PARDEEVILLE, Wis. — Former University of Iowa football player Mark Bortz will have his high school jersey retired at Pardeeville High School on Aug. 23 prior to the season opener.
Bortz, who was a four-year letterman for the Hawkeyes from 1979-82, earned second-team All-America honors as a senior. The defensive tackle was also a first-team All-Big Ten selection in 1981 and 1982.
As a senior, Bortz was named team captain and was selected for the East-West Shine Game. He finished his Hawkeye career with 231 tackles and was named to Iowa’s All-Time Team in 1989.
After being selected by the Chicago Bears in the 1983 NFL Draft, Bortz enjoyed a productive professional career. He moved from defense to offense guard, where he went on to earn two Pro Bowl (1988, 1990) and one first-team All-Pro distinctions (1990).
The Bears won the 1985 Super Bowl and he made a franchise record 13 playoff appearances. Bortz played in 171 career games with 155 starts in his professional career.
