IOWA CITY, Iowa – Four former University of Iowa football student-athletes will be inducted into the IHSAA Football Hall of Fame Friday evening. Dan Dickel, James Morris, Lon Olejniczak and Mark Sindlinger will be honored at halftime of the Class 5A championship game at the UNI Dome in Cedar Falls.
Dickel was an all-state defensive end, who also played receiver for Mid-Prairie HS, helped the 1969 squad finish undefeated and ranked in the top five. He played both ways and starred for Mid-Prairie’s state basketball runner-up squad before playing defensive end with the Hawkeyes. Dickel led the Big Ten in tackles for loss and was named Iowa’s team MVP in 1972, before playing in the All-American Bowl. Drafted by the Baltimore Colts, he played five NFL seasons before going into high school coaching, featuring stops all around the Iowa City area at City High, West, Regina, Highland and Lone Tree.
Morris led Solon HS to four straight finals, including three championships in one of the great two-way careers in Iowa high school football history. Morris was a two-time Gatorade Player of the Year (2008, 2009) and three-time all-state player for the Spartans, rushing for 6,477 yards, scoring 674 points and leading his team in tackles for three seasons as a linebacker. Morris went on to play for the Hawkeyes, earning All-America honors in 2013, and finishing as a Lott and Campbell Trophy finalist. He spent three seasons in the NFL, including a Super Bowl win with the New England Patriots at linebacker and on special teams.
Olejniczak was a quarterback and multi-sport star for Decorah HS during a successful run in the late 1970s. Olejniczak’s squad went undefeated in the regular season and made the 1978 playoffs in Class 3A. He was a Prep Football All-American and the Des Moines Register’s pick as elite all-state quarterback. Decorah also made the state basketball tournament with Olejniczak and he is a member of the Iowa High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame as a two-time all-state player under his father and coach Dennis. He went on to play both football and baseball at the University of Iowa, starting at multiple positions and on special teams in 1980-81.
Sindlinger was a dominant two-way force, who played defensive tackle, offensive tackle and fullback a three-year starter for Charles City HS. He was a first team all-state selection in 1982, while excelling in wrestling and track and field. Sindlinger won three wrestling state titles at super heavyweight and two junior national championships, and is a member of the IHSAA Wrestling Hall of Fame. Sindlinger went on to be four-year letterwinner at Iowa, starting three years at center and playing in four bowl games, including the 1986 Rose Bowl while winning a Big Ten title and earning All-America honors in wrestling.