IOWA CITY, Iowa – – Former University of Iowa offensive lineman Julian Vandervelde will serve as honorary captain Friday when Iowa hosts Northern Illinois at Kinnick Stadium (2:40 p.m., BTN) to kick off the season.
Vandervelde, a native of Davenport (Central HS), lettered for the Hawkeyes from 2007-10. He earned second team All-Big Ten honors as a senior. He started 37 games in his career, including all 13 games as a senior.
The Hawkeyes posted a 34-17 overall record during Vandervelde’s career, including victories in the 2009 Outback Bowl (South Carolina), 2010 FedEx Orange Bowl (Georgia Tech), and 2010 Insight Bowl (Missouri).
Vandervelde was selected by Philadelphia in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. He played for the Eagles, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers during his five-year NFL career. He was also a member of the Quad City Steamwheelers, who won the 2018 Indoor Football League championship.
Off the field, Vandervelde earned CoSIDA Academic All-America recognition three straight years. He was academic All-Big Ten four straight years. As a senior Vandervelde was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell Trophy, based on athletic and academic success, and earned the Forest Evashevski Scholastic Achievement Award.
Vandervelde performed the national anthem prior to the 2010 campus visit by President Barack Obama. As a youth he was part of the Davenport team that participated in the 2000 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Vandervelde will accompany the Iowa captains to the center of the field for Saturday’s pregame coin toss. He will also be with the Hawkeyes in the locker room before and after the game.
