IOWA CITY, Iowa – – FormerUniversity of Iowa linebacker Chad Greenway will serve as honorary captain Saturday when Iowa hosts Penn State at Kinnick Stadium (6:42 p.m., ABC) to open Big Ten Conference play. Greenway is also being recognized by the Iowa Farm Bureau as a member of the ANF Wall of Honor.
Greenway, a native of Mount Vernon, South Dakota, was a four-year letterman (2002-05), helping the Hawkeyes earn a share of the Big Ten title in both 2002 and 2004. Iowa posted an overall record of 38-12 during his career, including a 25-7 mark in Big Ten play.
As a senior in 2005, Greenway earned first and second team All-America recognition by several media outlets. He earned first team All-Big Ten honors from both coaches and media. Greenway was a semifinalist for the Chuck Bednarik Defensive Player of the Year Award and the Butkus Award, and a quarterfinalist for the Lott IMPACT Trophy.
He shared Iowa’s Most Valuable Player Award and was a permanent team captain, along with earning the Hayden Fry “Extra Heartbeat” Award.
Greenway ranked second in the Big Ten and fourth in the nation in tackles per game (13.0) and was fourth in solo tackles per game (7.7). He ranks fifth in career tackles with 416 stops, and his 156 tackles in 2005 rank as the third highest single-season total at Iowa. He recorded 25 career games with 10 or more tackles, including 10 of 12 games as a senior.
Greenway also earned first and second team All-America recognition as a junior, helping Iowa earn a share of the 2004 Big Ten title. He earned first team All-Big Ten honors after being named second team as a sophomore. He started all 12 games and recorded 113 tackles.
Greenway was the 17th player selected in the 2006 NFL Draft. He spent his entire 11-year NFL career with the Minnesota Vikings prior to his retirement following the 2016 season. He ranks fourth in Vikings history with 1,334 tackles, and fourth in career starts by a linebacker (144). His 11 career interceptions rank fifth in Vikings history for linebackers. He earned Pro Bowl berths in 2011 and 2012.
Greenway was named Minnesota’s defensive MVP in 2010, 2012, and 2013. He led the team in tackles from 2008-13 after ranking second on the team in 2007. He missed the 2006 season due to injury before playing in 115 consecutive games from 2007-14. He had a career-best 22 tackles vs. Oakland in 2011, the second best single game total in franchise history.
Off the field, Greenway was recognized four times as the Vikings Community Man of the Year, most recently in 2016. He also earned the 2007 Ed Block Courage Award, for his dedication and effort in returning from a major knee injury. Greenway was honored by the NFL as the 2015 Byron “Whizzer” White Award winner, given by the NFLPA, for his work in the community, and in 2012 was the recipient of the Korey Stringer Good Guy Award.
Greenway established the Lead the Way Foundation to enhance education and health opportunities for children. Among his charities, Greenway donated funds to build a new track at his alma mater, Mount Vernon (SD) High School, and contributed $100,000 to Sanford Hospital in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to help childrens cancer patients and their families.
Greenway is married to the former Jennifer Capista, a track and field athlete during her career as a Hawkeye. The couple have four children, Maddyn, Beckett, Blakely, and Carsyn.
Greenway will accompany the Iowa captains to the center of the field for Saturday night’s pregame coin toss. He will also be with the Hawkeyes in the locker room before and after the game.
