Iowa Could Dominate

[hawkdrummer1]

That would have been all two lane road when you made that trip. Through all those small towns, farm machinery on the road. Dubuque traffic. Just getting to Madison would have been a major accomplishment.

Yep...and getting back even more so.

 

[Northside Hawk]

Yep...and getting back even more so.

Sometimes it was hard just getting back to Currier Hall from games at Kinnick. The bota was legal back in those days.

 

[ChosenChildren]

4 out out 19 ain’t bad I guess, huh?

4 great seasons out of 19 is better than the norm for Iowa football, going back to 1889. Hayden's tenure was very similar; several good seasons but only a few great ones.

I think the fundamental problem with you is your expectation level. You want us to compete toe to toe with Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan every year. I get it, but it is not going to happen. Your sample size is almost 40 years now: The Fry and Ferentz era.

Here were the great seasons during that era, in my very humble opinion:

1981 - Big Ten Title

1985 - Big Ten Title

1990 - Big Ten Title

1991 - 10-1-1 Big Ten Runner-up

2002 - Big Ten Title; Orange Bowl

2004 - Big Ten Title

2009 - Big Ten Runner-up /Orange Bowl win

2015 - Big Ten West Title - Big Ten Runnerup - Rose Bowl

There were a lot of good years, but only 8 great ones, in my opinion.

It is impossible for Iowa to be great year after year. It isn't going to happen, for lots of reasons.

 

[HawkGold]

4 great seasons out of 19 is better than the norm for Iowa football, going back to 1889. Hayden's tenure was very similar; several good seasons but only a few great ones.

I think the fundamental problem with you is your expectation level. You want us to compete toe to toe with Penn State, Ohio State and Michigan every year. I get it, but it is not going to happen. Your sample size is almost 40 years now: The Fry and Ferentz era.

Here were the great seasons during that era, in my very humble opinion:

1981 - Big Ten Title

1985 - Big Ten Title

1990 - Big Ten Title

1991 - 10-1-1 Big Ten Runner-up

2002 - Big Ten Title; Orange Bowl

2004 - Big Ten Title

2009 - Big Ten Runner-up /Orange Bowl win

2015 - Big Ten West Title - Big Ten Runnerup - Rose Bowl

There were a lot of good years, but only 8 great ones, in my opinion.

It is impossible for Iowa to be great year after year. It isn't going to happen, for lots of reasons.

Don't agree with this. Fry had a number of years where he was a contender and very few where he wasn't. KF not so much. The 1988 team for example was close to being one of his best and was very very competitive. There just isn't a real comparison though some of you try to make is such.

 

[MelroseHawkins]

Two monster “athletic” tackles. QB with a gun. Best/cockiest TE we’ve ever had. Stout RBs. Potential at WR. Talented D ends. Questionable DTs—hope one of the freshmen plays. Potential at LB. Experienced corners. Talented safeties. And Brian Ferentz’s slick hair.

Isn't every team saying this, this time of year?

Well, not the part about Brian Ferentz's hair, anyway.

 

[ChosenChildren]

Don't agree with this. Fry had a number of years where he was a contender and very few where he wasn't. KF not so much. The 1988 team for example was close to being one of his best and was very very competitive. There just isn't a real comparison though some of you try to make is such.

Respectfully disagree. Ferentz had some very good teams as well: 2003; 2008; 2010; 2013; 2016.

1988 was certainly no better than Ferentz "very good" teams. Fry's only runner-up finish in the Big Ten was 1991. Check your facts. Ferentz finished second in both 2009 and 2015.

I attended every home game Fry coached in. Ferentz is the better coach and is coaching in a 14 team Big Ten, versus the 10 team Big Ten that Fry competed against.

I know it is fun to bash Ferentz, but he will go down as one of Iowa's 4 greatest coaches in history.

 

[HawkGold]

Respectfully disagree. Ferentz had some very good teams as well: 2003; 2008; 2010; 2013; 2016.

1988 was certainly no better than Ferentz "very good" teams. Fry's only runner-up finish in the Big Ten was 1991. Check your facts. Ferentz finished second in both 2009 and 2015.

I attended every home game Fry coached in. Ferentz is the better coach and is coaching in a 14 team Big Ten, versus the 10 team Big Ten that Fry competed against.

I know it is fun to bash Ferentz, but he will go down as one of Iowa's 4 greatest coaches in history.

Yes, one of the 4 greatest. Two of his teams were among the best ever. I'm not a KF basher, but he frustrates the heck out of my because he leaves so much on the table, which I think is the biggest difference between the two and I think pinpoints the biggest criticism.

 

[ChosenChildren]

Yes, one of the 4 greatest. Two of his teams were among the best ever. I'm not a KF basher, but he frustrates the heck out of my because he leaves so much on the table, which I think is the biggest difference between the two and I think pinpoints the biggest criticism.

Yes, he frustrates the heck out of me too. What could have been in 2009 or even 2015. Perhaps his son will open up the playbook even more.....we'll see this fall.

Hayden really had two vastly different eras - with Snyder and without Snyder. With Snyder, that was the greatest era in Iowa football history, hands down (he averaged 8.6 wins per year from 81 thru 88). Without Snyder, he only averaged about 7 wins per year. Good, but certainly not great.

I think we were lucky to have both coaches.

Most of the kids respect Ferentz and like playing for him. I hope he is our coach for many more years.