Among current Big Ten coaches, Iowa head man Kirk Ferentz is a familiar face. Only Joe Paterno of Penn State has a longer tenure at his current school than Ferentz, but it’s hard to get a true sense of long-standingness with an outlier like Paterno in the mix. Perhaps a larger sample size is appropriate, and indeed, when compared to the coaches of all NCAA programs, Ferentz still stands out as having a lot of time in at his school. Among D-I college football coaches, Ferentz is one of only eight that have been at their current program since before 2000.
Part of the reason why Ferentz has become a fixture at Iowa is likely due to the fact that he’s seen as being an Iowa guy through-and-through. The school obviously likes having him, but so do the Iowa fans, and so does the rest of the state for that matter. In Iowa, Hawkeye football is #1 with no challengers, so Ferentz is a very notable figure. His respectability, coupled with the success he has brought to the program, has firmly established him in a position of great influence, and to Ferentz’s credit he has wielded that influence in an admirable way, including deploying his team to assist others in need. You could say that Jim Tressel is seen in a similar light in Columbus, but Columbus is a large city, we have the Blue Jackets and The Crew to draw interest away from football to some extent, and I would be remiss if I didn’t note that Thad Matta has endeared himself to fans far more than Steve Alford ever did.
To confirm their appreciation of and commitment to Ferentz, the university awarded him with a contract extension through 2020 this past summer, bringing the coach a hefty annual paycheck nearing $4 million. While the dollars are large, it’s hard to argue with Ferentz’s track record, especially when considering the fact that it is a bit harder to bring top recruits to Iowa each year than it is to convince them to don a Texas, Florida, or Ohio State jersey. Ferentz, now in his 12th season at Iowa, has amassed an impressive array of accomplishments, including back-to-back bowl wins and two 11-2 seasons, the first coming in 2002 and earning him national coach of the year honors. He has been named Big Ten Coach of the Year three times.
Ferentz played his college ball and got his coaching start at the University of Connecticut. From there he moved on to Worcester Academy, where he both coached and taught English literature, presumably to students with relatively high average SAT scores. Ferentz also made stops in Pittsburgh, Iowa, Maine, Cleveland (with the Browns), and Baltimore (with the Ravens), before finally returning to the Hawkeyes, where he has remained to this day.
Looking ahead to the game against Ohio State, Ferentz had numerous comments about how he views the matchup against the Buckeyes, including individual players. Here’s what he had to say when asked how Terrelle Pryor compares to Northwestern QB Dan Persa: “They’re different, I guess. But they’re both different. They’re different players.”
Uh…..Yes!
Ferentz’s comments about technology are a bit more eloquent (the interviewer here is Iowa writer Marc Morehouse):
ME: Do you have a Twitter account?
KF: No, absolutely no.
ME: Do you know what it is?
KF: Yes, I heard it mentioned on the radio coming into work this morning, Mike and Mike in the Morning, (football commentator Mark)Schlereth and his tweets and Twitters. I think I even have my usage of tweet and Twitter down. You never say never, but if you see me with a Twitter account, just hit me with a baseball bat. Go ahead, take a whack at me.
I don’t think anyone cares if I have Wheaties or Honey Nut Cheerios. I don’t think anyone cares what I had for breakfast, what I chose this morning.
ME: Would you consider having someone on staff with a Twitter account?
KF: I’m not ready to go down that road. I think this might be one of the dumbest inventions in the history of mankind. I don’t have a BlackBerry yet, either. That’s one of my professional goals. I might get one when I retire, when I have nothing to do.
ME: Do you go on the internet?
KF: I never go on the internet, unless I’m looking over someone’s shoulder.
ME: Then, you probably don’t need a BlackBerry.
KF: If it’s important, call me. That’s my motto.
ME: GPS?
KF: Got one in my car. Don’t know how to use it. I know how to get our film. That’s all that counts. I know that computer. That’s the only one I know how to use. I don’t know everything, but I know what’s important on there. I don’t know anything about business, but I think part of the problem with our economy right now is how much time we waste on these technological thingies we have now. It’s like March Madness 12 months a year.
But Ferentz’s English lit background gives him the ability to take his comments beyond simple humor to double-meanings and subtle comedy. For example:
ME: Discipline has been and is a topic. The program has had 26 arrests. You can set lines of demarcation anywhere. But the fact of the matter is it’s (trouble) never going to stop. There’s going to be a certain amount of “breakage” every year. There’s alcohol, college and kids. Are you at the point where you feel good about messages being sent and punishments?
KF: In rough terms, I think we have a very disciplined program. That’s a word that could be interpreted in a lot of different ways.
Disciplined indeed! 26 arrests to be exact!
Ferentz continues his thought…
To me, the reality of it is we just had a horrific year in 2007. Anytime you get into multiple violations or, more importantly to me, we deviated from college-aged issues. When you’re dealing with credit card fraud or things of that nature, that’s a path that everyone finds distasteful. I can’t to this day give you an explanation for what happened during that stretch. Roughly, the credit card thing was charged in August but it took place in May.
The credit card thing was “charged” indeed! I’m lol’ing here Kirk!
Okay, let’s wrap this up before it gets out of hand. To get back to the main ideas, Kirk Ferentz seems like a real quality guy and a great coach. We’d better be prepared, because you know Ferentz will have his team ready. After all, he’s got to earn those plane rides.
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