Great Father's Day article by Tom today.
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Father's Day Legacy
Tom Kakert | Editor
George Kittle with his father and grandfather.
Photo courtesy of the Kittle family
“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.”
-Jim Valvano
College football programs around the country talk about being a family. At the University of Iowa, it’s not just talk. The Hawkeye program is family in its truest sense.
For a pair of former Hawkeyes who have been fortunate enough to see their sons follow in their footsteps, it’s been a dream come true. For their sons, it has been a dream fulfilled.
In the late 70’s and into the early 80’s, Bruce Kittle played offensive line for Iowa. Dave Croston followed and played into the mid-80’s. Kittle and Croston were team captains in their senior seasons with the Hawkeyes were part of teams that played in a Rose Bowl. Both were also coached by a man named Kirk Ferentz, who was the offensive line coach under Hayden Fry.
Little did they know that one day they would see their son’s follow in their footsteps, earn scholarships to the University of Iowa to play football, play in a Rose Bowl, and become part of the leadership of group of a Hawkeye team in their senior year. Both are coached by Head Coach Kirk Ferentz and his son, Brian on the Iowa staff.
At Iowa, they don’t just talk about being a family, they are a family. It’s that family bond and having a head coach at Iowa who was the position coach of a pair of former Hawkeyes that is the common denominator.
“I think a big part of that is because of Kirk Ferentz and the man he is. If you are a parent and you want to send your kid somewhere to play football, that’s the guy you want coaching your son,” Dave Croston said.
“When I was at Iowa and Kirk was coaching the offensive line, we were doing summer workouts and we had to take turns holding Brian (Ferentz).” Bruce Kittle shared. “There is that continuity and consistency with the program. Kirk has done a great job of building on that and establishing that family feeling in the program.”
Family has always been at the root of everything that Dave Croston and Bruce Kittle have done raising their children. Croston has four children and Kittle has a two and just being present isn’t what being a father means to them. It means setting the right example and being an active participant in raising their children. It means talking and sharing life lessons with them, and also coaching them.
“I made a choice to step off the career track and try to make enough money to have a house and things like that, but to be there for my kids and be available to my kids,” Bruce Kittle said. “I wouldn’t trade anything for that experience. I wasn’t a great baseball coach or basketball coach, but being there with him on a day to day basis was important. One thing that sports does is teach lessons about success, failure, and all those type of things. Having the opportunity to speak to him in the moment when he’s going thru those things was important.”
“I coached Cole all thru football, especially when he was young. When you are coaching, you want to be there and guide them thru not just learning the game, but teaching them lessons along the way. It was important for me to be there and be a part of that learning process,” Dave Croston said.
For George Kittle and Cole Croston, the sons of Hawkeyes, the sacrifice made by their dads is something they appreciate more and more each and every day.
“He has always been there for me, no matter what sport I wanted to play or was playing,” Cole Croston said. “I actually remember at one point, Iowa State was sending me letter and the moment I knew my dad loved me was when he said if I wanted to go to Iowa State and play that he would still support me. I told him I would never do that, but I knew he was in it for the long run and wanted me to do what I wanted to do.”
“It’s meant everything to me. He was honestly the only coach I ever had until 7th or 8th grade. He doesn’t know anything about baseball and he coached baseball,” George Kittle said with a laugh. “He loved it. He loved every minute of it and I did too. He did it because he loves being around us and wanted to share all of those experiences with us.”
When Cole Croston and George Kittle arrived on campus in the fall of 2012, they weren’t the five star recruits with big offers and high expectations. They were both undersized and knew that there would be a hill to climb.
Croston would be walking on to the Hawkeye program and that is never an easy undertaking for anyone, especially someone who arrived at about 240 pounds and was planning to play offensive line.
Earlier in the year, it looked like the Sioux City native might end up playing college basketball. Iowa assistant coach Reese Morgan had been in touch from time to time, but his best option might have been playing hoops at Morningside College or Northwestern College in Orange City, IA. Morgan then offered Cole Croston the opportunity to walk-on and everything changed.
“Later in the year during my basketball season, Iowa asked me to walk-on, which was incredible. At that point I thought maybe this was something I could do and hopefully make a career out of it,” Cole Croston said.
His father recalls the waiting game that occurred for his son, but when Iowa came calling the process quickly ended.
“He hadn’t fully decided on football until Reese Morgan started really recruiting him and he came down for that last visit that’s kind of reserved for the walk-on kids and asked him to join the team. That’s what sealed it for him. He dropped everything else,” said Dave Croston.
For Bruce and George Kittle, the recruiting process was also very much a waiting game. George Kittle was living down in Norman, OK at the time where his father was an assistant coach for former Hawk Bob Stoops. He had an opportunity to play for Air Force, but was likely headed to Weber State to play football until the Hawkeyes came thru with the last minute offer on signing day.
“We never got a letter from Iowa or a visit, but about two weeks out from signing day, a lot of it had to do with Reese Morgan and Ken O’Keefe and they had a pair of scholarships out to two running backs and if either of them said no, George was in,” Bruce Kittle recalled. “They called the night before and they were waiting and they both ended up going elsewhere.”
George Kittle was all of about 190 pounds at the time and he and his father knew there would be plenty of work ahead, but the opportunity to follow in his dad’s footsteps left him speechless.
“My dad got in touch with me that day around 11 a.m. and said the coaches were going to call me to offer a scholarship and to be completely honest, I was almost breathless,” George Kittle said.
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Father's Day Legacy
Tom Kakert | Editor
George Kittle with his father and grandfather.
Photo courtesy of the Kittle family
“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.”
-Jim Valvano
College football programs around the country talk about being a family. At the University of Iowa, it’s not just talk. The Hawkeye program is family in its truest sense.
For a pair of former Hawkeyes who have been fortunate enough to see their sons follow in their footsteps, it’s been a dream come true. For their sons, it has been a dream fulfilled.
In the late 70’s and into the early 80’s, Bruce Kittle played offensive line for Iowa. Dave Croston followed and played into the mid-80’s. Kittle and Croston were team captains in their senior seasons with the Hawkeyes were part of teams that played in a Rose Bowl. Both were also coached by a man named Kirk Ferentz, who was the offensive line coach under Hayden Fry.
Little did they know that one day they would see their son’s follow in their footsteps, earn scholarships to the University of Iowa to play football, play in a Rose Bowl, and become part of the leadership of group of a Hawkeye team in their senior year. Both are coached by Head Coach Kirk Ferentz and his son, Brian on the Iowa staff.
At Iowa, they don’t just talk about being a family, they are a family. It’s that family bond and having a head coach at Iowa who was the position coach of a pair of former Hawkeyes that is the common denominator.
“I think a big part of that is because of Kirk Ferentz and the man he is. If you are a parent and you want to send your kid somewhere to play football, that’s the guy you want coaching your son,” Dave Croston said.
“When I was at Iowa and Kirk was coaching the offensive line, we were doing summer workouts and we had to take turns holding Brian (Ferentz).” Bruce Kittle shared. “There is that continuity and consistency with the program. Kirk has done a great job of building on that and establishing that family feeling in the program.”
Family has always been at the root of everything that Dave Croston and Bruce Kittle have done raising their children. Croston has four children and Kittle has a two and just being present isn’t what being a father means to them. It means setting the right example and being an active participant in raising their children. It means talking and sharing life lessons with them, and also coaching them.
“I made a choice to step off the career track and try to make enough money to have a house and things like that, but to be there for my kids and be available to my kids,” Bruce Kittle said. “I wouldn’t trade anything for that experience. I wasn’t a great baseball coach or basketball coach, but being there with him on a day to day basis was important. One thing that sports does is teach lessons about success, failure, and all those type of things. Having the opportunity to speak to him in the moment when he’s going thru those things was important.”
“I coached Cole all thru football, especially when he was young. When you are coaching, you want to be there and guide them thru not just learning the game, but teaching them lessons along the way. It was important for me to be there and be a part of that learning process,” Dave Croston said.
For George Kittle and Cole Croston, the sons of Hawkeyes, the sacrifice made by their dads is something they appreciate more and more each and every day.
“He has always been there for me, no matter what sport I wanted to play or was playing,” Cole Croston said. “I actually remember at one point, Iowa State was sending me letter and the moment I knew my dad loved me was when he said if I wanted to go to Iowa State and play that he would still support me. I told him I would never do that, but I knew he was in it for the long run and wanted me to do what I wanted to do.”
“It’s meant everything to me. He was honestly the only coach I ever had until 7th or 8th grade. He doesn’t know anything about baseball and he coached baseball,” George Kittle said with a laugh. “He loved it. He loved every minute of it and I did too. He did it because he loves being around us and wanted to share all of those experiences with us.”
When Cole Croston and George Kittle arrived on campus in the fall of 2012, they weren’t the five star recruits with big offers and high expectations. They were both undersized and knew that there would be a hill to climb.
Croston would be walking on to the Hawkeye program and that is never an easy undertaking for anyone, especially someone who arrived at about 240 pounds and was planning to play offensive line.
Earlier in the year, it looked like the Sioux City native might end up playing college basketball. Iowa assistant coach Reese Morgan had been in touch from time to time, but his best option might have been playing hoops at Morningside College or Northwestern College in Orange City, IA. Morgan then offered Cole Croston the opportunity to walk-on and everything changed.
“Later in the year during my basketball season, Iowa asked me to walk-on, which was incredible. At that point I thought maybe this was something I could do and hopefully make a career out of it,” Cole Croston said.
His father recalls the waiting game that occurred for his son, but when Iowa came calling the process quickly ended.
“He hadn’t fully decided on football until Reese Morgan started really recruiting him and he came down for that last visit that’s kind of reserved for the walk-on kids and asked him to join the team. That’s what sealed it for him. He dropped everything else,” said Dave Croston.
For Bruce and George Kittle, the recruiting process was also very much a waiting game. George Kittle was living down in Norman, OK at the time where his father was an assistant coach for former Hawk Bob Stoops. He had an opportunity to play for Air Force, but was likely headed to Weber State to play football until the Hawkeyes came thru with the last minute offer on signing day.
“We never got a letter from Iowa or a visit, but about two weeks out from signing day, a lot of it had to do with Reese Morgan and Ken O’Keefe and they had a pair of scholarships out to two running backs and if either of them said no, George was in,” Bruce Kittle recalled. “They called the night before and they were waiting and they both ended up going elsewhere.”
George Kittle was all of about 190 pounds at the time and he and his father knew there would be plenty of work ahead, but the opportunity to follow in his dad’s footsteps left him speechless.
“My dad got in touch with me that day around 11 a.m. and said the coaches were going to call me to offer a scholarship and to be completely honest, I was almost breathless,” George Kittle said.
