Movie Review of 'Kinnick: The Documentary' 8/24/2022 - A much-anticipated movie was released today "Kinnick: The Documentary." Here are my thoughts after watching the 90-minute movie about the life of Iowa football star, Nile Kinnick, and why you should check it out. The movie starts out with the comment made to Mike Chapman from Ronald Reagan in regards to Nile Kinnick, saying that he had the potential to become President of the United States one day. That sets the tone for the type of person we will learn about in the movie. The legend of Nile is pretty well-known already (especially by Iowa fans), but this documentary uncovers the "real" Nile, the one beyond his football success. Visit Nile's profile page to learn more about his accomplishments >>> One of the key individuals in the documentary is Don Bice, Jr, who was Nile's first cousin and is still alive. He grew up with Nile in Adel. I won't give away the details of the story, but a few notes on what topics and insights are covered in the movie: His life growing up in Adel, and how he got into sports How the Kinnick yard became the school's athletic field How the Kinnick family lost their home during the great depression, leading to their move to Nebraska Why he had a year off from athletics after high school before attending university Suspected reasons why Nile chose to attend Iowa His ankle injury struggles during the 1938 season The letters sent back and forth between Nile and his family during his time at Iowa How Coach Eddie Anderson changed the trajectory of Nile and the Iowa football program The recap of the historic 1939 football season, ending with a record of 6-1-1 with victories over Minnesota and Notre Dame, but failed to win the conference or receive a bowl bid The breakdown of his 1939 Heisman Trophy speech, and how he stepped out of the standard format of previous speeches Why he declined a lot of money to play professionally, and instead attend Law School His growing interest in politics and the 1940 presidential campaign How he ended up volunteering to enlist in the Navy, instead of waiting to be drafted His enlistment in the Navy in 1941, reporting to Kansas City right before Pearl Harbor His Navy enlistment with former Iowa teammate Ken Pettit How bored he was in the Navy, waiting to complete his training His relationships with women in college and while in the Navy His experience driving through the South on his way to Pensacola, and how that shaped his views on race relations His 3-week leave after earning his pilot's license, including attending the Iowa vs Washington (MO) game in 1942 His untimely death during Navy training in the Caribbean Overall, this documentary gives a very thorough review of Kinnick's life, and gives you a more thorough understanding of who he was, including insights and details that haven't been shared in other books or documents. Watch the movie: Kinnick: The Documentary