Sept. 28, 2012
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Editor’s Note: Hawk Talk Monthly presented by Transamerica digs a little deeper and provides a little more color — think photography — for fans of the Hawkeyes than Hawk Talk Daily, which will continue to be delivered to more than 80,000 black-and-gold email boxes every day of the year. The September 2012 edition of HTM includes a feature on the 2002 Orange Bowl team, a look at the 2012 Iowa Varsity Club Athletics Hall of Fame class, a 24 Hawkeyes to Watch feature on field hockey All-American Jessica Barnett, and a piece on what drew women’s basketball senior Jaime Printy to the University of Iowa and much more, including some tremendous and exclusive photography. To go directly to Hawk Talk Monthly, click HERE.
IOWA CITY, Iowa — It had been 12 years since a University of Iowa football team could truly chant “Big Ten Champs,” but that didn’t stop the 2002 Hawkeyes from establishing that vocal post-practice routine during preseason camp.
A peculiar rehearsal to the outside world, perhaps, with just five winning seasons for the UI since going to the Rose Bowl in 1990. It wasn’t odd to UI linebacker Fred Barr.
“That instilled in us every day we were going after it, and there wasn’t anything better than getting it done,” Barr said.
Ten years have passed since that memorable fall-the first 11-win season in UI football history, and the first of three straight top-eight finishes in The Associated Press final poll. Head coach Kirk Ferentz appreciates that group of players because of how far they came.
“I think of the price they paid and the road they traveled to get there,” Ferentz said. “We were 1-10 (in 1999), finally broke through to a winning season and a bowl game in 2001 (7-5), and then they go undefeated in the Big Ten the next year.”
Click HERE to finish reading the story and to access the September issue of Hawk Talk Monthly.