1985 was a milestone year for the Iowa football program under seven-year head coach Hayden Fry.
The Hawkeyes climbed to No. 1 in the AP Poll for just the second time in team history after a dominating 57-3 victory over in-state rival Iowa State. Iowa would hold the mark for five weeks but suffered a disappointing 22-13 loss at Ohio State to end any hopes of a perfect season.
Nevertheless, the Hawkeyes won their final three games of the regular season to finish 10-1 and clinch the outright Big Ten Championship for the first time in 27 years.
But despite their terrific achievements during the regular season, the 1985 squad is often remembered for its devastating loss in the 1986 Rose Bowl against California-Los Angeles.
Long’s anticipated return
Iowa finished the 1984 season 8-4-1 with a 55-17 victory in the inaugural Freedom Bowl over Texas, but the year was marred by a 10-10 tie against Wisconsin and a heartbreaking one-point loss at home to Michigan State. Both losses knocked the Hawkeyes out of Big Ten and Rose Bowl title contention.
The bitter losses in 1984 left star quarterback Chuck Long so unsatisfied he decided to return to Iowa for his fifth and final season. Though lightly recruited out of high school, Long emerged as one of the nation’s best passers in 1984. While throwing for 2,410 yards and 16 touchdowns, Long compiled a 147.1 passer rating. He also finished seventh in voting for the Heisman Trophy, given to the best college football player in the nation.
Long had redshirted his freshman season in 1981, but college football introduced its redshirt rule that same year, allowing him to play in 1985 despite playing in several games in 1981, including the 1982 Rose Bowl. Long’s return made Iowa a preseason top-five team and an instant national title contender.
Joining Long on offense was senior tailback Ronnie Harmon, who entered 1985 with plenty of momentum after rushing for 907 yards during his junior campaign. Though a solid rusher, Harmon was known for his receiving, and caught 32 passes for 318 yards and one touchdown in 1984.
The Hawkeyes steamrolled through the regular season, with their only loss coming in the aforementioned game at Ohio State. The terrific campaign earned Iowa a trip to Pasadena and the 1986 Rose Bowl, where it would face PAC-10 champion UCLA, led by legendary coach Terry Donahue.
The game
UCLA came into the contest with an 8-2-1 record, but the Hawkeyes were slightly favored in part because of their electric offense led by Long.
The Iowa defense quickly stopped the Bruins on the game’s opening possession, and UCLA promptly fumbled the snap on the punt, giving the Hawkeyes the ball at the five-yard line and a golden opportunity to take an early lead.
But Harmon dropped the handoff on the ensuing play, and the Bruins immediately regained possession.
Following another UCLA turnover, the Hawkeyes took advantage of the strong field position with a one-yard touchdown run from backup running back David Hudson, marking the only Iowa lead of the afternoon.
The Bruins responded with a 40-yard touchdown sprint from halfback Eric Ball to tie the game, and he took over from there. The freshman racked up 227 yards and tied a then-Rose Bowl record with four touchdowns in the contest.
Ball’s dominance on the ground rattled the Iowa defense, and UCLA quickly cruised to a 45-28 upset victory.
Despite the loss, Long completed 29 of his 37 passing attempts, compiling 319 yards and one touchdown.
Due to the loophole in the NCAA’s new redshirt rule, the 1986 Rose Bowl marked Long’s fifth career bowl game, since he played a few snaps in the 1982 Rose Bowl as a freshman. He is believed to be the only college player ever to play in five bowl games.
Harmon’s fumble early in the first quarter proved to be a preview of his afternoon. The senior lost four fumbles throughout the contest and dropped a touchdown pass in the end zone as Iowa attempted to come back in the second half. In a bizarre twist, Harmon entered the Rose Bowl having fumbled only once during the regular season, frustrating many Hawkeye fans.
Aftermath
Long finished his college career with 10,461 passing yards and 74 touchdowns while compiling an overall record of 35-13-1 as Iowa’s starting quarterback. Long finished as the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in 1985, narrowly losing by 45 points to Bo Jackson. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1999.
Harmon enjoyed a successful NFL career and earned Pro-Bowl honors in 1992, but his four fumbles in the Rose Bowl remain infamous amongst the Hawkeye faithful, with some even alleging that he was throwing the game.
Though Iowa entered the Rose Bowl ranked No. 4, it still had an outside shot at a national championship should some results in the other major bowl games go its way. Penn State, Miami, and Oklahoma were ranked ahead of the Hawkeyes, but the opportunity still remained if Iowa won.
The Rose Bowl loss ended Iowa’s hopes of a national championship, but the results of the other bowl games would leave many Hawkeye fans disappointed.
That evening, No. 1 Penn State and No. 3 Oklahoma would face off in the Orange Bowl, and No. 2 Miami would take on No. 8 Tennessee in the Sugar Bowl. As the top-ranked team, Penn State would have clinched the national title with a win, but Oklahoma stunned the Nittany Lions, 25-10, to eliminate Penn State while giving themselves a golden opportunity to be No. 1.
Miami was now one win away from the title, but the Hurricanes were upset by underdog Tennessee, 35-7, securing a consensus national championship for Oklahoma.
To this day, Iowa fans believe their squad would have claimed at least a share of the national championship if they won the Rose Bowl.
It would have been interesting to see how voters would rank the Hawkeyes and Sooners in the final polls, but Iowa likely would have finished at least No. 2 in the final polls, by far the highest final position for a Hawkeye football team. Sure, Iowa might have leapfrogged Oklahoma for the title, but poll voters often favor national brands in their rankings, which heavily benefits the Sooners.
Regardless of the sour ending, the 1985 Iowa football team is celebrated as one of the best squads in program history and Fry’s finest unit during his legendary career.