Caitlin Clark spent four seasons with the Iowa Hawkeyes, leading them to back-to-back NCAA championship games. She has played her final game for the Hawkeyes and will start wearing an Indiana Fever jersey in the WNBA. But has Iowa retired Clark’s iconic No. 22 jersey?
Yes, the University of Iowa has announced that they are retiring Clark’s jersey. The No. 22 uniform will never be worn again from the 2024-25 season. However, it’s unclear when the official jersey retirement ceremony will happen, but it will likely be sometime next season.
“It’s super incredible, something I’m very thankful for. There’s been a lot of good 22s who have come before me and played for this program, whether it was Kathleen Doyle or Sam Logic.
“That number holds a lot of weight, far beyond me. I’m really grateful, and it will be a special day when it happens,” Clark said during Iowa’s end-of-season celebration ceremony.
Five reasons why Caitlin Clark’s jersey was retired by Iowa
#1 – All-time leading scorer in NCAA history
Caitlin Clark is not only the greatest scorer in Iowa Hawkeyes basketball’s history but the entire NCAA. Clark broke the late Pete Maravich’s scoring record on March 3 and ended her career with 3,951 points.
#2 – Greatest basketball player in Iowa college basketball history
Iowa has produced some good basketball players like Don Nelson, B.J. Armstrong, Keegan Murray and Luka Garza. However, Caitlin Clark is the greatest player in Iowa Hawkeyes basketball history.
#3 – All-time leader in assists
Caitlin Clark is not just the all-time leading scorer in Iowa basketball history. She’s also the all-time leader in assists with 1,144, breaking the record held by Samantha Logic for both men’s and women’s teams.
#4 – Broken viewership records
Caitlin Clark led Iowa back to the NCAA championship and broke records on the way. A total of 45.6 million viewers watched the Hawkeyes’ Elite 8, Final Four and NCAA Final games.
The Elite 8 matchup against LSU attracted 12.3 million before breaking it the following game in their battle versus UConn with 14.4 million viewers. The Iowa-South Carolina championship game had an even bigger viewership, at 18.9 million.
#5 – Women’s basketball growth
Women’s college basketball was already starting to become popular when Caitlin Clark arrived in Iowa four years ago. Clark took the sport to a whole another level never seen before.
She attracted the mainstream media as well as many basketball fans. Her games were sold out both at home and on the road. Casual fans even know who she is, which is an unprecedented level of popularity.
Clark’s influence will extend beyond what she did in Iowa, inspiring the next generation of female hoopers in the country.
