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College football in Iowa typically means picking between the Hawkeyes or Cyclones. But up in Cedar Rapids, fans have their own team – the Northern Iowa Panthers.
The Panthers compete in the FCS Missouri Valley Conference. They’ve been around for 135 seasons and collected 33 conference championships along the way.
Their NFL pipeline includes some notable names. Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner is the most famous; former Cardinals running back David Johnson also came through the program.
Redshirt freshman quarterback Vincenzo Gianforte wants to join that list.
And based on what happened at UNI’s spring game, he’s got the competitive fire.
Almost forgot to post this from UNI's spring game.
At the end of the game, all the kids got to come down and try to tackle a Northern Iowa player on the kickoff.
One kid might make business decisions for a while. (He seemed to be just fine) pic.twitter.com/3BEO0jzrrD
— Collin Davies (@DaviesCollin) April 27, 2026
The Panthers wrapped up their spring game with a fun tradition – letting kids from the crowd run onto the field and try tackling a UNI player. Gianforte volunteered to be that player.
What’s supposed to be a lighthearted moment turned into something else entirely. Gianforte didn’t just go down easy and let the kids celebrate; he fought through the whole group, eventually scoring a touchdown.
One kid got the worst of it – a brutal stiff arm that sent him stumbling backward.
Was Gianforte trying to embarrass a bunch of kids? Probably not. Though he did transfer to UNI after spending a year at rival Drake, so maybe there was some lingering competitive intensity he needed to work out.
The kid who took the stiff arm appeared fine afterward. He’ll either find a new hobby or use this as fuel – either way, it’s a story he’ll be telling for years.
