What Iowa football stories do you want to see?

JonDMiller

JonDMiller

Publisher/Founder
Given that we are 208 days away, what would you like to see written on the Iowa football team? There will be scores of stories we put out between now and then, and some usual pieces I have done through the years.

But I am always looking for new ideas...so if you have some unique takes that you would like to see investigated and written about, post them here and we'll see what we can do.

BUT...we can Call this the Hawkeye Project...if there is something you have a burning desire to write yourself, give it a go, send it to us and we will consider publishing it on the site. With Thousands of Hawkeye fans banging away at their keyboards over the next 208 days, we are bound to help pass the time quickly :)
 
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"Hometown Heroes"...stories about Iowans on the roster who are walk-ons trying to earn a scholarship.

Also, there are so many untold stories about the time the players and coaches put in at the Hospital with the kids...and I know they don't do it for the pub so it might be tough to get access...but give it a try.
 
Jon, I'm a little new around here, and I'm currently just a sophomore at UI. This may be something you've already done, but I'd kind of like to see a rundown of the Fry "coaching tree", as well as a little in-depth look at the careers of those coaches. I know the obvious ones like Snyder and Alvarez, and of course Ferentz. But there were other names that popped up that I didn't know about, such as Jim Leavitt and Mark Mangino (through Snyder). Just wondering if there are any others out there that some Hawk fans may be surprised to hear about. I include former players in the "tree", so guys like Chuck Long and Bielema would also be in the mix. And finally I'd like your take on whether somebody like Long or Bielema might take over for Ferentz whenever he decides to call it quits. Thanks!
 
I would love to see a story about players that were recruited to play one position and were later moved to a new position where they became a star (Dallas Clark, Robert Gallery, Marvin McNutt). Also, a story on guys that were recruited by most schools to play one position and the Hawkeyes saw something different would be cool.
 
I always enjoy a "Where are they now?" story with celebrities and would love to see something like this regarding Iowa football players. I have friends that are former Iowa basketball players and it is fun to reminisce on the good ol' days and enjoy catching up with them. Think this would be great for football.
 
tm3308 said:
Jon, I'm a little new around here, and I'm currently just a sophomore at UI. This may be something you've already done, but I'd kind of like to see a rundown of the Fry "coaching tree", as well as a little in-depth look at the careers of those coaches. I know the obvious ones like Snyder and Alvarez, and of course Ferentz. But there were other names that popped up that I didn't know about, such as Jim Leavitt and Mark Mangino (through Snyder). Just wondering if there are any others out there that some Hawk fans may be surprised to hear about. I include former players in the "tree", so guys like Chuck Long and Bielema would also be in the mix. And finally I'd like your take on whether somebody like Long or Bielema might take over for Ferentz whenever he decides to call it quits. Thanks!
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I think this is a fantastic idea.
 
I'd also like to see a story about how HawkeyeNation.com made a little boy's dreams come true by giving him season tickets for next year...

Little HawkeyeShane would be so grateful for the kind and caring gesture...oh, make that TWO season tickets just in case he snags a hottie in the parking lot while tailgating...Thanks!
 
HawkeyeShane said:
I'd also like to see a story about how HawkeyeNation.com made a little boy's dreams come true by giving him season tickets for next year...

Little HawkeyeShane would be so grateful for the kind and caring gesture...oh, make that TWO season tickets just in case he snags a hottie in the parking lot while tailgating...Thanks!
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In case you don't find that hottie.... where should I meet you to get a free ticket?
 
I'd like to hear more of the new practice facility if possible.

Or what you think it will take to get Iowa to a higher level (outright B10 title, multiple BCS games, national championship, etc.)
 
i'd be interested in a story that shares about the relationship that the football staff has with one another; professional relationships and inter-workings as a staff, and their friendships off the field.
 
I'd like to see a story on future schedules. What happened to the UConn series? I heard it was canceled. Are the Hawks returning to Soldier Field in 2012 against N Illinois? What other non-conference games might be on the horizon? Inquiring minds want to know!
 
I'd love to hear more about the players' take on the recruiting process. What was the process like for them? What's a typical in home visit like? What is a typical campus visit like? How do they help with the next incoming classes?

I'd also LOVE to see an interview with Doyle. I know a bit about the program he runs but who does he have on staff with him? How does he manage to take a different approach with each team? What's his background/education? I've met the guy a few times (always when he was with his kids). Seems like a great guy and a great dad.

Finally...not so much an article but I'd love to see a compliation of the top 50 quotes of all time from Hawkeyes. Angerer will have quotes #1-#5 no doubt. LOL
 
It would be great to see something like a "Day in the life of..." or "Week in the life of..." series of every facet of Hawkeye football. What a day or week is like for a recruiting coordinator or any of the coaching staff or athletic dept staff. Even stuff like what Jon does to prepare articles or how Gary Dolphin and Ed Podolak prepare for games.

I don't think we ever get a great perspective from current players, either. What's their experience like? There was an article about Bryan Mattison a few years back where he talked about waking up in the middle of the night to eat and then go back to bed because he was on a weight plan trying to bulk up and had to eat every few hours. That was interesting insight into what these players do to get ready for the next level and how much preparation it takes through the entire year.
 
Lotta great ideas above.

An article about the inherent challenges Iowa faces in recruiting compared to other B10 schools and top tier BCS schools.

An article comparing the number of football LOIs signed by SEC schools and other "over-signers" as it compares to B10. Alabama has signed 88 kids to LOIs that past 3 yrs. LSU 79, Aub 87, Ark 82, Miami 80. In contrast Iowa signed 63, OSU 63, WI 71, MSU 65 and NW 55. The NCAA caps total scholarships at 85 and 25 per year.

The SEC last year raised their limit to 28 LOIs per year. It seems blatantly dishonest for a school like Bama to sign 32 kids in one class (2008) knowing full well only 25 can actually receive a scholarship. What do they do? Keep the best and run off the rest? The most kids Iowa has taken in any one class is 24.

Oh, then recruiting rankings are based on the formula of Number of Recruits times Ave Star Rating. The more kids you sign, the more points you earn.
 
Jon,
Love what you've been publishing thus far, and there are some great ideas in this thread.

History - and I mean digging deep. Go back to Kinnick, the infamous injury game against ND, the first non-white guy on the team, ect.

A feature on Cook and Dumont at Regina - how things are going for the former hawks as high school coaches. Ask Jason what it's like to coach at a school that was his high school rival. Ask them both about how they try and prepare kids not only for hs ball, but the next level. This same story could be replicated for other former Hawkeyes now on the sidelines for HS teams. ... Is Dan Dickel still coaching?!?

Draft day - what is draft day like for a guy like Spivey or Bulaga?
 
Jon, maybe it has been done before, but I thought a 16 team or 32 team "playoff" of Iowa football teams to determine the all-time best Iowa team would be interesting.

In other words, in the first round, the 1939 Iowa team would play the 1960 team, etc. etc.

It is hard to compare teams from different eras, but who cares.

The goal would be to determine the all-time greatest (or most popular or most exciting) Iowa football team.

I guess the other way to do it would be to list 16 or 32 teams, and have people on the message board vote on them 1 through 16 or 1 through 32 (similar to the AP college football poll) and tabulate the results. The criteria could be most popular, or most dominant, or best team in the clutch, or most exciting, or whatever criteria you think would be most interesting.

For example, in the category of most exciting, it would be hard to pick between the 1939, 2002, 2004 and 2009 teams (and I'm sure I'm leaving out some other "Cardiac kids" teams).

If you did it in the form of a fan poll, it would keep the work load down for you (all you would really have to do is describe the teams in the poll or the playoff).

Iowa has had 5 great eras:

1. The Knipe teams in 1900-1902.
2. Howard Jones teams in 1920-1923.
3. Evy's teams from 1953 through 1960.
4. Hayden's teams from 1981 through 1991.
5. Ferentz's teams from 2001 through 2009.

And then the magical season in 1939.
 
I would like to see a breakdown of great players by their numbers. For instance Dwight wore #6...who else in Iowa history has worn #6 and been an impact player? Is Keenan Davis the next #6 to make it big as a Hawkeye?
 
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