Trio of Iowa football legends named to USA TODAY's all-2000s team

The Iowa football program has seen many great players don the black and gold over the past 25 years.

The Kirk Ferentz era has brought a ton of success on and off the field for the Hawkeyes. Great players have led to wins and the most prosperous, sustained period of Iowa football ever. Even among all the greats, there are certain guys that stand out among the pack.

USA TODAY Sports identified a trio of Hawks from the Ferentz era who differentiated themselves from the rest. Writers Paul Myerberg, Eddie Timanus and Craig Meyer put together their All-2000’s college football teams. The two teams consist of the best college football players from the dawn of the century until right now. Mixed in among the two teams were three Iowa football legends.

Iowa had one representative on the All-2000’s first team: punter Tory Taylor. The writers had the following to say about the fan-favorite Aussie:

"Perhaps no program’s fans appreciate their punter more than Iowa’s, and few did it better than Taylor. The 2023 Ray Guy Award winner helped the Hawkeyes to a 10-3 record as a senior despite the team averaging just 16.6 points a game. Taylor averaged 46.3 yards per punt over his career and led the Bowl Subdivision in kicks downed inside the 20 three years in a row."

Two more Hawkeyes appeared on the All-2000’s second team: tight end Dallas Clark and kicker Nate Kaeding. Clark was a mainstay on Iowa's offense for both the 2001 and 2002 seasons. Across those two years, he compiled 81 career receptions for 1,281 yards and eight touchdowns. He was named an All-American in 2002 and went on to be a first-round pick in the 2003 NFL Draft.

Kaeding is Iowa's career scoring leader with 373 points. The 2002 recipient of the Lou Groza Award, Kaeding was also a consensus All-American following his standout 2003 season. Kaeding made 67 field goals in his Hawkeye career and booted through 22 consecutive kicks at one point spanning the 2001 and 2002 seasons.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Trio of Iowa football legends named to USA TODAY's all-2000s team