Kirk Ferentz is in his sixth year as Iowa’s head football coach. The Hawkeyes, under Ferentz, have put together the greatest two-year run in school history. Combine the 11-2 record in 2002 with last year’s 10-3 campaign and you have a two-year mark of 21-5.
No Iowa team had ever won 21 games in consecutive years. Iowa is one of only 12 teams to have won 21 games over the last two years and one of six teams to be ranked in the top eight in the nation at the end of the season in each of the last two years. Those 21 victories include a current record 12-straight wins in Kinnick Stadium and a perfect 8-0 Big Ten record in 2002 that earned the Hawkeyes a share of the conference title.
Most pre-season polls picked Iowa somewhere in the bottom third of the 2003 Big Ten race. But the Hawkeyes fooled the experts by rising into the nation’s top ten four times during the year, getting as high as eighth in the season-ending poll. It’s the first time since 1957-58 that Iowa has finished consecutive seasons in the top ten. Iowa also finished eighth in the final 2002 rankings.
Iowa put the topping on the 2003 season by beating a favored Florida team (37-17) in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, FL on New Year’s Day, marking the first time Iowa has played in January bowl games in consecutive years.
The 2003 Hawkeyes were the only Big Ten team to beat league champion Michigan (30-27). And, five Iowa players were named to the 2003 first all-Big Ten team while two were named first team all-America. Hawkeye offensive lineman Robert Gallery was named winner of the 2003 Outland Trophy, which goes to the nation’s top collegiate interior lineman.
In the last two seasons, Iowa players have earned four individual national awards. In addition to Gallery, Nate Kaeding earned the Lou Groza Award (place kicker), Dallas Clark earned the John Mackey Award (tight end) and Brad Banks earned the Davey O’Brien Award (quarterback) and was named the Associated Press national Player of the Year.
Banks was the Big Ten Conference Player of the Year and MVP in 2002, guard Eric Steinbach was the Big Ten Lineman of the Year in 2002. Gallery last season became the ninth Hawkeye to earn the Lineman of the Year award.
Iowa has won its last 12 home games, a new Kinnick Stadium record, and 19 of its last 21 games in Kinnick Stadium. And, Ferentz has led the Hawkeyes to three straight victories over nationally ranked teams (Minnesota, Wisconsin and Florida) for the first time in school history.
Kirk was named 2002 Associated Press and The Walter Camp Football Foundation’s Coach of the Year. He was also named Big Ten Coach of the Year in a season that saw his team climb as high as third in the national rankings. Ferentz is 32-29 in five seasons at Iowa and his career mark is 44-50 in eight seasons as a collegiate head coach.
Ferentz led the 2002 Iowa football team to its first Big Ten title since 1990 and the most wins (11) in school history. The Hawkeyes also played in the BCS’s FedEx Orange Bowl for the first time. Iowa finished the year ranked eighth in both major polls. Iowa posted impressive road wins at Penn State and Michigan on its way to the school’s first undefeated Big Ten campaign since 1922. The win over Michigan was the most convincing by a Wolverine opponent, in Ann Arbor, since 1967. .Another part of Iowa’s success under Ferentz is reflected in the most recent two NFL drafts. In both the 2003 and 2004 drafts, five Hawkeye players have been selected, including five selections in the top 50 picks. Five Hawkeye players signed NFL free agent contracts the day after the 2003 draft and nine Iowa players signed free agent contracts immediately following the 2004 draft.
Robert Gallery was the second selection in the 2004 NFL Draft, while Bob Sanders was selected in the second round as the first pick of the Indianapolis Colts. Nate Kaeding, a third round selection of the San Diego Chargers, became first kicker since 2000 (and just the sixth ever) to be selected on the first day of the draft.
The 10 players selected in the past two NFL drafts are the most ever for the Iowa football program in a two-year period. Iowa ranks second among Big Ten teams in number of players drafted over the past three years.
Iowa’s Orange Bowl appearance at the conclusion of the 2002 season followed a successful 2001 season that saw Iowa win three of its final four games. Iowa earned an invitation to the Sylvania Alamo Bowl in San Antonio, TX, where the Hawkeyes defeated Texas Tech 19-16.
The foundation of Kirk’s program at Iowa was established in his first two seasons and began to pay dividends late in the 2000 season when the Hawkeyes won in double overtime at Penn State and returned home the following week to post a 27-17 win over Big Ten co-champion Northwestern, ranked 12th in the nation at the time. That late-season success carried over into the winning campaign of 2001.
Ferentz was named Iowa’s 25th head football coach on December 2, 1998. He replaced Hayden Fry, who retired following 20 years at Iowa. Ferentz has been a collegiate head coach seven years. He joined the Iowa staff after serving as assistant head coach and offensive line coach of the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League. He had been a part of the Baltimore (Cleveland Browns prior to the move) staff for six years. for six years.: italic;}
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"Coach Fry gave me my break in college football. When we left here in 1989, we left here, but we didn’t leave Iowa. A big part of us was always here in Iowa. You can’t be around anyone nine years and not pick up a whole lot. Coach Fry has a special place in my heart."
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Kirk was inducted into the Upper St. Clair High School Hall of Fame in September, 2002 and inducted into the Western Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in May, 2003.
Kirk and his wife, Mary, have five children. They are Brian (21), Kelly (19), Joanne (17), James (15) and Steven (11). Brian, an offensive lineman, is a member of the Iowa football team.
KIRK ON THE PAST -- "As far as being a Big Ten contender, that’s where it all starts. It’s been proven numerous times that it can be done at Iowa. Things have to fall right. And it takes an awful lot of hard work, great play, and some luck."
"We definitely went through a transition process initially. I think the thing that is most encouraging, is that we’ve obviously weathered some tough times and tough games, but to me, the thing that has stood out, is the attitude of our players. I’m not totally surprised by that because that’s an Iowa tradition. Our players had an outstanding attitude in the 1980’s. I got here just in time for the winning to begin. I remember, Coach Fry, and the guys on Coach Fry’s original staff, commenting on the attitude and the toughness the Iowa players had when they got here. I believe that is something that is engrained in our program, and our players have stayed the course, they’ve fought through the tough times and the adversity that we’ve been faced with."
"Our success in 2002 was really a point of emphasis for us when we got together in January. We wanted the team to be very proud of the accomplishments of the 2002 season, but more importantly, we wanted them to really understand why the continued progress took place and why we did have success."
KIRK ON THE FUTURE -- "The bottom line, when we got back to work in January, we’re back to being 0-0, that’s where we are right now as far as this season goes. That being said, I’ve really been pleased with the attitude, the focus, the work ethic the team exhibited throughout the spring. I think we’ve put ourselves in position, at this point, to come in and have a successful fall."
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