So, wait a minute...

Evy won a Rose Bowl, Kirk and Hayden didn’t.
Kirk won a BCS game or equivalent, Hayden didn’t.

But Hayden also made a program with 30 straight losing seasons into a powerhouse.

So it’s kinda apples to oranges…literally.

and there is no Wisconsin or Kansas State without Hayden (IMO) and there is no television show with a character based on Kirk. Bottom line, Kirk is a great coach and deserves every accolade but even he is in awe of Hayden. Having said that, I never thought Hayden was a coach who could win it all. Major risk taker on offense and coached during the days when Iowa was very regional recruiting-wise. Kirk, I think this guy could win it all. He needs to shore up his clock management skills, and his in-game calls on big downs (that fake FG had red flag written all over it but going for it on 4th down was the right call as a FG was useless). He has the blueprint for a NC team. If we can get a season of great kicking, and good QB play this guy could GO ALL THE WAY.

The schedule next year is so doable. and we will be stacked with talent. But as we saw this year, luck is a major component.

He won two Rose Bowls and, depending on how you feel about all the old polls, a national championship. No other Iowa coach can match those credentials yet.

As for KF v. Hayden. I saw someone else describe the difference between them as Hayden as a better program-builder and KF as a better coach/program-sustainer. That seems pretty fair. Plus, in terms of credentials, Hayden did get three B10 championships (KF has just two) and three appearances in BCS-level bowls (Rose X3) to KF’s two BXI championships and two appearances (Orange X2). The fact that KF actually won one of those bowls is a very nice feather in his cap, though.

I think the most remarkable thing about KF’s tenure is that once he got things up and running in 2001, how often have you ever seen Iowa totally outmatched by anyone? There was Arizona State in 2004, a couple of games in 2007 (Purdue, Penn State), and perhaps Ohio State in 2006. Other than that, we’ve been remarkably competitive (highlighted by the fact that our six losses over the last two years have been by a combined 22 pts), even when the talent disadvantage seems huge on paper (see: Texas in the 2006 Alamo Bowl). KF & Co. do a remarkable job of getting the team ready for the top teams (although this year their preparations for the “teams we should beat” feel a bit lacking, i.e., UNI and Arky State). Since the ‘03 Orange Bowl disaster, he’s become a fantastic bowl coach, too. The only bowl we’ve been to where I didn’t think Iowa came out of the gate looking great was the ’05 Outback Bowl, which was also marred by some legendarily awful officiating.

Pure results? Yes it does. However, there’s often more to look at

Fry’s coaching tree is a testament to how great of a coach he was. Also, he would have won the Rose Bowl in 1986 had it not been for “He Who We Do Not Speak Of” (as my dad and I refer to him). If you don’t know who I’m talking about, turn in your BHGP membership, and don’t let the door hit you on the way out.

Mikjones24 summed it up best in his response at the top, this is like comparing apples to oranges. The other comments also highlight the fact that without Fry, we wouldn’t have a program to take over that Ferentz had, and we wouldn’t have Ferentz. Evy and Fry will forever live as the two greatest coaches at Iowa, and Ferentz is assembling his resume currently to knock them off. I’m not sure that even with an MNC victory, and countless trips to the Rose Bowl if you could consider Ferentz to the “greatest” coach ever, but it would be a hell of an argument for that label.

In the end, we’re lucky to have Ferentz, too bad he didn’t win Coach of the Year tonight; however, I can’t argue with their selection. Next year is going to be beyond fun IMO, and I’ll be feverishly looking to the horizon for the gathering storm of college football after the game tomorrow night.