile Kinnick will have a larger part of the stadium that bears his name come the fall of 2006.A 12-foot bronze statue of the 1939 Heisman Trophy winner will greet Hawkeye fans in a new plaza at the south end of Kinnick Stadium.
``We're remembering our single Heisman Trophy winner ... and a person who's regarded as a hero in the state of Iowa,'' said Rod Lehnertz, director of campus and facilities planning at the University of Iowa.
The statue will depict Kinnick with books in his right arm and a bag over his left shoulder. It's part of $86.8 million in renovations of the 76-year-old stadium, which includes a series of art projects.
Jane Meyer, senior associate athletic director, said about $350,000 will be used for projects such as Kinnick's statue, inscriptions of the state of Iowa seal and scripting throughout the stadium.
``Every building project has a certain percentage of funds that must go to artwork,'' Meyer said.
Larry Nowlan, an artist based in Windsor, Vt., was selected to create a likeness of Kinnick by the Art in State Buildings Committee in November 2004.
Nowlan gained national fame for his work, including a statue of Jackie Gleason's ``Honeymooners'' character Ralph Kramden outside the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.
Nowlan said in his research into Kinnick's life, he not only learned about the athlete, but also the student.
Nowlan chose to depict Kinnick, who was a Phi Beta Kappa scholar and the senior class president, as a student.
``It is my belief ... that he was bound to be more successful with his spirit and intellect than his athletic skills. His spirit and intellect had him standing on the precipice of great things, Nowlan said.
Kinnick played halfback for the 1939 Iowa team, nicknamed the ``Ironmen'' because many of the primary players lined up for every down. The team posted a 6-1-1 season.
Kinnick, 24, a Navy pilot in World War II, died on June 2, 1943, when his fighter plane crashed into the Gulf of Paria, off the coast of Venezuela, during a training exercise.
Iowa's football stadium was named for Kinnick in 1972.
