Former Hawkeye center Bruce Nelson has been named the honorary captain for the Hawkeyes’ home game against Northern Iowa on Saturday.

Nelson, a Emmetsburg, Iowa, native, joined the Hawkeyes as a walk-on, then redshirted his freshman year in 1998. He immediately earned a starting spot on the offensive line and started all 48 games of his four-year career.

Nelson earned first team All-America honors during his senior year in 2002 and helped the Hawkeyes finish with an 8-0 Big Ten record and earn a berth in the program’s first BCS bowl appearance, in the 2003 Orange Bowl.

Nelson was selected in the second round of the 2003 NFL draft by the Carolina Panthers, but numerous hip injuries limited him to only two seasons in the Big Show.

The Hawkeyes’ game against Northern Iowa will kick off at 2:46 p.m. on Saturday.