Former Cyclone Lineman Tim Kohn

“Everything good in my life comes from my decision to go to Iowa State”

While Troy Davis is clearly the most notable Cyclone from the mid-1990s, the offensive line clearing the 8 or 9 guys in the box for TD was pretty talented. This week, the Moonlight Graham Show welcomes one of the best Cyclone offensive linemen from that time period, Tim Kohn. While the Cyclones didn’t collect a lot of wins during his time in Ames, Tim Kohn made a name for himself as a talented tackle with a high ceiling. As with every Moonlighter, Kohn’s athletic career path has some really interesting twists and he is grateful for all of it. Now a financial planner living in Ankeny, Kohn looks back on a short but fascinating football career.

At over 6 feet tall and 150 pounds, Tim Kohn didn’t look much like a football player entering high school. In fact, as a young man, he didn’t even play football. He was being groomed by his dad and other coaches to be the next Kevin McHale. His doctors projected he would grow to be about 6’10. The future on the court seemed bright for the bean pole, but he did need to bulk up a little bit. As a sophomore, he started to take to the weight room and loved lifting even though he wasn’t very strong. While he had the footwork and post moves to hold his own, Kohn describes his free throw shooting as ‘Shaq-like’ and wasn’t much of a threat on a fast break. Those post moves did translate to the football field though. When he realized that he was topping out at about 6’6, he might be the tallest guy in nearly every room he entered, the NBA probably wasn’t in his future.

“I have wrecked 19 treadmills, I am not light on my feet.”

His development in the weight room was part of his decision to give football a shot. He had loved playing in the backyard as a kid, but didn’t start playing organized football until his junior year of high school. He had been bulking up thanks to his work ethic in the weight room and was starting to fill out his frame, but was still pretty long and lean. Kohn needed to continue to add weight as an offensive and defensive lineman. Kohn emerged as a standout player and was actually stumbled upon by coaches who attended a game to scout one of his opponents. After kicking that all state player’s butt up and down the field, the Iowa State Cyclones targeted the northern Illinois prep. Kohn had never even thought about ISU, but as his only major DI offer, he couldn’t pass it up. 

Kohn arrived at ISU during a transitional period in the program. The Jim Walden era was coming to a close after his first years on campus and Dan McCarney arrived to really turn things around. The reconstruction of the Cyclone offense around the talents of Troy Davis didn’t lead to a lot of wins for the Cyclones, but helping block for a two-time 2,000-yard rusher and Heisman runner up was a major point of pride for Kohn and the other offensive lineman. In fact, when there wasn’t much else to celebrate, Davis’s rush totals were what motivated Kohn and the Cyclone faithful.

“Tell your boyfriend it isn’t funny to pretend to be the Oakland Raiders”

After being a four-year starter on the offensive line for the Cyclones, Kohn was projected to go as high as the 3rd round of the 1997 NFL draft. After fielding calls and meeting with most NFL teams, Kohn was excited to see where his football career would take him next. One place that he didn’t expect was Oakland. The Raiders selected Tim Kohn in the 3rd round with the 85th pick. The pick was such a surprise that Kohn and his fiance had actually scheduled their wedding that spring thinking of all the teams he might go to, that was his only free weekend during minicamps. Al Davis had other plans though. While they hadn’t talked to Kohn at all, allegedly Davis selected Kohn because the Cowboys were really interested in him.

“There’s nothing I would change”

Kohn went on to spend 3 years in the NFL, most of that with the Raiders. While his NFL career was brief, he has great stories and experiences as both a Cyclone and the pros. This interview looks back on his days playing alongside Troy Davis and for Al Davis and many great pros, including playing in Lambeau against his favorites from his childhood. Kohn’s career as a financial planner has been very successful. He looks back at the self-described mediocrity of his football career with a lot of pride and learned many lessons that he can apply to his second career.

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