Former Hawkeye Owen Gill excited to watch Wadley, Daniels play in person
By Tyler Devine
TAMPA, Fla. – If anyone has earned the right to talk about the greatest running back combinations in the history of the Iowa football program, it's Owen Gill.
Gill earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 1984 as a part of another great running back duo with Ronnie Harmon, who earned first-team All-Big Ten and second-team All-American accolades that same year.
Gill has high praise for Iowa's newest record-setting running back tandem of senior LeShun Daniels and junior Akrum Wadley. They have combined for 1,979 rushing yards heading into Monday's Outback Bowl against Florida. That is the most rushing yards by two Iowa players in the same season.
"You know, it feelds good," Gill said Sunday while attending the Hawkeye Huddle in Tampa. "It feels good because I'm truly a fan of running backs and I love what they've done all season. Especially with the offensive line doing what they do and making it a whole lot easier for them. It's fun to watch. Definitely fun to watch.
"LeShun definitely has power, along with the speed which I think is more deceptive than anything else. Gaining yards and always getting yards after the contact so I think that's great.
"And with Wadley it's the shiftiness. It's unbelievable and you know when I'm at home watching the people he makes miss, that's a great attribute and that can't be taught. He has something that's truly special. I love watching them both and I just hope for continued success for both of them."
Gill and Harmon had combined for the second-most rushing yards in a single season when together they racked up 1,827 yards and 15 touchdowns in 1984, which culminated with a 55-17 victory over Texas in the Freedom Bowl.
Daniels and Wadley have since passed them in the record book and now have a chance to become Iowa's first two 1,000-yard rushers in the same season. Gill and Harmon are now third behind Nick Bell and Tony Stewart, who combined for 1,853 yards in 1990.
Daniels finished the regular season with 1,013 rushing yards and is the first Iowa player to eclipse 1,000 yards since Marcus Coker in 2011. Wadley needs just 34 yards against Florida to reach 1,000 yards for the season.
Gill played in three bowl games while at Iowa, including Iowa's first-ever matchup with Florida in the 1983 Gator Bowl.
Monday's Outback Bowl will be his first as a fan.
"It's really great to see what true Hawk fans are like, man," said Gill, who grew up in New York. "This is unbelievable. Right now, I live in Florida so that's why it was a lot easier for me to come down."