IOWA CITY – Former University of Iowa football players Nate Kaeding, Bob Sanders and Marshal Yanda have been named finalists on the Senior Bowl 75th Anniversary Team ballot.
Kaeding, a native of Iowa City, Iowa, won the Lou Groza Award, presented to college football’s top placekicker, in 2002, and was a finalist for the award in 2003. He is Iowa’s all-time scoring leader with 373 points. Kaeding scored one touchdown, kicked 67 field goals, and was good on 166 PATs. He scored 120 kicking points in 2002, a single-season Big Ten record that stood until 2010. Kaeding was a first-team All-American in 2002 and 2003.
A third-round draft pick by the San Diego Chargers, Kaeding spent nine years with the organization. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and a two-time All-Pro selection.
Sanders, a native of Erie, Pennsylvania, recorded 348 career tackles and currently ranks 11th in career stops at Iowa. He recorded 25 tackles against Indiana in 2001, which remains the fourth-best single game total in school history. As a senior, he led the nation in forced fumbles (six) and led the Big Ten in recovered fumbles (three).
Sanders was selected in the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts. He was named the 2007 NFL Defensive Player of the Year, was a two-time Pro Bowl selection, two-time first-team All-Pro honoree and a Super Bowl XLI champion.
Yanda, a native of Anamosa, Iowa, started 25 games from 2005 to 2006 for the Hawkeyes. As a senior, he was named a second-team All-Big Ten selection by the coaches and honorable mention by the media. Yanda played two seasons at North Iowa Area Community College before transferring to Iowa.
A third-round selection by the Baltimore Ravens, Yanda went on to be named to the Pro Bowl eight times, was a seven-time All-Pro selection and was a Super Bowl XLVII champion.
The inaugural Senior Bowl was played in Jacksonville, Florida, in 1950 and moved to Mobile, Alabama, the following year, where it has become an annual tradition for over seven decades. Players who were on NFL rosters between 1998-2023 are eligible for selection to the 75th Anniversary Team.
The 75th Anniversary Team selection process will include fan participation, as well as input from current NFL executives and the Senior Bowl’s executive committee. The online fan vote will be launched at seniorbowl.com on Monday, Sept. 4.
