Wine Online: Fry? Evy? Jones? Ferentz?

Aug. 11, 2008

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IOWA CITY – A detailed and comprehensive biography of Coach Kirk Ferentz in the Iowa football media guide tells us “The Hawkeyes put together the greatest run in school history” under Kirk in 2002-03-04.

Well, maybe and maybe not. Let’s take a close look at that. There are four highly successful three-year eras that jump out of the Iowa record book. Here are the highlights of each.

In 1920-21-22 under Howard Jones, Iowa’s record was 19-2, a winning percentage of 90.5. The 1921 and 1922 teams were both undefeated (7-0) and won outright Big Ten championships.

Those two perfect campaigns — plus three wins to end the 1920 season and three to begin 1923 — gave Iowa 20 straight victories, a school record that has never been threatened.

Signature wins were against Notre Dame in 1921 and at Yale the following year. Notre Dame had not lost a game in three seasons and was the beast of college football. Yale was king of the Ivy League, then considered the best league in the country.

In 1956-57-58 under Forest Evashevski, Iowa’s record was 24-3-2, a winning percentage of 86.2. Each of those teams lost only one game. The Hawkeyes won outright Big Ten championships in 1956 and 1958.

The 1958 team was crowned the national champion by the Football Writers of America. The Associated Press ranked Iowa No. 2 in both 1956 and 1958, and No. 6 in 1957.

Adding luster to this era were two smashing victories in the Rose Bowl. Iowa cruised past Oregon State 35-19 on Jan. 1, 1957, and two years later dazzled California 38-12.

Signature wins were against Minnesota and Ohio State in 1956, and Michigan in 1958. Iowa scored consecutive shutouts in beating the Gophers and Buckeyes, two teams that were also challenging for the Big Ten title. The Hawkeyes ended a 34-year winless string against Michigan by routing the Wolverines 37-14 at Ann Arbor.

In 1985-86-87 under Hayden Fry, Iowa’s record was 29-8, a winning percentage of 78.4. The Hawkeyes were outright Big Ten champions in 1985 and ranked No. 1 in the nation at mid-season. They lost to UCLA in the Rose Bowl and finished with a No. 10 ranking.

Iowa tied for third in the Big Ten in 1986 and tied for second the next season. The Hawkeyes ranked No. 16 nationally both years. The 1985 team was the first at Iowa to win 10 games and the 1987 club duplicated that feat.

Signature wins were against Michigan State and Michigan in 1985 and Ohio State in 1987. Iowa beat the Spartans and Wolverines in the final seconds at Kinnick Stadium, and did the same to the Buckeyes at Columbus.

The 1986 and 1987 teams both won late, come-from-behind victories in the Holiday Bowl, beating San Diego State 39-38 and Wyoming 20-19, respectively.

In 2002-03-04 under Kirk Ferentz, Iowa’s record was 31-7, a winning percentage of 81.6. Iowa won a school record 11 games and the outright Big Ten championship in 2002. It won 10 games in each of the next two seasons and shared the Big Ten title in 2004.

The Hawkeyes played January bowl games in Florida and were ranked No. 8 by the Associated Press in each of those seasons. After losing to Southern Cal in the 2003 Orange Bowl, they upset Florida 37-17 in the 2004 Outback Bowl, then beat LSU 30-25 in the 2005 Capital One Bowl with an unforgettable 56-yard touchdown pass on the game’s final play.

Signature regular-season wins were against Michigan in 2002 and Ohio State in 2004. In punishing the Wolverines 34-9 (at Ann Arbor) and the Buckeyes 33-7, Iowa recorded the biggest margins of victory in both series.

So which coach gets your vote for producing the best three-year era in Iowa football?

Is it Ferentz, who won the most games overall (31), as well as the most Big Ten games (20), and had three teams ranked in the Top 10?

Or is it Jones, who had two perfect seasons, as well as the best winning percentage in all games (90.5) and Big Ten games (83.3), and had two outright Big Ten champions?

Or is it Evashevski, who also had two outright Big Ten titles, plus three teams ranked No. 6 or better (one a national champion) and two resounding Rose Bowl victories?

Or is it Fry, who had 29 overall victories, an outright Big Ten champion, and three teams ranked No. 16 or better?

I give the nod to Evashevski. A national championship and two Rose Bowl triumphs tilt the scale in his favor. But that does not diminish the great accomplishments of the other three.

Jones, Evashevski and Fry are all in the College Football Hall of Fame. Ferentz is likely to join them there someday.

Editor’s Note: Wine Online is written by long-time UI sports information director George Wine, who is enjoying retirement as a resident of nearby Coralville and, on Saturday afternoons in the fall, inside the Paul W. Brechler Press Box at historic Kinnick Stadium.