Wilburn Hollis (November 12, 1940 – February 1, 2024) was an Americancollege football player for theUniversity of Iowa from 1959–1961 and one of the first African Americans to earnAll-American honors atquarterback. He led theHawkeyes to aBig Ten championship as a junior in 1960 and was named a second team All-American that season.
Wilburn Hollis was born inPontotoc County, Mississippi, but moved toBoys Town, Nebraska, at age 10. At Boys Town, Hollis played football, basketball, baseball, and track.[1] He was recruited to Iowa by CoachForest Evashevski and arrived inIowa City in 1958.
Hollis died on February 1, 2024, at the age of 83.[2]
After sitting behind Olen Treadway as a sophomore in 1959, Hollis ascended to the starting quarterback position as a junior and helped lead Iowa to one of its most successful seasons.[3] AgainstWisconsin in 1960, Hollis threw the winning touchdown pass to Sammie Harris with only 52 seconds remaining in a 28–21 victory.[4] That performance earned him National Back of the Week honors from theAssociated Press, and Iowa was elevated to the No. 1 ranking in the nation after the win. Iowa spent three weeks at No. 1 and won a share of theBig Ten title with an 8–1 record.[5]
Wilburn Hollis scored 68 points in 1960, the most points scored at Iowa by a single player since 1922. He was an all-Big Ten selection and a second teamAll-American as a junior.[6]
Iowa began Hollis' senior season in 1961 as the No. 1 ranked team in the nation in preseason. Hollis led Iowa to a win in the opening game, rushing for 124 yards and two touchdowns in a 28–7 victory.[7] However, Hollis fractured his right wrist in the second game of the season, and his Iowa career came to a premature end.[8]