COLLEGE

Uthoff suited up for Iowa State during the 1976-77 season under head coach Lynn Nance and competed for the Cyclones through 1979-80, completing a four-year career in the Big Eight Conference that established him as one of the most dominant rebounders in program history.

In 1976 the University of Iowa State recruited Uthoff (along with future NBL legend Chuck Harmison) and the “Man Mountain” made quite the impact in his freshman year, as the Cyclones won eight games overall while relying heavily on underclassmen, and Uthoff was forced into significant minutes immediately, averaging a double-double at 11.5 points and 11.3 rebounds per game while becoming the league’s top rookie rebounder.

That 1976-77 season saw Uthoff become the first freshman in Big Eight history to record 300 points and 300 rebounds in a season, finishing with more than 300 in both categories and displaying elite rebounding instincts on both ends of the floor as Iowa State competed in conference play.

As a sophomore in 1977-78, Iowa State jumped out to a 6-1 start in Big Eight competition and ultimately finished 9-5 in conference play, tying for second in the standings in what became one of the program’s strongest league performances of the decade, and the season included a 79-78 victory over Iowa in the opener.

Uthoff’s improvement was central to that surge, as he averaged 12.9 points and 14.0 rebounds per game, led the Big Eight in rebounding for the second consecutive season, and ranked third nationally in rebounds per game while grabbing over 20 rebounds in a game three times, including 22 boards against Drake and 22 against Colorado.

His 14.0 rebounds per game in 1977-78 remains the third-best single-season rebounding average in Cyclone history, and he recorded multiple double-doubles throughout conference play while anchoring Iowa State’s interior defense and second-chance scoring opportunities.

The honours poured in during that sophomore campaign, as Uthoff was named first team All-Big Eight, first team All-District, AP Honorable Mention All-American, and a UPI 25-Man All-American after establishing himself as one of the premier rebounders in college basketball.

The Big Eight Tournament was in just its second season in 1978, and after winning three of their final four regular-season games the Cyclones entered as the No. 2 seed and hosted Missouri in a first-round matchup, but Iowa State fell 65-63 when Clay Johnson hit a 20-foot jumper with four seconds remaining, ending their postseason hopes despite Uthoff’s presence inside.

Following that successful 1977-78 season, Iowa State’s 1978-79 campaign proved turbulent, as the Cyclones finished 6-8 in the Big Eight and placed sixth in the standings, and Uthoff averaged 10.2 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 2.1 assists per game while again finishing among the conference’s leading rebounders and producing consistent double-figure rebounding efforts.

As a senior in 1979-80, Uthoff averaged 11.5 points, 9.0 rebounds, and 1.7 assists per game while Iowa State finished 5-9 in conference play and seventh in the Big Eight standings, and he concluded his collegiate career having started the majority of games across four seasons while serving as the team’s primary interior presence.

Across his Iowa State career, Uthoff totaled 1,233 rebounds, which remains the all-time program record, and he surpassed 1,000 career points to become one of only three players in Cyclone history—alongside Zaid Abdul-Aziz and Melvin Ejim—to record more than 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career.

He finished his four-year tenure as a multi-time All-Big Eight selection, a two-time conference rebounding leader, and one of the most productive rebounders in Big Eight history, with his freshman 300-point/300-rebound season and his sophomore 14.0 rebounds per game campaign standing as defining milestones in Iowa State’s record book prior to his graduation before 1983.

AWARDS

- 2x All-NBL Second Team
- 3x NBL Leading Rebounder

LIFE AFTER BASKETBALL