For those who know, who else was interviewed/interested/Iowa interested in/ etc., in the football job when Fry retired? I think people know I think we got the right guy, but was interested in any info. Thanks, in advance.
1999
- Thread starter ozziesimmons22
- Start date
Bob Stoops was interviewed and if Bob Bowlsby was not so set on interviewing Kirk Ferentz we would have had Bob Stoops but Stoops needed a answer immediately from Iowa as he was going to interview with Oklahoma, if Iowa would have offered Stoops the job he was not going to interview at Oklahoma. Bowlsby dropped the ball but Kirk has been a solid hire for us but the game has passed him by and fan apathy is running wild after 16 years.
Thanks, for the response. I didn't know Stoops was for sure taking the Iowa job if offered.
I don't believe it was solely on Bowlsby's shoulders. There was a committee that had to run its course interviewing and Stoops took the first offer he got
No doubt I would have rather had Stoops, if the unconfirmed information is correct and he really would have taken the offer.
I don't regret, though, that Iowa chose Ferentz. At the time, I didn't think much of the hire. But overall his tenure has been much more positive than negative.
I don't regret, though, that Iowa chose Ferentz. At the time, I didn't think much of the hire. But overall his tenure has been much more positive than negative.
Sorry if I'm wrong, hard to believe a hawk fan hasn't heard this stuff 1000x.
I've obviously heard stories about the process and about Stoops. But, I wasn't there and didn't know for a fact that Stoops was in if offered.
The official interviewees were:
Chuck Long (DB coach at the time)
Don Patterson (OC at the time)
Bobby Elliott (had been DC but was battling illness then)
Kirk Ferentz (former Iowa assistant, Baltimore Ravens OL coach at the time)
Bob Stoops (DC at Florida, former Iowa player and grad assistant)
Terry Allen (former UNI coach, Kansas HC at the time)
The first 3 were just token interviews (although if Elliott hadn't gotten sick and/or the search had occured a year or two earlier, very likely would have been the hire), with the last 3 being the only legit candidates.
Bowslby wanted Allen, everyone else affiliated with the program wanted Stoops, and so we ended up with KF as basically the compromise candidate.
Chuck Long (DB coach at the time)
Don Patterson (OC at the time)
Bobby Elliott (had been DC but was battling illness then)
Kirk Ferentz (former Iowa assistant, Baltimore Ravens OL coach at the time)
Bob Stoops (DC at Florida, former Iowa player and grad assistant)
Terry Allen (former UNI coach, Kansas HC at the time)
The first 3 were just token interviews (although if Elliott hadn't gotten sick and/or the search had occured a year or two earlier, very likely would have been the hire), with the last 3 being the only legit candidates.
Bowslby wanted Allen, everyone else affiliated with the program wanted Stoops, and so we ended up with KF as basically the compromise candidate.
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Here's a question for the history books.
Say Iowa hires Stoops on the spot because Bowlsby or whoever else had the power to get in Bowlsby's ear..."just had a feeling"...that Stoops was the right guy.
Do you believe he would've done at Iowa, what he did early in his career at Oklahoma? Or do you think he still could've done what he did at Oklahoma, just that it would've taken a few more years to do so?
I ask because I'm inclined to believe that there are a lot of fans who believe that had Stoops been hired that he would've had Iowa in a much more sustained point of success, but that it just wouldn't have happened as quickly as did for him at Oklahoma.
Of course a lot of this will be very subjective because it's hindsight and it will play on people's opinions, particularly regarding how they feel Stoops would do compared to Ferentz, which in most everyone's case (that's against Ferentz anyway), is that Stoops would've had more sustained success.
But here is your chance to share that opinion.
Say Iowa hires Stoops on the spot because Bowlsby or whoever else had the power to get in Bowlsby's ear..."just had a feeling"...that Stoops was the right guy.
Do you believe he would've done at Iowa, what he did early in his career at Oklahoma? Or do you think he still could've done what he did at Oklahoma, just that it would've taken a few more years to do so?
I ask because I'm inclined to believe that there are a lot of fans who believe that had Stoops been hired that he would've had Iowa in a much more sustained point of success, but that it just wouldn't have happened as quickly as did for him at Oklahoma.
Of course a lot of this will be very subjective because it's hindsight and it will play on people's opinions, particularly regarding how they feel Stoops would do compared to Ferentz, which in most everyone's case (that's against Ferentz anyway), is that Stoops would've had more sustained success.
But here is your chance to share that opinion.
Outsider perspective - it is really tough to say if Stoops would have been more successful. He took over a team that had been coached by an excellent recruiter, so the cupboard was full when Stoops arrived, IIRC. Ferentz had the opposite. What Kirk did in his first five years was extremely impressive. During that time I remember most Hawk fans I associate with being glad that Kirk had the job, because they thought he could do more starting from nothing. I also remember during the 2002-2004 being happy that the Huskers did not play the Hawkeyes. Kirk was unbelivably successful for the resources he had.
Now since then, barring 2009 and maybe a couple other years I am forgetting, has to be one of the bigger head scratchers on "what happened"? But talk to most Oklahoma fans, and they feel very similar to how many Hawk fans feel today. They feel Stoops has not sustained a level of football that Oklahoma expects for the past several years. Oklahoma has some benefits over coaching at Iowa – such as recruiting, program support, money, etc., so I personally am not sure that Stoops would be a whole lot more successful if he had coached at Iowa versus Ferentz. Just an opinion…
Here are a couple-three facts that I know to be true from back then.
Stoops wanted the Iowa job.
Bowlsby wanted Terry Allen.
Hayden wanted it to be an Iowa guy.
If Hayden had not gotten sick he would have coached another five years.
When Hayden found out he was sick he wanted to retire then, the year before he did, but Bobby Elliot was also sick and Hayden wanted to keep him on the staff for medical insurance reasons.
Hayden knew that Bill Snyder was happy at K-State and not interested in returning to Iowa City.
Hayden was satisfied with the Kirk Ferentz choice.
Stoops wanted the Iowa job.
Bowlsby wanted Terry Allen.
Hayden wanted it to be an Iowa guy.
If Hayden had not gotten sick he would have coached another five years.
When Hayden found out he was sick he wanted to retire then, the year before he did, but Bobby Elliot was also sick and Hayden wanted to keep him on the staff for medical insurance reasons.
Hayden knew that Bill Snyder was happy at K-State and not interested in returning to Iowa City.
Hayden was satisfied with the Kirk Ferentz choice.
BirdistheWord
HR Heisman
Obviously we will never know....but this is pretty logical and objective. I do think Stoops could have "upped" recruiting a little more than KF and build what might be considered a more "sexy" program, which IMHO would have reaped short and long term benefits. As noted, he still would have had some disadvantage at Iowa vs OU (weather, geography, less tradition, etc.). Hard to Imagine Iowa in the N/C hunt but even KF was really not that far off back in the early/mid 2000's.
Stoops record at Oklahoma: 17 years, 168-44, 79.2%; 16 bowls, 8-8, 50%
Ferentz record at Iowa : 17 years, 115-85, 57.5%; 12 bowls, 6-6, 50%
Ferentz record at Iowa : 17 years, 115-85, 57.5%; 12 bowls, 6-6, 50%
Impossible to know how well Bob would have done at Iowa, The recruiting advantage at OU vs Iowa is on a completely different level. Nick Saban was a decent coach at Michigan State, He became an "outstanding" coach when he tapped into the recruiting advantages built into the sunbelt while at LSU and now Alabama. Something that simply cannot be ignored. The thing is that both coaches (Stoops and KF) have been at their respective schools the same amount of time, And many fans at both schools feel that each coach has run his course at their school.
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