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.

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