April 29, 2006
- Read about Iowa’s 2006 recruiting class
- Follow the renovation of Kinnick Stadium
- The Schedule: 2006 and beyond
Senior all-American linebacker Chad Greenway became the 16th player in the history of football at the University of Iowa to be selected in the first round of the annual NFL Draft Saturday when he was the first round choice of the Minnesota Vikings. Greenway, a multi-year all-Big Ten pick for Coach Kirk Ferentz’s nationally ranked Iowa Hawkeyes, was the 17th selection overall.
Greenway’s four-year running mate – senior linebacker Abdul Hodge – will square off twice a year against his former teammate as a result of being a third-round pick of the Green Bay Packers. Hodge was the 67th player selected.
Greenway is the third Hawkeye who has played for Iowa since Ferentz became head coach to have been a first round selection. Offensive lineman Robert Gallery was the second player chosen in the 2004 NFL Draft. He was drafted by Oakland. Tight end Dallas Clark was the 24th pick overall in 2003. Clark was drafted by Indianapolis.
According Andy Hamilton, who authored a story on Greenway that appeared in the April 27 editions of the Iowa City Press-Citizen, all of Greenway’s hometown are likely to be very happy for their native son, but roughly half are likely to be doubly so.
“The population of Mount Vernon, S.D., is listed at 477, and Chad Greenway estimates the majority of people in his hometown fall into two categories when it comes to NFL — Viking fans and Packer fans,” wrote Hamilton.
“But just like they did nearly five years ago when Greenway left for Iowa, football allegiances are about to change in the tiny town that produced an All-American linebacker.
” `I don’t think there used to be a lot of Iowa fans here,”‘said Myron Steffen, Greenway’s high school coach. `But there sure are now.’ “
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