Iowa Adds Kennedy and Reid to Football Coaching Staff

Feb. 14, 2013

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IOWA CITY, Iowa — University of Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz named Bobby Kennedy and Jim Reid assistant coaches on the Hawkeye coaching staff. The hirings are effective immediately.

Kennedy will serve as Iowa’s wide receivers coach, while Reid will work with the Hawkeye defense. Former Iowa assistant Darrell Wilson was named to the Rutgers coaching staff Wednesday, while former assistant Lester Erb has left the Iowa staff to pursue other opportunities.

“I am very appreciative of Lester and Darrell’s many positive contributions to Iowa football over the years and wish them both the best moving forward,” said Ferentz. “I am excited to have Bobby and Jim join our staff. Both men have coaching experiences that will complement and supplement our staff and team in a positive way. Jim and Bobby are tremendous individuals who will be a good fit on our campus and great representatives of our university and football program.”

Kennedy coached wide receivers at Colorado the past two seasons. The Colorado native has 22 years of coaching experience on the collegiate level. Reid joins the Iowa staff after serving as associate head coach and defensive coordinator at Virginia the past three seasons. He has more than 30 years coaching experience on the collegiate and professional levels.

Kennedy joined the Colorado program after seven seasons (2004-10) as wide receivers coach at Texas. He was the Longhorn assistant recruiting coordinator for six years. At Texas, he coached in two BCS National Championship games, including the 2005 Rose Bowl victory over USC when the Longhorns won the national championship, and in 2009 against Alabama.

Kennedy’s other coaching stops include six major college programs. He went to Texas after two seasons at Washington (2002-03). Kennedy joined the UW staff after one season at Arizona (2001), where he coached running backs.

Prior to Arizona, Kennedy had a six-year tenure at Wake Forest. He coached the Demon Deacon running backs in 1999-2000 after four years (1995-98) as receivers coach. His first-full time coaching job came at Wyoming, coaching wide receivers in 1993-94. Kennedy got his start in the college ranks in the Big Ten, serving as a graduate assistant at Illinois for two years (1990-91) and at Penn State in 1992.

Kennedy graduated with a degree in political science from the University of Northern Colorado in 1989, after lettering at quarterback for four seasons (1985-88). He began his coaching career at Boulder High School, his alma mater, where he lettered in football and track.

Reid has served as a head coach on the college level for 17 seasons. He has been the head coach at Virginia Military Institute (2006-07), Massachusetts (1986-91) and Richmond (1995-2003).

Reid led an improved defense the last three seasons at Virginia. In 2012, Virginia ranked fourth in the ACC in total defense (353.3 yards per game), fourth in pass defense (208.4), third in first downs allowed (18.6) and fourth in third-down conversion defense (30.7 percent). Virginia linebacker Steve Greer earned first team All-ACC honors while ranking second in the league with 122 tackles.

Reid joined the Virginia staff after spending the 2008 and 2009 seasons as outside linebackers coach for the Miami Dolphins.

In Reid’s six years as the head coach at UMass, the school compiled a 36-29-1 record, as he guided the Minutemen to three Yankee Conference titles. He was named Yankee Conference Coach of the Year in 1988 and 1990.

His nine-year run at Richmond included a pair of Atlantic 10 Conference championships and five finishes in the Top 20 in the FCS ranks. He was also named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year on two occasions (1998, 2000) and the Yankee Conference Co-Coach of the Year in 1995. Reid left Richmond as the program’s third-winningest coach with 48 victories, including leading the Spiders in 2000 to their first 10-win season in program history.

Prior to taking over the head spot at UMass, Reid spent 13 seasons at the school as an assistant, including the first two as a graduate assistant. Six of those 13 seasons resulted in Yankee Conference titles.

Following his tenure at UMass, Reid spent three seasons as a defensive coordinator, the first two at Richmond (1992-93) and the third at Boston College (1994), helping the Eagles to an Aloha Bowl championship. In 2004 he was an assistant at Syracuse, helping the Orange share the Big East title, while earning an invitation to the Tangerine Bowl. He was an assistant coach at Bucknell in 2005.

Reid is a native of Medford, Mass. He earned a bachelor of science in education from Maine in 1973, where he was a three-year starter as a safety (1970-72). He earned a master of science in sport management from Massachusetts in 1975.

The Hawkeyes begin spring practice Wednesday, March 27 and conclude spring drills Saturday, April 27.