Wiegmann first to appear on ANF Wall of Honor
Posted on 19. Oct, 2012 by admin in Iowa Football
Casey Wiegmann became the first former Iowa football player to have his name etched onto the ANF Wall of Honor on Friday, Oct. 19, 2012. The Wall of Honor is located in the NW corner of Kinnick Stadium. Wiegmann played center for the Hawkeyes and was a member of the 1995 squad that won the Sun Bowl. He played 16 seasons in the NFL.
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
IOWA CITY, Iowa — It has been almost 17 years since Casey Wiegmann last suited up the Iowa Hawkeyes. As a senior in 1995, the former center helped guide Iowa to a 38-18 victory over Washington in the Sun Bowl.
On Friday, Wiegmann was back in Iowa City to receive an honor he never expected to get, let alone be the first to have bestowed upon him.
Wiegmann became the first former Hawkeye football player to have his name etched on the ANF Wall of Honor, located in the ANF Plaza at the Northwest corner of Kinnick Stadium. The ceremony coincided with Iowa holding its second annual ANF Day on Saturday as part of the festivities surrounding the Hawkeyes’ game against Penn State.
ANF (“America Needs Farmers”) was an initiative started by former Iowa head coach Hayden Fry in 1985 that served as a reminder of the farming crisis taking place during the 1980s and stressed the importance farmers had in the lives of all Americans.
“I couldn’t believe it,” Wiegmann said. “Just all the players that have come through the University of Iowa and have been forces in the agricultural field that probably should have got it, I don’t know. I’m just honored to be the initial member. It’s something that won’t be able to be taken away from me and it means a lot to me.”
Wiegmann’s football career began by playing at Aplington-Parkersburg High School for the late Ed Thomas. That dream continued when Wiegmann earned a scholarship to play for Fry at Iowa. He spent five years as a member of the Iowa program.
While he went undrafted, Weigmann went on to play 16 seasons in the NFL, the bulk of which came as the starting center for the Kansas City Chiefs. Wiegmann still lives in the Kansas City area today with his wife and their two sons.
He and fellow Parkersburg native Jared DeVries (who was a defensive end at Iowa) run a farming business together, owning 1,250 acres of land around both Clear Lake and Aplington.
“It’s a way for me to keep my roots in Iowa, besides coming back for football games and stuff like that,” Wiegmann said. “It’s definitely a way to keep my ties to the state of Iowa.”
Below is video of Wiegmann from Friday’s ceremony:
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