JonDMiller
Publisher/Founder
Will Kirk Ferentz make it into the College Football Hall of Fame?
With what Iowa is doing in 2015, I believe that is a legitimate question and one worth writing about.
First, I understand some of you will be thinking ‘Wait, aren’t you the guy who wrote that the game had passed him by and that you wanted to see him resign to protect his legacy?’
Yes, one in the same. I addressed the ‘game passed him by’ aspect in this piece I wrote back on September 27th.
And as for me wanting to see him step down after last year, I did say and write that. My rationale was that since I didn’t expect him to make some changes that needed to be made, I would rather see him negotiate a retirement settlement so that he could protect the Iowa legacy that he built. I’ve never hidden my respect for the man, for what he and his wife have done on the philanthropic front or the great job he has done rebuilding the Iowa program and taking it to some never before reached heights.
I didn’t want for that to be buried with an average or mediocre ending to his career, which is where I thought things were headed.
So yeah, that was a SWING AND A MISS…exponentially!
Trust me, there will be crow eating from me in the coming weeks, so don’t touch that dial.
Now that we’ve gotten past that point for this ten seconds, back to the premise for this piece and one that can be analyzed objectively and with facts.
Will Kirk Ferentz make it into the College Football Hall of Fame?
Here were some Big Ten numbers before the season began, from the Big Ten’s media guide:
Feentz now has 126 wins, moving him ahead of Barry Alvarez and Lloyd Carr. I think it’s fairly safe to assume that Ferentz will be Iowa’s head coach for at least the next two seasons (and probably at least four or five if he wants to coach that long).
If Iowa averages eight wins per year over the next two on top of his 126 right now, that’s 142 wins, or on the doorstep of Hayden Fry. That doesn’t factor in any more wins this year.
In ‘Most Big Ten Wins’, Ferentz now has 75, moving him into 8th place all time in the Big Ten. If he wins at Nebraska on Friday, he is tied for 8th with Robert Zuppke of Illinois and would likely surpass Carr’s total of 81 within the next two years. If Ferentz is at Iowa for another four or five years, Joe Paterno and Hayden Fry would be in range.
Feentz is also in elite company as it relates to bowl wins.
As you can see, Ferentz has a chance to launch himself into some incredibly heady company these next few years. It’s amazing to consider these things given where attitudes were just one year ago.
But to the point…is this a Hall of Fame resume? Consider the following Kirk Ferentz at Iowa accomplishments:
Final Top Ten Rankings: Four (and counting)
Big Ten Titles: 2
Big Ten Divisional Titles: 1
Bowl Wins: 6
Bowl Appearances: 12 in 16 years (soon to be 13 in 17)
Big Ten Coach of the Year: 3
National Coach of the Year: 1
10 or More Win Seasons: 5
11 or More Win Seasons: 3
Outland Trophy Winners: 2
Doak Walker Winners: 1
Davey O’Brien Winners: 1
Ap Player of the Year Winners: 1
Also factor in the developmental aspects of the Iowa program and the generally middling ‘star rankings’ of Iowa’s recruiting classes compared to the number of players Iowa has put into the NFL.
Then consider how few coaches in the history of the sport rebuilt a program to a national high, saw it fall pull back, built it back up to another national high, saw it fall back and then built it to one of its highest perches, ever. That list is short…as in one or two others short. We’re talking Paterno and Bill Snyder, here.
Refer back to the image inset above. Look at the Most Overall Wins list one more time. There is just one coach on that list who is not currently a member of the College Football Coaches Hall of Fame, and his name is Kirk Ferentz.
I believe it’s a pretty safe bet that Kirk Ferentz will be added to that illustrious list at some point in the not too distant future. I believe he could retire today and not coach another game, and he’s in. This year’s third mountaintop season for Ferentz pretty much seals it.
From Fry to Ferentz, two Hall of Fame coaches and 35 years packed full of amazing memories and stories, with the 2015 Iowa football season of of the most amazing of them all.
With what Iowa is doing in 2015, I believe that is a legitimate question and one worth writing about.
First, I understand some of you will be thinking ‘Wait, aren’t you the guy who wrote that the game had passed him by and that you wanted to see him resign to protect his legacy?’
Yes, one in the same. I addressed the ‘game passed him by’ aspect in this piece I wrote back on September 27th.
And as for me wanting to see him step down after last year, I did say and write that. My rationale was that since I didn’t expect him to make some changes that needed to be made, I would rather see him negotiate a retirement settlement so that he could protect the Iowa legacy that he built. I’ve never hidden my respect for the man, for what he and his wife have done on the philanthropic front or the great job he has done rebuilding the Iowa program and taking it to some never before reached heights.
I didn’t want for that to be buried with an average or mediocre ending to his career, which is where I thought things were headed.
So yeah, that was a SWING AND A MISS…exponentially!
Trust me, there will be crow eating from me in the coming weeks, so don’t touch that dial.
Now that we’ve gotten past that point for this ten seconds, back to the premise for this piece and one that can be analyzed objectively and with facts.
Will Kirk Ferentz make it into the College Football Hall of Fame?
Here were some Big Ten numbers before the season began, from the Big Ten’s media guide:
Feentz now has 126 wins, moving him ahead of Barry Alvarez and Lloyd Carr. I think it’s fairly safe to assume that Ferentz will be Iowa’s head coach for at least the next two seasons (and probably at least four or five if he wants to coach that long).
If Iowa averages eight wins per year over the next two on top of his 126 right now, that’s 142 wins, or on the doorstep of Hayden Fry. That doesn’t factor in any more wins this year.
In ‘Most Big Ten Wins’, Ferentz now has 75, moving him into 8th place all time in the Big Ten. If he wins at Nebraska on Friday, he is tied for 8th with Robert Zuppke of Illinois and would likely surpass Carr’s total of 81 within the next two years. If Ferentz is at Iowa for another four or five years, Joe Paterno and Hayden Fry would be in range.
Feentz is also in elite company as it relates to bowl wins.
As you can see, Ferentz has a chance to launch himself into some incredibly heady company these next few years. It’s amazing to consider these things given where attitudes were just one year ago.
But to the point…is this a Hall of Fame resume? Consider the following Kirk Ferentz at Iowa accomplishments:
Final Top Ten Rankings: Four (and counting)
Big Ten Titles: 2
Big Ten Divisional Titles: 1
Bowl Wins: 6
Bowl Appearances: 12 in 16 years (soon to be 13 in 17)
Big Ten Coach of the Year: 3
National Coach of the Year: 1
10 or More Win Seasons: 5
11 or More Win Seasons: 3
Outland Trophy Winners: 2
Doak Walker Winners: 1
Davey O’Brien Winners: 1
Ap Player of the Year Winners: 1
Also factor in the developmental aspects of the Iowa program and the generally middling ‘star rankings’ of Iowa’s recruiting classes compared to the number of players Iowa has put into the NFL.
Then consider how few coaches in the history of the sport rebuilt a program to a national high, saw it fall pull back, built it back up to another national high, saw it fall back and then built it to one of its highest perches, ever. That list is short…as in one or two others short. We’re talking Paterno and Bill Snyder, here.
Refer back to the image inset above. Look at the Most Overall Wins list one more time. There is just one coach on that list who is not currently a member of the College Football Coaches Hall of Fame, and his name is Kirk Ferentz.
I believe it’s a pretty safe bet that Kirk Ferentz will be added to that illustrious list at some point in the not too distant future. I believe he could retire today and not coach another game, and he’s in. This year’s third mountaintop season for Ferentz pretty much seals it.
From Fry to Ferentz, two Hall of Fame coaches and 35 years packed full of amazing memories and stories, with the 2015 Iowa football season of of the most amazing of them all.
