Jerry Hilgenberg
Encyclopedia
Jerry Hilgenberg was a football player and coach for the University of Iowa
. He was a first team All-American in 1953 and served as an assistant coach to the Iowa football team for eight seasons.
. Wilton Junction did not even have a football program until his senior year, so Hilgenberg played just one season as a high school running back. Despite that, he was inducted into the Iowa High School Football Players Hall of Fame. He walked on to Leonard Raffensperger
’s Iowa football team in 1950 as a quarterback but was quickly converted to the center and linebacker positions.
in 1939. Jerry Hilgenberg played a large role in that, being named a first team All-American after the season. He was Coach Forest Evashevski
’s first All-American at Iowa. He was also the captain of the baseball team as a senior.
Hilgenberg was drafted by the National Football League
’s Cleveland Browns
, but he was also drafted by the U.S. Air Force, halting his pro career. When he returned from service, he was hired as an Iowa assistant football coach from 1956-1963. During that time, the Hawkeyes won three Big Ten conference
titles and two Rose Bowls
. Jerry Hilgenberg was also able to coach his younger brother, Wally Hilgenberg
. Wally became a star both for the Hawkeyes and the Minnesota Vikings
.
and Jay Hilgenberg
, became very successful players at the University of Iowa
and in the NFL. In 1989, Iowa fans selected an all-time University of Iowa football
team during the 100th anniversary celebration of Iowa football, and Jerry Hilgenberg was selected as an offensive lineman. He was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame
in 1995, and his brother and two sons were inducted eight years later.
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
. He was a first team All-American in 1953 and served as an assistant coach to the Iowa football team for eight seasons.
Background
Jerry Hilgenberg attended Wilton Junction High School in Wilton, IowaWilton, Iowa
Wilton is a city in Cedar and Muscatine Counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. The population was 2,839 at the 2010 census. The Muscatine County portion of Wilton is part of the Muscatine Micropolitan Statistical Area....
. Wilton Junction did not even have a football program until his senior year, so Hilgenberg played just one season as a high school running back. Despite that, he was inducted into the Iowa High School Football Players Hall of Fame. He walked on to Leonard Raffensperger
Leonard Raffensperger
-External links:...
’s Iowa football team in 1950 as a quarterback but was quickly converted to the center and linebacker positions.
Iowa career
Hilgenberg started at Iowa for three seasons from 1951-1953. In his senior season in 1953, Iowa finished the year ranked in the top ten in the nation for the first time since the Ironmen1939 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
The 1939 Iowa Hawkeyes football team represented the University of Iowa in the college football season of 1939. The team, nicknamed the Ironmen, was coached by Dr. Eddie Anderson and was led on the field by halfback Nile Kinnick.-Preseason:...
in 1939. Jerry Hilgenberg played a large role in that, being named a first team All-American after the season. He was Coach Forest Evashevski
Forest Evashevski
Forest "Evy" Evashevski was an American football player, coach, and college athletics administrator. He played college football at the University of Michigan from 1938 to 1940 and with the Iowa Pre-Flight Seahawks in 1942...
’s first All-American at Iowa. He was also the captain of the baseball team as a senior.
Hilgenberg was drafted by the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
’s Cleveland Browns
Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns are a professional football team based in Cleveland, Ohio. They are currently members of the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, but he was also drafted by the U.S. Air Force, halting his pro career. When he returned from service, he was hired as an Iowa assistant football coach from 1956-1963. During that time, the Hawkeyes won three Big Ten conference
Big Ten Conference
The Big Ten Conference is the United States' oldest Division I college athletic conference. Its twelve member institutions are located primarily in the Midwestern United States, stretching from Nebraska in the west to Pennsylvania in the east...
titles and two Rose Bowls
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
. Jerry Hilgenberg was also able to coach his younger brother, Wally Hilgenberg
Wally Hilgenberg
Walter Hilgenberg was a professional American football player.Hilgenberg was born in Marshalltown, Iowa in 1942. His family moved to Wilton where he grew up and graduated from Wilton High School....
. Wally became a star both for the Hawkeyes and the Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Vikings joined the National Football League as an expansion team in 1960...
.
Honors
Two of Jerry Hilgenberg’s sons, Joel HilgenbergJoel Hilgenberg
Joel Hilgenberg was an American football center in the National Football League for the New Orleans Saints. Hilgenberg played college football at the University of Iowa and he is the brother of former center Jay Hilgenberg....
and Jay Hilgenberg
Jay Hilgenberg
Jay Walter Hilgenberg is a former American football player in the NFL. He played center for the Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns and the New Orleans Saints from 1981 to 1993.-Football career:...
, became very successful players at the University of Iowa
University of Iowa
The University of Iowa is a public state-supported research university located in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. It is the oldest public university in the state. The university is organized into eleven colleges granting undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees...
and in the NFL. In 1989, Iowa fans selected an all-time University of Iowa football
Iowa Hawkeyes football
The Iowa Hawkeyes football team is the interscholastic football team at the University of Iowa in Iowa City, Iowa. The Hawkeyes have competed in the Big Ten Conference since 1900, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association...
team during the 100th anniversary celebration of Iowa football, and Jerry Hilgenberg was selected as an offensive lineman. He was inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame
University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame
The University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame is a sports history museum located at the Roy G. Karro Building in Iowa City, Iowa, U.S. The museum pays tribute to the most legendary and influential Iowa Hawkeye sports heroes. Opened in September 2002, The building is located at the northwest...
in 1995, and his brother and two sons were inducted eight years later.