Sept. 27, 2004
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Ever so quietly and virtually unnoticed, Kirk Ferentz has made Kinnick Stadium a House of Horrors for visiting football teams. It has become nearly impossible to beat the Hawkeyes on their home turf.
How hard is it? In the past 23 home games, Iowa has lost only twice. History tells us that 21-2 streak is as good as it gets anywhere in college football. So enjoy it, Hawkeye fans.
Yet there has been little made of this run of success that started late in the 2001 season, which is probably the way Coach Kirk Ferentz wants it. When I privately mentioned the numbers to him, he gave me a little smile and seemed to blush.
Then in his typical self-effacing manner, he asked, “Do you remember our numbers the first two seasons?” Sure, Coach, I know you lost nine of your first 11 games at home, but you were rebuilding a once-proud program that was thin in personnel and had fallen on tough times.
Then I told Kirk that in winning 14 straight at Kinnick, he has surpassed Forest Evashevski and Hayden Fry for consecutive victories at home. Ferentz knows Hawkeye history, so he’s aware that Evashevski won three Big Ten championships and two Rose Bowl games at Iowa in the 1950s. Fry was Kirk’s mentor in the 1980s when the Hawkeyes won two Big Ten crowns and played in seven straight bowl games.
In keeping with his character, he seemed uncomfortable at being compared with these two Hall of Fame coaches. He was clearly uneasy with the fact that he has achieved something they never did. You’ll never catch him bragging about it.
But when pressed, Kirk admitted that when he returned to Iowa as head coach in 1999, he made it a priority to create a solid home-field advantage at Kinnick Stadium.
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Given the competitive nature of modern-day college football, it will be very difficult to win 20 straight at Kinnick, and if Kirk doesn’t pull it off he need not apologize. But he can surpass Jones in consecutive Big Ten victories by beating Michigan State and Ohio State the next two weeks. Sure, it’s a tall order, but don’t be surprised to see it happen.
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“That was our aim when we came back,” he said. “I knew from my time as an assistant coach here that Kinnick has a great environment on game day. But I didn’t realize how much visiting teams hate to play here until I spent some time in the NFL.
” I used to ask former Big Ten players where they least liked to play, and Kinnick was always at or near the top of their list. And the reasons are kind of obvious. We usually have a capacity crowd in a compact stadium where the fans are sitting very close to the field.
“Our fans are vocal and enthusiastic and maybe a little bit intimidating. The noise on the stadium floor can be deafening at times. That makes it difficult for the visiting team. I hear the visitor’s bench area is not a pleasant place to be.”
All that is true of course, but Kirk’s modesty prevents him from mentioning the most important factor – The team dressed in black and gold has good players, it is well-prepared and well-coached, and it comes to play every Saturday.
It adds up to a streak of victories that has been surpassed by only one other Iowa coach – Howard Jones, who won two Big Ten championships with undefeated teams in the early 1920s. His teams played at Iowa Field, located on the east bank of the Iowa River near the library building. It was there that Jones’ Hawkeyes won 20 consecutive games, 10 of them Big Ten engagements.
Given the competitive nature of modern-day college football, it will be very difficult to win 20 straight at Kinnick, and if Kirk doesn’t pull it off he need not apologize. But he can surpass Jones in consecutive Big Ten victories by beating Michigan State and Ohio State the next two weeks. Sure, it’s a tall order, but don’t be surprised to see it happen.
Editor’s Note:George Wine, the University of Iowa’s long-time sports information director who is now retired and living in Coralville, Iowa, is the author of George Wine Online. George has remained very close to the intercollegiate athletics program at the UI since his retirement and, in fact, has authored two books during that time. The first was a collaboration with the subject of today’s editorial, Hayden Fry, and named “A High Porch Picnic.” The second, “Black & Gold Memories, The Hawkeyes of the 20th Century,” included many of the essays George originally wrote for “The Voice of the Hawkeyes.” As he wrote in the book, “Collectively, they serve as a historical reference, and hopefully provide entertaining reading.” “Black & Gold Memories” is currently available at Barnes & Noble book stores across Iowa and on the world wide web.