money ChatGPT ranks the top 10 Iowa Hawkeye football players of all time
Who doesn’t love a good debate on the best players in college football history? The Iowa Hawkeyes‘ rich tradition means there’s plenty of room for discussion about the best to ever don the black and gold.
These debates are timeless in college football circles, and that’s no different in Iowa City or the Hawkeye State.
For a little different twist on some old-time debates, we went ahead and asked OpenAI’s ChatGPT what it thought about Iowa’s football history.
It started with a simple question: Who are the best Iowa Hawkeyes football players of all time?
ChatGPT’s response?
The Iowa Hawkeyes have a long and storied history of producing talented football players, many of whom have gone on to successful careers in the NFL. Here are some of the best Iowa Hawkeyes football players of all time. – ChatGPT
Nice words to start from the computer-generated AI. ChatGPT doesn’t really like the idea of having to rank players. It will remind you that it’s a subjective exercise and doesn’t populate the same top 10 every time.
It comes close to creating a similar top 10 every time, though, and the top two Hawkeyes were identical every single time we asked. Ultimately, Hawkeyes Wire wound up with too many requests in one hour and this was the final top 10 ChatGPT provided.
That means it was simply destiny and it sounds official enough, right?
Without further ado, how does ChatGPT rank the top 10 Hawkeye football players of all time?
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Desmond King, DB
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
What ChatGPT said:
King was a defensive back for Iowa in the 2010s and won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2015. He went on to have a successful career in the NFL.
My thoughts: The Detroit, Mich., native had a monster 2015 season, reeling in eight interceptions. He also scored a defensive touchdown in three straight seasons from 2014-16. King on any top 10 list for Iowa checks out.
Brad Banks, QB
(Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
What ChatGPT said:
Banks was a quarterback for Iowa in the early 2000s and was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in 2002. He led the team to an undefeated season and a Big Ten championship that year.
My thoughts: Banks’ 2002 season was so magical for Iowa that his inclusion in the top 10 is a must. He’d be higher if it wasn’t an abbreviated starting stay in Iowa City. Remember, Banks started out at Central Florida before moving onto Hinds Community College and then to Iowa.
Tim Dwight, WR
Credit: Getty File Images.
What ChatGPT said:
Dwight was a wide receiver and kick returner for Iowa in the 1990s and was one of the most exciting players in school history. He went on to have a successful career in the NFL.
My thoughts: Hawkeye fans might have rioted if Tim Dwight wasn’t somewhere on this list. Matter of fact, there’s many that will probably feel this ranking is still too low.
Robert Gallery, OT
(AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
What ChatGPT said:
Gallery was an offensive lineman for Iowa in the early 2000s and was a consensus All-American in 2003. He was the second overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.
My thoughts: Another one of those “laid-the-foundation” players in the early Kirk Ferentz years. The All-American also established Iowa’s great run of offensive linemen NFL draft success during the Ferentz tenure. Easy to see why Robert Gallery is a top player in Hawkeye history.
Andre Tippett, DE/LB
Mandatory Credit: MPS-USA TODAY Sports
What ChatGPT said:
Tippett played for Iowa in the early 1980s and was a dominant defensive player. He went on to have a Hall of Fame career in the NFL.
My thoughts: Tippett was the first consensus All-American for legendary Hawkeye head coach Hayden Fry. He had 20 tackles for loss as a junior and holds the record for tackle for loss yardage in a season.
Alex Karras, OL/DL
Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports
What ChatGPT said:
Karras played for Iowa in the 1950s and was a two-time All-American. He went on to play in the NFL and was later an actor.
My thoughts: Iowa’s sixth consensus All-American. Alex Karras was actually Iowa’s first two-time Associated Press All-American. The Outland Trophy winner went onto a great Detroit Lions career and is one of the great players from the 1950s.
Dallas Clark, TE
(Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images)
What ChatGPT said:
Clark was a tight end for Iowa in the early 2000s and was one of the most productive players in school history. He won the Mackey Award in 2002 and went on to have a successful career in the NFL.
My thoughts: Building off Marv Cook before him, Dallas Clark is really the tight end that morphed Iowa into “Tight End U.” He was terrific in the early Kirk Ferentz years, earning consensus All-American honors. Clark earned his way into this all-time top five. Plus, like the next name on this list, he made folks in Indy proud for a long, long time.
Bob Sanders, S
(Photo by A. Messerschmidt/Getty Images)
What ChatGPT said:
Sanders was a safety for Iowa in the early 2000s and won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2004. He was known for his hard-hitting style and played for several years in the NFL.
My thoughts: The punishing defensive back was a Jim Thorpe quarterfinalist and second-team All-American in 2003. He’s synonymous with the Hawkeyes’ success in the early 2000s and was a longtime superstar with the Indianapolis Colts.
His NFL career probably skyrockets him up this list, but he was sensational sporting the Tigerhawk, too. Based solely on individual collegiate achievements, though, he would probably rank a bit further back on my list.
Chuck Long, QB
(Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports)
What ChatGPT said:
Long was a quarterback for Iowa in the 1980s and still holds many school records. He was a two-time All-American and finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting in 1985.
My thoughts: Who else could be No. 2 on this list? ChatGPT nailed it. Chuck Long had Iowa in the mix for a national championship during his Heisman near-miss in 1985. The Hawkeyes were Big Ten champions that season and went and played in the Rose Bowl.
Nile Kinnick, RB
September 18, 1941; Des Moines, IA, USA; Former Iowa teammates Nile Kinnick and Jerry Niles, one-time back and center on the Hawkeye teams, are pictured together on September 18, 1941. Mandatory Credit: Des Moines Register via USA TODAY NETWORK
What ChatGPT said:
Kinnick is widely regarded as the best player in Iowa football history. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1939 and was a two-time All-American. He died serving in World War II and is memorialized by the Kinnick Stadium, which is named after him.
My thoughts: ChatGPT said it best. Nile Kinnick is widely regarded as the greatest to ever wear the black and gold. Given his story and legend in Iowa City, it would take a pretty remarkable career in the future for Hawkeye fans to feel comfortable saying Kinnick has been unseated at the top.
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