Nile Kinnick: The Gridiron Hero Reagan Thought Could Be President
Our American Stories
iHeartPodcasts
4.6 • 816 Ratings
🗓️ 3 June 2026
⏱️ 30 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
On this episode of Our American Stories, Nile Kinnick transformed a struggling Iowa Hawkeyes football program through sheer grit, leadership, and one extraordinary season that earned him college football’s highest honor, the Heisman Trophy. But after becoming one of the biggest stars in American sports, Kinnick turned away from professional football, pursued law, and ultimately answered the call to serve during World War II, where he would pay the ultimate sacrifice.
Scott Siepker, AKA “Iowa Nice Guy” and the creator of Kinnick: The Documentary, shares the remarkable story of the namesake of Kinnick Stadium, whose brief life left a lasting mark on college football, Iowa, and the country he ultimately died serving. Even Ronald Reagan once said Kinnick possessed the kind of character that could have made him president.
Support the show (https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate)
Support the show: https://www.ouramericanstories.com/donate
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | This is an I-Heart podcast. |
| 0:02.6 | Guaranteed Human. |
| 0:13.9 | This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories. |
| 0:18.8 | Over the course of World War II, 19 NFL players would pay the ultimate |
| 0:23.6 | sacrifice in both the European and Pacific theaters. Around 638 NFL players would serve. |
| 0:32.0 | But this story isn't about an NFL player, though he certainly would have been drafted first |
| 0:36.7 | overall, and he decided to pursue |
| 0:39.0 | football as a career rather than service to God and country. Here to share the story of Iowa's |
| 0:45.0 | own Nile Kinnock is Scott Sightker. Take it away, Scott. In Iowa, we have no professional teams. |
| 0:53.6 | So our big teams are our college football teams. |
| 0:56.5 | And all right. Bring it. Arnod steps up. Junk set out, complete inside the ball and a touchdown, Iowa State. |
| 1:04.6 | And while Iowa State University, my alma mater has grown immensely. It is true. |
| 1:11.6 | The number one brand, the biggest brand still in the state of Iowa is the Iowa Hawkeyes. |
| 1:21.6 | Tough-nosed, defense-oriented, ridiculed at times for loving punting. The Hawkeyes are known for playing |
| 1:30.1 | hard, playing smart, playing above their talent. And as you grow up, a fan of a school, you of course |
| 1:38.6 | get to know the lore and the legends of that university. And at the University of Iowa, there is no greater figure |
| 1:48.9 | than Nile Kinnic. He was to Iowa what Red Grange was to Illinois. Something like a god. |
| 1:57.7 | He won the Heisman Trophy in 1939. He won the Maxwell Trophy as the best running back in the country. He won the Heisman trophy in 1939. He won the Maxwell trophy as the best running back in the country. |
| 2:03.5 | He was the nation's leading punter. He was the drop kicker. He won the Walter Camp |
| 2:08.2 | trophy. Became an All-American. |
| 2:09.7 | Named of the Sports Illustrated All-Century team 60 years after his last game. |
| 2:15.6 | And then, yes, he also played cornerback on defense. |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 26 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from iHeartPodcasts, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of iHeartPodcasts and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.