Big Ten Football: Ranking the 30 best players of all time

Cal Jones Career Statistics, 1952-1955

• Notable: 1955 Outland Trophy, 1955 Heisman Trophy 10th place, Consensus All-American, 1954 & 1955, #62 retired by University of Iowa.

Holding the distinct honor of being the only other player at Iowa with his jersey retired, Cal Jones was a dominant force along the offensive line for the Hawkeyes in the early 1950’s. His #62 was retired following Jones death in a plane crash in Canada in 1956. He, along with Nile Kinnick are the only players in Iowa history to have their jersey’s retired.

Iowa’s record during Jones’s career was unspectacular, but Jones himself was the opposite of that. Deciding to go to Iowa over Ohio State, a move that prompted Big Ten officials to conduct and investigation, Jones arrived in Iowa City in the fall of 1952. He proved to be a star on the early teams for coach Forest Evashevski, concluding with him becoming the first African-American to win the Outland Trophy in 1955 along with being a two-time All-American.

Jones was drafted to play in the CFL for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and only played one season before his death in 1956.