IOWA CITY, Iowa — Doused in sports drink at the end of a muggy afternoon on Jan. 1, 2009, Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz embraced his offensive linemen at the end of a 31-10 Outback Bowl win and started to cry.
Ten years to the day at the same location, Ferentz stood to the side as Jake Gervase and Nick Easley praised the coach who gave them a chance to shine in a 27-22 victory. Ferentz put his head in his hands and sobbed.
Advertisement
After every game of his 25 years leading the Iowa football program, the dean of Division I college football coaches walks into the center of the locker room and addresses his players. Often after victories, Ferentz starts to talk, chokes up and his players cheer.
“The emotional thing, I’ll just blame on my dad,” said Ferentz, 68. “I got that gene. He was the same way. It was that way 30 years ago. It hasn’t changed. I’ve got to live with that. It was OK for him, so it’s OK for me.”
Juxtaposed with the memories are the moments. For Ferentz, there are 199 victories. In his inaugural Iowa season in 1999, the Hawkeyes won only one game and he opened his Iowa career 2-18. Counting his three-year run at Maine, Ferentz stood at 14-39 entering a trip to Penn State in 2000. A double-overtime victory that day coupled the following week with a 27-17 upset of co-champion Northwestern started one of the league’s longest reigns of success.
From 2001 through 2022, Iowa has qualified for bowl games every season but one and has five top-10 finishes. Ferentz is tied for third in Big Ten history with Amos Alonzo Stagg for conference wins (115). Ferentz is a four-time winner as the league’s coach of the year and claimed top national honors in 2002 and 2015. Iowa ranks third in Big Ten victories the last five seasons and is tied for 10th among Power 5 programs over that span. The Hawkeyes are the only Big Ten West team to beat every league team during geographic divisional play.
Despite his accolades and success, Ferentz rarely is listed in an upper-tier coaching category. From his peers, there’s immense respect. But with an offense that has struggled and resistance toward changing his staff or style of play, Ferentz often receives more scoffs than praise.
“As long as Kirk has been there and the great job he has done because he’s kept Iowa relevant, OK, I get that,” CBS football analyst Gary Danielson said. “But sooner or later, you have to take that next step. And as football has gotten more modern, there’s criticism of him not moving like Nick Saban moved to it. Everybody has kind of moved. And Kirk has been steadfast that we’re doing it my way, the Iowa way.
Advertisement
“I wish they would open it up just a bit. They don’t need to be Graham Harrell at Purdue, and I think Kirk understands that. He plays to what he thinks he has. I think there are 90 schools that would love to have Kirk Ferentz, but right now the Iowa fans are, ‘Show me more.’”
GO DEEPER
Dochterman: There are reasons for optimism for Iowa's offense this season
On the cusp of a 200th career victory — whether or not it comes this week at rival Iowa State — Ferentz has the resume of a future College Football Hall of Fame inductee. However, his slow start has him outside looking in based on criteria. Coaches must win 60 percent of their games to become eligible. Ferentz has won nearly 62 percent of his games at Iowa but only 59.4 percent overall.
Oddly enough, 32 of the 217 coaches inducted into the Hall of Fame have lower winning percentages than Ferentz, including Iowa predecessor Hayden Fry (56.4 percent). Former Wisconsin coach Barry Alvarez, who worked alongside Ferentz for six years at Iowa, barely reached the minimum at 60.3 percent and was inducted in 2010. Whether Ferentz reaches that arbitrary line doesn’t diminish what unbiased observers consider Hall of Fame accomplishments. Once he secures win No. 200, Ferentz will become the 27th major-program coach to cross that line. All of the retired coaches who primarily led Power 5 programs have been inducted.
“No doubt,” Danielson said when asked if Ferentz is a Hall of Fame coach. “I think it’s his understanding of what it takes to win and recruit to that. It’s hard when you’re not one of the icon, destination spots to get players to win year after year after year. He recognized players. He developed them. I think the strength of the program is that he could recognize two and three stars that would help fit into his program.”
(Jeffrey Becker / USA Today)Success and development
Iowa had 48 players on NFL rosters during training camp and only six were four- or five-star recruits. Four were walk-ons, three were two-stars and 35 were three-star recruits. During Ferentz’s tenure, he has coached four two-star recruits to consensus All-American status — running back Shonn Greene, tight end Dallas Clark, cornerback Josh Jackson and linebacker Josey Jewell — plus arguably his best player, safety Bob Sanders. In addition, 13 other two-stars became NFL draft picks.
Advertisement
“In a microcosm, it’s sort of the story of the Iowa program,” said Bill Polian, a longtime NFL executive and Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee. “It’s not that they don’t recruit well; they do. But they don’t get all these ballyhooed guys. They do more with what they have maybe than anybody in the country.”
GO DEEPER
All-Kirk Ferentz team selections; top-10 greatest Iowa victories
Often those players come to Iowa a step slow, an inch too short, grew up too remotely or committed too early for high-star status, but they form the backbone of Ferentz’s program. By the time many of those players reach their third or fourth season, they have a hardened edge over their naturally talented competitors.
Iowa has churned out 25 first-team All-Americans, 11 national players of the year and 81 NFL Draft picks under Ferentz. His 10 bowl victories are tied for first in Big Ten history. The Hawkeyes earned unbeaten conference campaigns in 2002 and 2015. Only six teams nationally have won at least eight games every year since 2015 (excluding the 2020 COVID season), and Iowa is one of them.
“I have studied Iowa for a long time,” Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell said. “As a defensive guy, the way they played defense to the longevity the coaches had to the way (Ferentz has) done things with the type of kids and people that he’s had there. There’s not a bigger fan from the outside of all the things that he’s done than me.”
Controversies
That doesn’t mean Ferentz’s era is without controversy. Ferentz’s oldest son, Brian, remains his offensive coordinator despite a pair of rough statistical years. It caused former athletics director Gary Barta — who officially supervises Brian Ferentz because of university nepotism rules — to alter the coordinator’s contract with a 25-point clause and at least seven wins.
Most prominent were accusations of systemic racial bias in June 2020 by dozens of former Black players. It led to an investigation that confirmed Iowa football’s environment was not welcoming, and longtime strength coach Chris Doyle resigned. There were plenty of difficult conversations among Ferentz, his staff and his players along with the formation and later dissolution of a former player committee. A dozen former players sued Ferentz, Doyle, Brian Ferentz, other staffers and multiple entities with the university and state of Iowa electing to settle for $4.25 million this spring. Ferentz protested the settlement.
Several Black former players and parents told The Athletic in 2020 Ferentz deserved the opportunity to move the program forward. Ferentz altered his approach in many areas and has persevered. Since 2021, even with an open transfer portal, Iowa ranks among the Big Ten’s lowest in player departures.
Advertisement
“If you didn’t learn from 2020, we’re idiots,” said Iowa special teams coordinator LeVar Woods, a biracial former player under Ferentz. “Everything starts at the top with Coach Ferentz. I can tell you that I feel much more comfortable. I think everyone feels more comfortable talking to him. From the sense of just your opinions matter, your thoughts matter, your vote matters, within this building, which I don’t know that it did before. I can’t say I’ve always felt comfortable with that before, and I think the players would say the same thing. Everyone has a voice now. I would say also, I think we’re all much more cognizant of the person.”
(Joseph Maiorana / USA Today)Resiliency
Perhaps the best quality Ferentz brings is Iowa’s ability to respond to adverse situations. The examples are limitless on the field. In 2020, the Hawkeyes started 0-2 with a pair of close losses. Considering the tumultuous offseason, Iowa was ripe for a collapse. Instead, the program galvanized and won its final six games by an average of 21.8 points per game.
In 2016, Iowa’s defense gave up 599 yards in a 41-14 loss at eventual Big Ten champion Penn State. The following week, the Hawkeyes hosted No. 2 Michigan and won 14-13 on the game’s final play. Time after time, Iowa responds after setbacks and pulls out surprising wins. The Hawkeyes are 5-2 since 2008 against top-five teams at Kinnick Stadium.
GO DEEPER
Kirk Ferentz on any Iowa changes, the transfer portal and more
Near the top ranks the 2022 season when the Big Ten’s worst statistical offense since Ferentz’s arrival worked alongside one of the nation’s top defenses. Through seven games, Iowa sat 3-4 with six total offensive touchdowns after a 54-10 loss at Ohio State. Yet, he never lost the team.
“We were in a really bad spot coming out of Columbus,” Brian Ferentz said. “That thing could have gone either way. But what I found interesting as I remember him talking to the team, and basically like, ‘Hey, we have a choice to make.’ It’s a talk I’ve sat in unfortunately a few of those years. But what struck me and I hope what struck our whole team, like what makes him special, is he said, ‘Don’t mistake the fact that making the right decision doesn’t ensure results. We can choose to react the right way, we can choose to respond the right way. We can approach this the right way and we may not have success.’
“My takeaway from that is, that’s the point. That doesn’t matter. That’s a byproduct of how you do things. Now the reality of what I’ve seen over time, if you do things the right way, consistently day in and day out, the results will follow. Maybe not always when you want them, but they’ll follow. That’s the only surefire formula that I’ve seen. There are no shortcuts.”
That message was clear and direct. Iowa won five of its final six games.
Advertisement
“That was kind of his thing, just staying positive, coming out to practices every day with a purpose and just being ready to go,” sixth-year defensive end Joe Evans said. “I think that’s what that team did really well last year.”
Humble approach
What sets Ferentz apart from his peers? Everything points toward his humility. During his first season as head coach, the team held a softball game. Afterward, Ferentz grabbed a trash bag and picked up the paper plates and cans left behind. Defensive coordinator Norm Parker walked to offensive assistant Chuck Long and asked, “Is the head coach doing that? Has he always been that way?” Long, who played quarterback when Ferentz was the offensive line coach, said, “Yep, that’s Kirk for you. He’ll roll his sleeves up and work along with you. If that means picking up garbage, he’ll do it.”
That left an impression on the defensive coordinator.
“Norm Parker said, ‘If you ever want to know what it looks like to be a man, watch Coach Ferentz,’” Woods said. “‘You write it down.’ I’m telling you, man, over 25 years, the guy’s the exact same. He’s a football coach. He’s a teacher. He’s a dad, like, he’s a great human being.
“I don’t know what his best day was personally, but I’ve seen him on his worst day personally — I’m pretty confident that it was his worst day professionally. That guy’s the same.”
As Ferentz often moves to tears when discussing his players, many of his former pupils do the same when mentioning him. Linebacker Jack Campbell, perhaps Ferentz’s best captain and a unanimous first-team All-American, choked up when talking about his coach. As an eventual first-round pick, Campbell could have opted out of Iowa’s Music City Bowl last December. Instead, he didn’t even consider it.
“Coach Kirk Ferentz, in a time of I feel like a little bit of unrest maybe in college football,” Campbell said, “the stability here and everything that he’s done for me, done for my family and done for every single player on this team is truly special. So anytime that I’m gonna have a chance to play for him, I’m gonna go play for him.”
Advertisement
Ferentz’s approach also applies to former colleagues. Dan McCarney, who coached Iowa’s defensive line in the 1980s, brought his North Texas squad to Kinnick Stadium in 2015. For every home game, Ferentz nominates honorary team captains. That day, Ferentz brought in three defensive linemen McCarney coached at Iowa in 1981.
“Kirk’s middle name is first class,” McCarney said. “To carry the torch with the class and the success and the dignity that he has when it was passed to him from Coach Fry, it’s just amazing.”
Among the questions Brian Ferentz frequently hears relates to working for his father. His answer is surprisingly candid.
“The hardest part about coaching for him is that you walk in here every day with somebody that even if you are operating at your absolute maximum efficiency and potential, you couldn’t measure up to him on a bad day the way he treats people,” Brian Ferentz said. “The way he handles himself. The dignity he has. The honesty. He doesn’t lie, he doesn’t cheat, he doesn’t steal and he treats people right. Seems simple. But man, that’s really hard to do in a leadership position. I’ve been around a lot of leaders that couldn’t follow those rules.”
Illinois coach Bret Bielema said he learned how to listen after working for Ferentz for three years. Dozens of former players rave about how his attention to detail made them better. At Iowa summer camps, Ferentz is hands-on with participants providing instruction. At public events, Ferentz often stays well into the clean-up stage shaking hands, conversing with fans and remembering names.
For Woods, his experience with Ferentz now comes full circle. He remembers Norm Parker’s words and now he relays them to his own players.
“For 25 years, I’ve been watching the guy,” Woods said. “My players, when they come to a meeting and they’ve got their notebook open, I said, ‘Listen, 25 years ago, (Norm) may have said the same thing. I wrote it down then, I’m writing it down now. You’re with a hall-of-fame coach. A hall-of-fame person. Write it down.”
(Top photo: David K Purdy / Getty Images)
ncG1vNJzZmismJqutbTLnquim16YvK57k3FqcmlhbHxzfJFsZmlxX2WEcLfIq6JmnpWnsq%2FA2WafmqScYrynecWapJ5lk6SupLSMnKalpJWcsm6yzqirm5mcoXw%3D