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Nile Kinnick

Great news out of Iowa City on Saturday - the Hawkeyes defeated previously un-defeated Penn State by one point! Take that, Joe Pa! The Hawks scored on a field goal in the final seconds of the game. And it was kicked by an Iowa boy. I can only imagine it must have been pandemonium in Kinnick Stadium. Wish I could have been there.

Speaking of Kinnick stadium, it got me to thinking of it's namesake, Iowa's only Heisman Trophy winner, Nile Kinnick. I was in Kinnick stadium a couple of times, and it was an incredible experience - almost spiritual. Maybe it's because of who it's named for. By all accounts, Nile Kinnick was a hero in every sense of the word. Not only an athlete, but a scholar, a Christian, and a patriot, who was killed on a training mission in WWII at the age of 24. He was constantly striving for self improvement, and it was important to him to be the best he could be. Stories about him and his goodness persist to this day. After he won the Heisman, a columnist wrote that the country would be ok, as long as it kept producing Nile Kinnick's. Amen to that.

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