February 18, 1918 – Legendary Iowa Football Coach – Forest “Evy” Evashevski – is born in Detroit, Michigan.

Forest “Evy” Evashevski – 1952-1960, 83 games coached at Iowa, 52-27-4 record, .607 winning percentage, Three Big Ten Conference championships (one tie), Two Rose Bowl Championships, One National Championship, inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.

From 1889 to today – over 130+ years – the University of Iowa has been playing football here in Iowa City. Did you know that there have been 25 different men who have coached Hawkeye football over those many decades? Here are the top five – the elite ones – based on the number of games coached, their winning percentages, and the number of conference championships they’ve won.

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February 17, 1876 – The Daily Press gives front page exposure to the new Slezak National Hall.

In 1872, a recent immigrant to Iowa City from Bohemia – Johann Slezak – bought two lots on the corner of Bloomington & Linn Streets. By 1875, his son – Joseph Slezak had opened the first of four buildings that would end up being called The National Hall. A true commercial center, Slezak Hall included a hotel, a dance hall with a stage and balcony, a grocery store, a tavern & restaurant, and even a horse stable to park your wagon and/or buggy!

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February 16, 1856 – The M&M Railroad’s locomotive – The John A. Dix – arrives – with much fanfare – in Davenport, Iowa by crossing over Mississippi River ice. Records indicate that The Dix was the 7th M&M locomotive to cross over into Iowa – and the uniqueness of its crossing was the big story – since it all happened over a frozen Mississippi River.

With its headquarters in Davenport, the M&M Railroad had lofty goals of building three lines in Iowa – the first running east/west from Davenport to Council Bluffs via Iowa City, the second running south from Muscatine to the Missouri border via Oskaloosa, and the third running north from Muscatine toward Minnesota via Marion/Cedar Rapids. Over the first ten years, much of the work entails casting vision, partnering with eastern-based railroads, and raising funds.

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