Kirk Ferentz Through the Decades at Iowa

Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz turned 70 on August 1st. Many prognosticators over the years have tried to predict when Ferentz would step down and turn the Hawkeye football program over to someone else. Iowa fans remember the legendary Hayden Fry hanging on too long. They certainly don't want it to happen again with Ferentz. But make no mistake about it, Kirk Ferentz has no plans to slow down any time soon!

For those who aren't familiar with Ferentz's story, he was an assistant under Hayden Fry at Iowa from 1981 to 1989. He left and spent three years as the head coach at the University of Maine. Then, in 1993, he jumped to the NFL, becoming the offensive line coach for the Cleveland Browns and then the Baltimore Ravens. But soon, Iowa would come calling, and Ferentz would be asked to replace a legend.

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On December 2, 1998, Kirk Ferentz was officially hired as the 25th football coach at the University of Iowa. He replaced Hayden Fry, who retired after a 3-8 final campaign with the Hawkeyes.

Iowa Football Coach Kirk Ferentz Through the Years

Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz turned 70 this summer. Here is a look at the legendary Iowa coach through the years.

Gallery Credit: Ryan Brainard

No one could have guessed that 27 years later, Ferentz is still coaching Iowa football. And no one could have predicted all the records he would set along the way. Here are just a few.

He is the longest tenured college football coach in the nation.
He is the all-time winningest coach in Iowa football history.
Ferentz ranks second only to Woody Hayes with 204 career Big Ten wins. A record he will most likely break this season.
He ranks first among active coaches with 94 NFL Draft picks, including 13 first-rounders.
He has led Iowa to 22 bowl games in 26 seasons.

Yes, Ferentz has suffered through bad seasons and his share of controversies. But he has navigated all of them and come out on the other side.

How long will Coach Ferentz be at Iowa? Probably as long as he wants to. Iowa fans anxious to see him go should be careful what they wish for. It isn't often a legend replaces a legend.