Nile is on File

By Rob DanielIowa City Press-Citizen

University of Iowa football legend Nile Kinnick will be a larger part of the stadium that bears his name come fall 2006.
A 12-foot bronze statue of the Hawkeyes' lone Heisman Trophy winner will greet fans in the new plaza in the south end zone. It will depict the 1939 Heisman winner as a student holding books in his right arm and carrying a bag over his left shoulder.
The statue is part of $86.8 million in renovations of the 76-year-old stadium that includes replacing the south end zone bleachers and adding a new four-level press box with suite and indoor and outdoor club seating, said Rod Lehnertz, UI director of campus and facilities planning.
"We're remembering our single Heisman Trophy winner ... and a person who's regarded as a hero in the state of Iowa," Lehnertz said.
Kinnick's statue will be part of a series of art projects scattered throughout the stadium, a move mandated by the state in public building projects, Jane Meyer, senior associate athletic director, said. About $350,000 will be used for projects such as Kinnick's statue, inscriptions of the state of Iowa seal and scripting throughout the stadium.
"Every building project has a certain percentage of funds that must go to artwork," Meyer said.
Larry Nowlan, an artist based in Windsor, Vt., was selected to create a likeness of Kinnick by the Art in State Buildings Committee, in November 2004. Nowlan has gained national fame for his work, including a statue of Jackie Gleason's "Honeymoon-ers" character Ralph Kramden outside of the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York City.
In preparing for the project, Nowlan said he researched Kinnick and watched videos about the former UI athlete's life and football career.
Nowlan said he not only learned about Kinnick the athlete, but also the student.
"I tried to incorporate as many aspects of that into the piece," he said. "I represent the person as thoroughly as possible."
Kinnick played halfback for the 1939 Iowa team, nicknamed the "Ironmen" because many of the primary players lined up for every down. The 5-foot-8, 170-pound Kinnick played 407 out of 420 minutes that season. The team posted a 6-1-1 season, led by Kinnick.
On June 2, 1943, Kinnick -- a World War II Navy pilot -- lifted his Grumman F-4-F off the flight deck of the U.S.S. Lexington during exercises in the Gulf of Paria near the island of Trinidad. An oil leak forced his quick return, but he had to wait while servicemen cleared the flight deck. The engine locked, taking plane and hero to their grave.
The university's football stadium was named for Kinnick in 1974.
Nowlan ultimately chose to depict Kinnick, who was a Phi Beta Kappa scholar and the senior class president, as a student.
"He was not only an athlete, but also a very successful student," Nowlan said. "It is my belief ... that he was bound to be more successful with his spirit and intellect than his athletic skills. His spirit and intellect had him standing on the precipice of great things."
Nowlan thus far has created a clay bust of the top half of the statue, which came after making clay sketches and a four-foot high model. After welding steel together to create a skeleton, a rubber mold will be made of the different sections of the statue. Then he will cast bronze sections in a process called lost wax casting before sanding, coloring and polishing.
"When you finish bronzing, it looks a lot like Humpty-Dumpty," Nowlan said.
Nowlan said he plans for the statue to be completed for the 2006 home opener.
Reach Rob Daniel at 339-7360 or rdaniel@press-citizen.com.