Kirk Ferentz (born August 1, 1955, in Royal Oak, Michigan) is an American college football coach.

Contents

1 Football career 1.1 Coaching record 1.2 Bowl game record at Iowa 2 External links

Football career

After playing high school football in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Ferentz graduated from the University of Connecticut in 1978. He spent two seasons as a defensive coordinator at Worcester Academy and one season as a graduate assistant at the University of Pittsburgh. He was the offensive line coach at the University of Iowa under Hayden Fry from 1981 to 1989 before earning his first NCAA head-coaching job with the University of Maine in 1990. After three seasons of coaching the Black Bears to a combined 12-21 record, he became the offensive line coach of the NFL's Cleveland Browns (later the Baltimore Ravens) in 1993.

On December 2, 1998, Ferentz was hired to replace the retiring Hayden Fry as head coach at Iowa. The team struggled during his first two seasons with a combined 4-19 record, but the Hawkeyes earned their first bowl bid under Ferentz after a 7-5 season in 2001. They beat Texas Tech in the Alamo Bowl, 19-16.

The 2002 season would prove to be memorable for Ferentz and the Hawkeyes. The team finished the regular season with a 11-1 record, with the only loss coming to in-state rival Iowa State at Kinnick Stadium . They shared the Big Ten Conference championship with Ohio State, as both teams finished 8-0 in conference play. Quarterback Brad Banks won the Davey O'Brien Award for best quarterback and finished second in the Heisman Trophy balloting to Carson Palmer of USC. Tight end Dallas Clark was that season's John Mackey Award winner, and placekicker Nate Kaeding was the Lou Groza Award winner. Ferentz was named Coach of the Year by the Associated Press for his efforts. The Orange Bowl at the end of the season had a promising start, with C.J. Jones returning the opening kickoff 100 yards for a touchdown, but in the end USC dominated Iowa 38-17.

Despite losing several seniors to graduation, the Hawkeyes compiled a 9-3 regular season record in 2003. They defeated Florida 37-17 in the Outback Bowl on January 1, 2004, for their first January win since 1959. This earned the Hawkeyes a #8 national ranking in both the writers' and coaches' polls at the end of the season. Offensive tackle Robert Gallery was that season's Outland Trophy winner; after the season, the Oakland Raiders chose him with the second overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft.

Ferentz had to deal with injuries to the Hawkeyes' running backs and the death of his father, John, during the 2004 season. Nevertheless, the Hawkeyes compiled a 9-2 regular season record, sharing the Big Ten Conference championship with Michigan after a 30-7 victory over Wisconsin on November 20. On January 1, 2005, they defeated Louisiana State University 30-25 in the Capital One Bowl to give Ferentz his third straight ten-win season with the Hawkeyes and another #8 national ranking.

With his recent success at Iowa, many major college and NFL teams have considered Ferentz as a candidate for their head coaching jobs. However, Ferentz has publicly declined any interest in other coaching positions, opting to stay at Iowa. On November 23, 2004, Ferentz and Iowa athletics director Bob Bowlsby agreed to a new contract extension that keeps Ferentz at Iowa until 2012. [1]

Ferentz and his wife, Mary, have five children. His oldest son, Brian, is currently a center on the Hawkeye football team.

Coaching record

Year  School  Record
1990  Maine     3-8
1991  Maine     3-8
1992  Maine     6-5
1999  Iowa      1-10
2000  Iowa      3-9
2001  Iowa      7-5
2002  Iowa     11-2
2003  Iowa     10-3
2004  Iowa     10-2
Career         54-52

Bowl game record at Iowa

Year  Bowl game    Result
2001  Alamo        Beat Texas Tech, 19-16
2002  Orange       Lost to USC, 38-17
2003  Outback      Beat Florida, 37-17
2004  Capital One  Beat LSU, 30-25

External links

• Biography of Kirk Ferentz from HawkeyeSports.com