Is Kirk Ferentz a Hall of Fame Coach?

I think you answered your own question with your post JM...I think if we see a CFP appearance, meaning a B1G conference winner, and possibly another 1 or 2, 9+ win seasons he's a lock...not knowing other coaches that are on cusp, I'd say he is on track to being there for sure.
 
Jon -

My hat is off to you for being man enough to admit when you are wrong. Thank you for your great work!!

GO HAWKS!!!
 
Does it really take that much to get into the HOF? Even though Kirk is an average coach statistically, he'll get in simply because he's coached so long, especially at the same school. For all we know, he's going to pull a Paterno and coach till he dies minus the pedo stuff, of course.
 
Does it really take that much to get into the HOF? Even though Kirk is an average coach statistically, he'll get in simply because he's coached so long, especially at the same school. For all we know, he's going to pull a Paterno and coach till he dies minus the pedo stuff, of course.

He needs another B1G championship and the subsequent play-off birth. That coupled with the 11 or 12 season the feat would require would make him HOF in my eyes. 2 or 3 more 7 and 8 win seasons? The stats will be HOF worthy, but it will still feel as though he never fully capitalized.

Plain and simple he still needs to put a stamp on it.
 
At this point I would say he is on the bubble. Certainly in Iowa history he will forever be remembered, but not so sure about that national recognition.
 
This is a tough one. I look back when he took over a bare cupboard to the years of 2002-2004 and it's hard to argue his HOF chances. But then we can see some seasons like 2012 (4-8) and you scratch head.
Personally, he has done just as much for our program as any previous coach and how many upsets of top ranked teams in Kinnick under the lights??? If he has a few more 10+ seasons and a quality New Year's Day bowl victory, he's a lock. Let's start with this year! Go Hawks!
 
Anyone have a list of other HOF coaches. I don't think it's all about wins and winning percentage is it? I'm just curious of other coaches that are in and maybe even some that aren't but are pretty good and how he compares to them.
 
I get the argument that Halls should be for elite players and coaches and KF isn't an elite coach. But HOFs seem to have been lowering their standards as of late so that would look better for Kirk.

3,000 hits has meant an automatic inclusion into baseball's HOF. What would the equivalent-to-hits win total for college coaches that would seem to mean an automatic inclusion? Kirk has 155, if you include Maine. So would it be 150 or 200 maybe?

I don't know if you should include the millions in $ he's donated to the children's hospital or not, since that's off the field but it can't hurt his argument. Five top ten finishes, no recruiting violations that we're aware of, fewer scandals than many other coaches have had.

Craig Biggio had 3K hits and will probably be inducted into baseball's HOF some day even though he was only a lifetime .281 hitter. Kirk might just be college football's equivalent to Craig Biggio.
 
Anyone have a list of other HOF coaches. I don't think it's all about wins and winning percentage is it? I'm just curious of other coaches that are in and maybe even some that aren't but are pretty good and how he compares to them.
Well, Alvarez and Snyder are already in. Neither of them won NC's. Obviously they're getting credit for their program turnarounds and good but not great win rates

But, there are lots of other guys you look at and go "I'm not sure I'd call him a HOF'er, but he's in". An example I'd say compares to KF is R.C. Slocum. At A&M they had a stretch of very good years in the early '90's- top10 finishes, 3 straight years undefeated in the conference. But there wasn't much competition in the SWC at that time. Slocum won at a better rate than KF (just over 70%), but was only there 14 years. And obviously being in Texas helps a little bit.
 
KF is #54 all-time for career games coached:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/leaders/g-coach-career.html

He is #69 all-time for career wins:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/leaders/g-coach-career.html

He is #55 all-time for career losses:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/leaders/losses-coach-career.html

He is #182 allt-time for win%:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/leaders/win-loss-pct-coach-career.html

Of the current 129 FBS coaches, he has the 70th best win%. From that same list of 129 current coaches, he has the 39th best win% at his current school. If we limit the pool to only the coaches who have been at their current school for at least 5 years (50 total coaches), he has the 22nd best win%.

Of the 65 current P5 + Notre Dame coaches, his win% is somewhere around 40th. Looking just at the 53 coaches who have been at their schools at least 1 year, he has the 24th best win%.

Iowa has finished in the top 10 nationally 7 times since 1960. KF has coached 5 of those teams. He has finished in the top 10 in 5 of his 19 years (about 25% of the time). Oddly, there has been only 1 season that he has finished ranked AND not in the top 10 (#20 at the end of 2008).

Far from elite. But I would also argue above average. I don't think average coaches come to Iowa and finish in the top 10 nationally better than 25% of the time, although I guess we have no way of really knowing if that is true. I wish I could find a list of how many major college football coaches have ever coached at least 10 years to give his 182nd place in all-time win% in perspective. I am guessing his percentile rank puts him substantially above average.
 
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Well, Alvarez and Snyder are already in. Neither of them won NC's. Obviously they're getting credit for their program turnarounds and good but not great win rates

But, there are lots of other guys you look at and go "I'm not sure I'd call him a HOF'er, but he's in". An example I'd say compares to KF is R.C. Slocum. At A&M they had a stretch of very good years in the early '90's- top10 finishes, 3 straight years undefeated in the conference. But there wasn't much competition in the SWC at that time. Slocum won at a better rate than KF (just over 70%), but was only there 14 years. And obviously being in Texas helps a little bit.
Thanks for the examples. So yeah I could see KF being looked at in a similar light to a guy like Slocum than. I wonder if KF will be looked at as 'turning Iowa around' so much as just rebuilding it. Fry did the heavy lifting in regards to totally turning it around. Sure Iowa was in rough shape when KF took it over but I think his ability to get them good again within a recruiting cycle shows the difference between what Fry took over and what KF did. KF had a recruiting landscape and program he could sell way more than what Fry did to start with.
 
I think they should let him in the hall of fame. Then lock him in there and not let him for twenty years. :D
 
KF is #54 all-time for career games coached:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/leaders/g-coach-career.html

He is #69 all-time for career wins:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/leaders/g-coach-career.html

He is #55 all-time for career losses:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/leaders/losses-coach-career.html

He is #182 allt-time for win%:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/leaders/win-loss-pct-coach-career.html

Of the current 129 FBS coaches, he has the 70th best win%. From that same list of 129 current coaches, he has the 39th best win% at his current school. If we limit the pool to only the coaches who have been at their current school for at least 5 years (50 total coaches), he has the 22nd best win%.

Of the 65 current P5 + Notre Dame coaches, his win% is somewhere around 40th. Looking just at the 53 coaches who have been at their schools at least 1 year, he has the 24th best win%.

Iowa has finished in the top 10 nationally 7 times since 1960. KF has coached 5 of those teams. He has finished in the top 10 in 5 of his 19 years (about 25% of the time). Oddly, there has been only 1 season that he has finished ranked AND not in the top 10 (#20 at the end of 2008).

Far from elite. But I would also argue above average. I don't think average coaches come to Iowa and finish in the top 10 nationally better than 25% of the time, although I guess we have no way of really knowing if that is true. I wish I could find a list of how many major college football coaches have ever coached at least 10 years to give his 182nd place in all-time win% in perspective. I am guessing his percentile rank puts him substantially above average.
Thanks for digging all that up. To me I think this makes him good enough to be in the hall of pretty good. Not HOF so much. To me if every coach that hangs around awhile in the middle of the pack of everything is a HOFer than that just waters it down to me...
 

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