Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/744141
17 Pete Dawkins won the Heisman Trophy in 1958, receiving 1,394 votes to Duncan's 1,021. Behind Duncan's leadership in the huddle and his play after the ball was snapped, Iowa finished second to LSU in the final Associated Press poll of the 1958 season. Back then, the poll came out before bowl games were played. The undefeated Tigers defeated two ranked teams during the regular season — No. 11 Mississippi and No. 14 Florida. Iowa defeated three — No. 7 Wisconsin, No. 10 TCU, and No. 17 Notre Dame. Iowa also tied No. 6 Air Force and lost to No. 8 Ohio State (38-28, even though Duncan completed 22-of- 33 passes for 249 yards). LSU finished unbeaten with a 7-0 victory over No. 12 Clemson in the Sugar Bowl. Iowa's one-sided victory over No. 16 California in the Rose Bowl convinced the Football Writers Association of America to declare Iowa the national champion, and they presented the Hawkeyes with the Grantland Rice Award. In addition to being named the Big Ten's MVP as a senior, Duncan was a consensus All-American, was presented the Walter Camp Award as the national back of the year and was named college player of the year by three organizations. The Green Bay Packers made Duncan the first pick in the 1959 NFL Draft, but he opted to go to the Canadian Football League. It was the wrong decision, he said many years later. After two seasons in Canada and another with the Dallas Texans of the American Football League, Duncan retired. He returned home to get his law degree from Drake University. He had a distinguished law career for more than 40 years. Of all his honors on the football field, Duncan said that being named Iowa's MVP in 1958 meant the most to him "because my teammates did the voting." Duncan was elected to the National Football Foundation College Football Hall of Fame in 1997. Not bad for a guy who said he rode the coattails of teammates.