Aubrey Devine - The 1921 Season

The 1921 Season

Aubrey Devine was the team captain of the 1921 Hawkeyes, arguably the greatest team in school history. In the second game of the season, Iowa faced Notre Dame, coached by Knute Rockne. It was Iowa's first meeting with Notre Dame, and their captain was Eddie Anderson, who would coach Iowa from 1939-1949. The Irish had not lost a game since 1918, a span of 20 straight wins. Devine kicked the game-winning field goal as Iowa pulled a 10-7 upset.

Two games later, Devine accounted for all of Iowa's points in a 13-6 win over Purdue. Devine scored the game-winning touchdown on a punt return that sports historian Clark Shaughnessy called "one of the 12 greatest individual plays in the history of football". But Iowa's next game against Minnesota would be Devine's signature game.

Devine accounted for 464 total yards and six touchdowns as Iowa defeated Minnesota, 41-7. It was then the most points ever scored against Minnesota, and it was the most scored against Minnesota in the first sixty years of their program. Devine passed for two touchdowns, rushed for four touchdowns, and kicked five extra points. He rushed for 162 yards, passed for 122 yards, and had 200 return yards on kicks, punts, and interceptions. Hall of Fame Minnesota coach Henry L. Williams called Devine "the greatest player who ever stepped on our field."

The next week against Indiana, Devine rushed for 183 yards and four more touchdowns and passed for 102 yards before leaving the game in the third quarter. Devine scored 57 points in consecutive weeks. A win the following week over Northwestern gave Iowa a 7-0 final record, and a perfect 5-0 mark in the Big Ten. It was Iowa's second Big Ten title and the first outright Big Ten title in Hawkeye history. Not only did Iowa not lose a game, the 1921 Hawkeyes never trailed an opponent all season.

Aubrey Devine led the conference in scoring for the second time and was named first team All-Big Ten for the third straight year. He was a consensus first team All-American in 1921, the second in school history after teammate Lester Belding in 1919. Devine's 895 yards rushing in 1921 is still an Iowa season record for a quarterback, and he led Iowa in rushing, passing, and scoring each of his three years in uniform. The incomparable Aubrey Devine gains near unanimous support from those who saw him play as the greatest player ever to wear a Hawkeye uniform, greater even than Nile Kinnick.