Five Dubuque Natives Who Played in the NFL (LIST)

Americans' appetite for football is insatiable. Iowa alone has proven that over the last couple years. This year, we've seen a new football team pop up in Waterloo, an announcement revealing another is coming to Dubuque in 2025, and we just saw two rookies from Dubuque sign with NFL teams this offseason.

In celebration of this hankering for football (psst... the first NFL game of the season is less than two weeks away), I decided to do some research on football players who call Dubuque home. Take a look at five NFL players who grew up in Dubuque, many of whom even attended schools in Iowa as well!

Lester "Dick" Hoerner:

Hailing from Dubuque and a graduate of Dubuque High School, Dick Hoerner became a standout fullback for the Los Angeles Rams back in the late 1940s. Selected in Round 17 of the 1945 NFL Draft, Hoerner went on to be part of the championship winning Rams team in 1951, his final year with the squad.

Standing tall at 6'4'', he's everything you could've wanted at the positions. The Los Angeles Times called him "a murderous linebacker," surely delivering hits that would result in fines, ejections, and likely suspensions in this day-and-age. Hoerner rushed for over 2,000 yards and 30 touchdowns during his time in the NFL, and caught another 80 balls for over 1,100 yards and four scores.

Hoerner died in 2010 at the age of 88 following a stroke.

Karl Noonan:

Born in Dubuque in 1944, Karl Noonan was a standout wide receiver for the Miami Dolphins for seven seasons (1966 - 1972). During his final three seasons, Noonan played under legendary head coach Don Shula, with whom he helped lead the Dolphins to a Super Bowl victory in his final season.

Noonan played for the Hawkeyes and went undrafted in 1966, signing with the Dolphins shortly after that year's draft. His breakout season came in 1968 when he caught 58 passes for 760 yards and had a league-leading 11 touchdowns. While not active for the Dolphins' Super Bowl win in 1972, he assisted the coaching staff from the press box, helping them analyze the opposing defense.

Noonan is still alive today at age 80.

Mike Reilly:

One of the most popular football players with Dubuque roots has to be linebacker Mike Reilly, who shined in the sport throughout his career, dating back to his time at Dubuque Senior High School. Reilly went on to play for the Hawkeyes, where he was an All-Big Ten and All-American at guard in 1963.

In the NFL, however, Reilly pivoted to linebacker with the Chicago Bears, playing five seasons with the team. He was part of the Minnesota Vikings team that won the championship in 1969. Following his playing career, Reilly went into banking and worked as a color commentator for the University of Iowa broadcasts for 25 years.

Reilly suffered from Alzheimer's in his final years, and passed away in October 2019 in Dubuque.

Michael Joseph:

Technically, Michael Joseph did not grow up in Dubuque, but he's notable for a number of reasons.

The Oswego, IL native never started a game at Oswego High School, and didn't have any stats as he was searching for a college at which to play ball. Eventually, Joseph received an offer from the University of Dubuque, and took it based on a familial connection.

After excelling on UD's developmental squad, he was called up to the roster as a freshman and made an impact in the ensuing years. He was the only D-III player at the 2018 Senior Bowl too. Joseph went undrafted in the NFL, but signed with the Chicago Bears, where he spent five seasons on the team's practice squad as a cornerback.

During the 2021 season, he appeared in his first NFL game against the Vikings, playing three snaps on defense and six on special teams. Presently, he plays for the DC Defenders of the United Football League, and was named to the 2023 All-XFL Team (back when the team was part of the XFL).

Jack Plummer:

Finally, meet Jack Plummer, a 24-year-old quarterback who played college football at Purdue, California, and most recently, Louisville, for his fifth and final season of college eligibility. Plummer was born in Dubuque in 1999!

Unfortunately, though, that's where Plummer's connection with the region starts and stops. Shortly after he was born, him and his mother moved to Gilbert, AZ, where he began his journey to becoming a college quarterback. His first opportunity at Purdue lasted three years (2019 - 2021) until he was benched in favor of Aidan O'Connell (the current Las Vegas Raiders quarterback).

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From there, Plummer transferred to California for the 2022 season, where he led the team to a 4-8 record. After Cal, he transferred again, this time to Louisville, where he led the Cardinals to a 10-2 record and a subsequent trip to the 2023 ACC Championship Game against the Florida State Seminoles.

Plummer was one of nine former Louisville Cardinals to go undrafted following the 2024 NFL Draft. However, he wasn't a free agent for very long. Shortly after the conclusion of the draft, the Carolina Panthers signed him to an UDFA quarterback deal.

Read more about Jack Plummer here!

READ MORE ABOUT DUBUQUE GETTING ITS OWN FOOTBALL TEAM IN 2025.