Iowa History Daily: On December 26, 1984, Chuck Long received the MVP of the inaugural Freedom Bowl after Hayden Fry’s Hawkeyes trounced the Texas Longhorns 55-17. Long set an NCAA bowl game record by throwing for six touchdowns while completing 29-39 passes for 461 yards.
Heading into Hayden Fry’s sixth season at the helm of the Hawkeyes, expectations loomed large. Long, a junior, led a high-powered Hawkeye offense which helped the season ranked no. 10 nationally. After a 59-21 win at Kinnick over rival Iowa State, Iowa rose to no. 5 in the polls. An up and down season saw Iowa finish the regular season 7-4-1.
Long finished first in the Big Ten in passing efficiency. Long completed 22 consecutive passes against Indiana, setting an NCAA record. He also finished seventh in the Heisman Trophy balloting as a junior. Named first-team all-Big 10 for the second consecutive season, Long firmly established himself as one of the greatest Hawkeye quarterbacks of all-time.
A windy, rainy day did not slow Long in what some felt might be his final college game. Iowa destroyed Texas, 55–17, the second most points ever scored against Texas and the most in 80 years. Long broke a 24–17 game at halftime wide open by completing 12 of 14 passes for 241 yards and four touchdowns in the third quarter alone. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
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