Cal Jones is one of two Iowa players to have their numbers retired (along with Nile Kinnick). He was a first team All-American in 1953,1954, and 1955. In 1954, he was a consensus first-team All-American despite playing the entire year with a broken wrist. Although the magazine was still in its infancy (7th issue), he was the first college football player and first African-American to be featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated in 1954. He was the first African-American player to win the Outland Trophy (1955). He was drafted by the Lions but refused to sign because of pay discrepancies between white and black players. Unfortunately, he only played one year in the CFL before dying in a plane crash on the way back home from the CFL East-West All-Star game.
