Former Hawkeye, Tim Dwight, Named to NFHS Hall of Fame

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Former University of Iowa football and track standout Tim Dwight is one of 11 athletes named to the National High School Hall of Fame Class of 2025. The announcement was made on Friday by the National Federation of High School Associations (NFHS).

Membership in the National High School Hall of Fame is the highest honor an individual associated with high school sports can achieve.

 “Tim has taken the lessons of education-based activities and applied them in his home state as a philanthropist and entrepreneur, passionate about renewable energy and young people,” said Tom Keating, IHSAA executive director. “He has long run the Tim Dwight Foundation, a nonprofit with almost all funds going toward the University of Iowa’s Children Hospital and Cancer Center. The foundation hosts youth football camps and is active at City High, adding to his past involvement and spokesperson roles for Salvation Army, Make-A-Wish Foundation and the nonprofit Iowa Games.”

Dwight was one of the top all-around athletes in state history at City High School in Iowa City. In football, Dwight led City High to a 23-1 record in his final two seasons, which included helping City High win its first state football championship in 1993 by scoring four touchdowns in the state final. He set state records with 40 touchdowns as a senior and 83 for his career. Dwight led Class 4A rushers with 2,113 yards and scored 488 points. And he played on the other side of the ball as well, grabbing 11 career interceptions.

Larry Brown, the football coach at City High during Dwight’s years, said Dwight’s “combination of speed, power, discipline, enthusiasm, intelligence and leadership made him basically unstoppable. I also have fond memories of how much Tim respected his coaches and his teammates.”

In track, Dwight also remains the state’s only able-bodied 12-time champion in Iowa boys track and field history. He won the 200 meters at the state meet four times (1991-94), the long jump three times (1992-94), the 400 hurdles (1992) and four relay titles. Not surprisingly, Dwight’s feats helped City High to three consecutive Iowa High School Athletic Association team track and field championships. 

Dwight began to attract national attention at the University of Iowa, where he was a wide receiver and kick returner for head coach Hayden Fry. He helped the Hawkeyes to three bowl games and was a consensus first-team All-American in 1997 as a returner when he led Division I with a 19.3-yard punt return average. He also ran track and Iowa, where he was a four-time Big Ten Conference champion in 100 meters (1999), 4x100 relay (1998, 1999) and 4x400 relay (1999).

After a successful career at Iowa, Dwight played 10 years in the NFL for five teams, beginning with the Atlanta Falcons and ending with the Oakland Raiders. His most memorable moment during his NFL career occurred in Super Bowl XXXIII for the Falcons when he had a 94-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against the Denver Broncos. 

Dwight will be honored during the NFHS annual summer meeting on June 30 in Chicago.