Has your opinion of Kirk changed? How?

[tweeterhawk]

I used to think he was a good leader of Iowa’s football program, one that brought it out of the malaise after the late career decline under Hayden Fry. Decent man, winning coach, someone who could take unranked or 2- or 3-star players and turn them into top caliber competitors in one of the country’s toughest leagues, some even reaching the next level.

I was proud to have him as Iowa’s coach.

That has changed over the past two years. Naming his son OC, even under the supervision of the AD, and his unwillingness to make a change — even as his son’s part of the program fell to last or near last in national stats — changed that. His intransigence in not making a change and of sticking with a scheme and players that simply aren’t making it is maddening and frustrating. He has brought ridicule to Iowa football and in the process is damaging, if not destroying, his legacy.

I’m embarrassed.

Congratulations to Beth Goetz on confronting Kirk head-on and forcing a decision that needed to be made. Let’s see how she handles the inevitable fall-out. I do believe another shoe is about to drop.

I suspect she’ll do fine.

 

[ClarindaA's]

My first vocal eff you Kirk, came in the horseshoe on 09, it was chickenshit to not try and win in regulation. When he said something about going 10-2 in response to questions about the shit offense, I was done. He’s a great dude, but he needed shit canned at that point.

 

[TampaHawkfan]

My opinion has changed from where it was in the 2000's, or even mid 2010's. Pretty much as the OP outlined above. What happened today, has not changed what I was feeling yesterday. It seemed to be more about what was best for BF, not the program. I get the feeling that if BF also benefitted the program, then great, in KF's eyes. If not, it's BF first, the program second. Or at least, that's the impression I've gotten.

 

[mro1978]

he turned into what has already been said above into a narcissist who would rather lose his way than win

 

[millah_22]

Ummm, not really. We've seen him for 25 years now. We also knew that if it came down to Brian being fired for his performance he was going to be forced out by anyone but Kirk, so this doesn't surprise me.

I don't love him, I don't really hate him, he is what he is.

 

[ryanhawk33]

he turned into what has already been said above into a narcissist who would rather lose his way than win

Except he wins his way most of the time. I think he would step away on his own if he was losing.

 

[icwesthawk]

My opinion about Kirk have not changed for over 15 years. He has been a blessing and a curse for Iowa football. Quite surprised that he is not also going to call it after the season but he still may. Good guy, great leader and IMHO, a very mediocre football coach

 

[mro1978]

Except he wins his way most of the time. I think he would step away on his own if he was losing.

Iowa won this many games with elite defense, elite special teams, and being in the big 10 west..........the offense is what brought Iowa down to 8-5 on an annual basis..........that is sheer narcissism

 

[2D_]

Great man, great coach. Someone who I respect a ton for what he does in turning young guys into men with the right mindset for their futures. But the game has past him by, and it's time for him to move on.

 

[gamedayron01]

He pissed on his legacy when he hired Brian as OC with the plan for him to take over as HC someday.

Nepotism sucks and rarely works out. Not to mention his son in law is the recruiting coordinator and a cocky piss ant. Guy fights with and blocks media members on Twitter. He’s also gotten into it with fans early on when he was hired.

 

[reedsposer22]

I used to think he was a good leader of Iowa’s football program, one that brought it out of the malaise after the late career decline under Hayden Fry. Decent man, winning coach, someone who could take unranked or 2- or 3-star players and turn them into top caliber competitors in one of the country’s toughest leagues, some even reaching the next level.

I was proud to have him as Iowa’s coach.

That has changed over the past two years. Naming his son OC, even under the supervision of the AD, and his unwillingness to make a change — even as his son’s part of the program fell to last or near last in national stats — changed that. His intransigence in not making a change and of sticking with a scheme and players that simply aren’t making it is maddening and frustrating. He has brought ridicule to Iowa football and in the process is damaging, if not destroying, his legacy.

I’m embarrassed.

Congratulations to Beth Goetz on confronting Kirk head-on and forcing a decision that needed to be made. Let’s see how she handles the inevitable fall-out. I do believe another shoe is about to drop.

I suspect she’ll do fine.

All leaders can change for the negative if go unchecked for too long, thats why presidents have term limits.

 

[gamedayron01]

All leaders can change for the negative if go unchecked for too long, thats why presidents have term limits.

You either die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain.

 

[Mister Plow]

At the end of 2014, I was tired of defending him and accepted that if he left after 2015 that was that. I'm back to that state of mind. This offense is just painful to watch and maybe things will change with a new coordinator but maybe they won't and I'm pretty pessimistic about us rallying right now.

 

[gamedayron01]

At the end of 2014, I was tired of defending him and accepted that if he left after 2015 that was that. I'm back to that state of mind. This offense is just painful to watch and maybe things will change with a new coordinator but maybe they won't and I'm pretty pessimistic about us rallying right now.

Kirk has never had great offenses at Iowa overall. Ever since KOK left it’s been a shit show.

 

[oldnewkirk.0]

Great man, great coach. Someone who I respect a ton for what he does in turning young guys into men with the right mindset for their futures. But the game has past him by, and it's time for him to move on.

This is pretty spot on for me as well. I think he’s one of the most genuine coaches out there and he’s clearly passionate about the program and his players - queue the highlight real of all the times he let his emotions out after a win and when they did the special on him regarding his donation to the children’s hospital in memory of his granddaughter.

However, as the new era of college football begins with super conferences and NIL money, it’s likely time for a change. IMO he’s earned the right to retire on his own, but the fact that he can’t objectively look at what BF has done, or not done, and the fact that he’s loyal to a fault and refuses to give other players a shot (e.g., Labas for Hill) is mind boggling to me given the level of football IQ he possesses. Continuing on this trajectory will only damage his legacy.

 

[Rambler Hawk]

This is pretty spot on for me as well. I think he’s one of the most genuine coaches out there and he’s clearly passionate about the program and his players - queue the highlight real of all the times he let his emotions out after a win and when they did the special on him regarding his donation to the children’s hospital in memory of his granddaughter.

However, as the new era of college football begins with super conferences and NIL money, it’s likely time for a change. IMO he’s earned the right to retire on his own, but the fact that he can’t objectively look at what BF has done, or not done, and the fact that he’s loyal to a fault and refuses to give other players a shot (e.g., Labas for Hill) is mind boggling to me given the level of football IQ he possesses. Continuing on this trajectory will only damage his legacy.

Well said…also, I think his snarky comment about how many wins we had in the face of his son’s pathetic job performance was the nail in the proverbial coffin for me….do what’s right Captain Kirk and step down after this season.🤞

 

[Hawk_4shur]

In my career as a CPA, I've seen many great business leaders and talented high performing peers. A high % of them fall into the same trap KF has - they rely too heavily on family and don't change the way they do things when it's needed.

The trap is, when something is highly successful for 20 years, why won't it be successful for 21? They have a formula that has served them well.

Of course, observers will simply say the person needs to change with the times! I'm not talking about simply learning to use e-mail and a cell phone - fundamentally changing the way you do things that have been successful is dam hard. Impossible for some.

Kirk is 68, the same age I am. I retired as a CFO at 61 in part because the world I was in was changing faster than I could adapt. The guy that followed me changed everything I was doing but only lasted a year. In this case, simply changing didn't really fix anything.

I like KF and I understand the struggles he has faced as a HC for an unheard of 25 years. I think he knows it's time to let someone else take over, and I believe this will be his last year.

 

[General Tso]

He pissed on his legacy when he hired Brian as OC with the plan for him to take over as HC someday.

Nepotism sucks and rarely works out. Not to mention his son in law is the recruiting coordinator and a cocky piss ant. Guy fights with and blocks media members on Twitter. He’s also gotten into it with fans early on when he was hired.

This, and it truly makes me sad. Hayden Fry became iowa's coach the year I was born, so there have been exactly two coaches in my lifetime who - for most of that time - I was proud to have representing the university. Then nepotism unsettled that entire feeling. Sure there were other things like the racial allegations, but I still believe that had more to do with players picking the wrong football culture. It's hard to decouple the nepotism from the other things Kirk did to build his legacy.

 

[hawkeye54545]

I have had Ferentz fatigue for quite awhile. Once it became apparent the most important thing was handing the reigns over to Brian I've been ready for something different.

 

[TonyTheTiger.1865]

No, I still respect Kirk. We all have blinders on when it comes to our kids

 

[BHCrusader2010]

I used to think he was a good leader of Iowa’s football program, one that brought it out of the malaise after the late career decline under Hayden Fry. Decent man, winning coach, someone who could take unranked or 2- or 3-star players and turn them into top caliber competitors in one of the country’s toughest leagues, some even reaching the next level.

I was proud to have him as Iowa’s coach.

That has changed over the past two years. Naming his son OC, even under the supervision of the AD, and his unwillingness to make a change — even as his son’s part of the program fell to last or near last in national stats — changed that. His intransigence in not making a change and of sticking with a scheme and players that simply aren’t making it is maddening and frustrating. He has brought ridicule to Iowa football and in the process is damaging, if not destroying, his legacy.

I’m embarrassed.

Congratulations to Beth Goetz on confronting Kirk head-on and forcing a decision that needed to be made. Let’s see how she handles the inevitable fall-out. I do believe another shoe is about to drop.

I suspect she’ll do fine.

Give the guy credit, he found a way to keep this fraud going. Who is his agent? the 1 time hospital donation idea was brilliant. That bribe made him basically untouchable. 99/100 HC would have been sent packing after his staff abused those black players. Then that schedule, he (agent) took care of Barta with the kickback from the contract extensions and Barta took care of him with the yearly sissy schedule to keep him around. 25 years and nothing but a bunch of toilet bowls and embarrassment.
KF the Bernie Madoff of college football ... good for him.

 

[QChawks]

absolutely, over the years KF's hate for change has really held this program back. College football has changed a lot in the last 25 years with new offensive schemes, transfer portal, NIL....and all Kirk wants to do is run the same base offense/defense and just "execute better" than other teams

now, it's too late and the fans have grown tired of it. he is like kodak and blockbuster, old brands that couldn't adapt and ultimately went away.

 

[Tom Paris]

Kirk has never had great offenses at Iowa overall. Ever since KOK left it’s been a shit show.

KOK didn't have more than a couple very good offenses either. Brad Banks and the Shonn Greene year. He had so many ridiculous tells I was sick of him too. I had fans around us in shock a couple of times when he would bring in 26 - little fast WR - and I would say, "Reverse." Then he'd run it. I explained that's all he uses that guy for.

 

[hawkjt]

I appreciate KFs leadership of our program over 25 years. That is no joke.
No cheating.
High character student-athletes
22 bowls
Unheard of program stability.
Stadium/facility enhancements.

That's the BIG picture.
Last 8 years have been top 10 in victories in the country.

That said...probably time to step aside.
Put up the statue.
And, boys...win one more West title for the gipper, ok?

 

[pistachio1999]

My first vocal eff you Kirk, came in the horseshoe on 09, it was chickenshit to not try and win in regulation. When he said something about going 10-2 in response to questions about the shit offense, I was done. He’s a great dude, but he needed shit canned at that point.

Done for 14 years and still following along. Nice!!!!!

 

[BonzoFury]

Give the guy credit, he found a way to keep this fraud going. Who is his agent? the 1 time hospital donation idea was brilliant. That bribe made him basically untouchable. 99/100 HC would have been sent packing after his staff abused those black players. Then that schedule, he (agent) took care of Barta with the kickback from the contract extensions and Barta took care of him with the yearly sissy schedule to keep him around. 25 years and nothing but a bunch of toilet bowls and embarrassment.
KF the Bernie Madoff of college football ... good for him.

FFS already...his staff didn't "abuse" black players.

 

[HawkMachine]

he turned into what has already been said above into a narcissist who would rather lose his way than win

Where is the Thumbs Down button?

This is just dumb.

 

[HawkMachine]

Kirk should thank Beth for saving his legacy.

 

[MnPete]

My opinion of him changed post “Rhabdo”. I had a relative on the team that was personally impacted by this. The way Kirk and others handled this and the lack of compassion for those impacted was completely unacceptable. Thankfully, full recovery was achieved but his place in the team was never the same. He went from someone that played regularly and actually scored a few TDs (I know, rare in today’s offense) to one that hardly sniffed the field.

 

[ClarindaA's]

Done for 14 years and still following along. Nice!!!!!

I didn’t say done, I said it was an eff off moment

 

[SDHawkDoc]

I've considered him a good, not great, coach for a long time. That hasn't changed.
It was a very poor decision to put his son in the position that he did. And then he continued to double down on it. That's certainly a check mark on the negative side of the ledger. Still, doesn't change the overall assessment. Good, but not great, coach.

 

[luvmyhawks]

Give the guy credit, he found a way to keep this fraud going. Who is his agent? the 1 time hospital donation idea was brilliant. That bribe made him basically untouchable. 99/100 HC would have been sent packing after his staff abused those black players. Then that schedule, he (agent) took care of Barta with the kickback from the contract extensions and Barta took care of him with the yearly sissy schedule to keep him around. 25 years and nothing but a bunch of toilet bowls and embarrassment.
KF the Bernie Madoff of college football ... good for him.

Stfu loud mouth troll.

 

[ROHawk 44]

He's a coach that has been successful. I've never been the hero worship type so I've never "loved" a coach. Don't know him personally so I can't say if he's a great guy or not. Just about every coach loves his players and has no shortage of players who love them back. I think most of the coaches that make this type of money give a lot to charity, it almost seems like a requirement. I get choked up at times talking to the fastpitch softball teams that I coach so I can relate to that though.

I know I've never enjoyed listening to him talk. He says next to nothing and his "I remember back in 1990 whatever" schtick is old. I'm curious to see what he says today though. I think I will like him more if he isn't bitter and grumpy. I don't think he has a reason to be upset. The offense has been bad for awhile and he has said he would wait to the end of the season to analyze things before only to do next to nothing. He's given us no reason to believe things would be different at the end of this year.

 

[SDHawkDoc]

He's a coach that has been successful. I've never been the hero worship type so I've never "loved" a coach. Don't know him personally so I can't say if he's a great guy or not. Just about every coach loves his players and has no shortage of players who love them back. I think most of the coaches that make this type of money give a lot to charity, it almost seems like a requirement. I get choked up at times talking to the fastpitch softball teams that I coach so I can relate to that though.

I know I've never enjoyed listening to him talk. He says next to nothing and his "I remember back in 1990 whatever" schtick is old. I'm curious to see what he says today though. I think I will like him more if he isn't bitter and grumpy. I don't think he has a reason to be upset. The offense has been bad for awhile and he has said he would wait to the end of the season to analyze things before only to do next to nothing. He's given us no reason to believe things would be different at the end of this year.

Agree. I also don't subscribe to the "loving" the coach approach. I want an entertaining product put out there by someone who avoids scandals. What they do otherwise in their personal life I don't have much interest in. Maybe be mildly entertaining in their public persona and not a complete asshole. But it's really mostly about putting an entertaining product on the field while avoiding distractions, personal problems or other issues that take away focus from the team or put it into a negative light.

 

[dbookie2004]

absolutely, over the years KF's hate for change has really held this program back. College football has changed a lot in the last 25 years with new offensive schemes, transfer portal, NIL....and all Kirk wants to do is run the same base offense/defense and just "execute better" than other teams

now, it's too late and the fans have grown tired of it. he is like kodak and blockbuster, old brands that couldn't adapt and ultimately went away.

I have thought since the beginning of the season that this will be Kirk‘s last.One reason is the new additions to the BIG and the dynamics of traveling to the West Coast.Iowa obviously does not play well when heading west.I believe Kirk‘s last reg. season game out west was against Arizona and that entire trip was a frickin disaster for so many reasons.Kirk hates the thought of the new BIG and dealing with everything that football has become.The time has come for Kirk to leave.

 

[DavidHawk324]

I appreciate KFs leadership of our program over 25 years. That is no joke.
No cheating.
High character student-athletes
22 bowls
Unheard of program stability.
Stadium/facility enhancements.

That's the BIG picture.
Last 8 years have been top 10 in victories in the country.

That said...probably time to step aside.
Put up the statue.
And, boys...win one more West title for the gipper, ok?

On the last 8 years, top 10 in wins, I am appreciative that he (and the Big Ten West) have basically put a floor on the number of wins so we pretty much always have winning seasons. That said, we’re at 1 New Years 6 bowl game in the last 14 years and we lost that one in a blow out. We’ve been in the Big Ten title game twice in its existence, where we are 0-2 with a huge blowout. By comparison: Wisconsin has been 6x, MSU 3x, Nebraska 1x, NW 2x, Purdue 1x. So we win a lot of games but its not adding up to a ton of titles or big bowl games.

It all comes down to Kirk having an area of weakness (the offense / nepotism) that everyone else in the country seems to be able to see but him. If he was trying different things to fix it, I’d give him some credit. However, he just just relies on the fact that his defense / special teams win games instead of making a fix to actually have a special season now and then instead of another trip to the Outback bowl.

 

[BHCrusader2010]

I appreciate KFs leadership of our program over 25 years. That is no joke.
No cheating.
High character student-athletes
22 bowls
Unheard of program stability.
Stadium/facility enhancements.

That's the BIG picture.
Last 8 years have been top 10 in victories in the country.

That said...probably time to step aside.
Put up the statue.
And, boys...win one more West title for the gipper, ok?

Hahaha OK
No cheating ... that we know of, though the staff tried 3 BS moves in final moments vs Minny. Let's count that racism lawsuit as a big time cheat. Who survives that.
High character student-athletes ... plenty of arrests in early 2000's. KF was told cool it or get out. Hence the try hard Iowa walkon/wasted scholie movement. The 'Iowa Way' good grief.
22 bowls ... almost all toilet bowls. Big time blow outs in the two that counted.
Unheard of program stability ... ya OK, that worked. No real expectations besides a toilet bowl.
Stadium/facility enhancements ... like those wouldn't have happend over 3 decades.

 

[JLDHAWK]

I used to think he was a good leader of Iowa’s football program, one that brought it out of the malaise after the late career decline under Hayden Fry. Decent man, winning coach, someone who could take unranked or 2- or 3-star players and turn them into top caliber competitors in one of the country’s toughest leagues, some even reaching the next level.

I was proud to have him as Iowa’s coach.

That has changed over the past two years. Naming his son OC, even under the supervision of the AD, and his unwillingness to make a change — even as his son’s part of the program fell to last or near last in national stats — changed that. His intransigence in not making a change and of sticking with a scheme and players that simply aren’t making it is maddening and frustrating. He has brought ridicule to Iowa football and in the process is damaging, if not destroying, his legacy.

I’m embarrassed.

Congratulations to Beth Goetz on confronting Kirk head-on and forcing a decision that needed to be made. Let’s see how she handles the inevitable fall-out. I do believe another shoe is about to drop.

I suspect she’ll do fine.

Around 2013 or 14 was probably the tipping point for me when he as Mr 7-5, had no offense back then either and Ferentz fatigue was firmly in place. I will always keep him in high regards but it's been hard. Hopefully when he retires he hasn't ruined his legacy and we can look back fondly

 

[DewHawk]

I was not happy when Iowa hired Ferentz because I was upset the way Iowa screwed up the possible Stoops hire. After that I still (as always) rooted for Iowa and tolerated Ferentz and his "my way or the highway" attitude which was fine when Iowa was competing with anyone they played.

2007 was when I reached empty on Ferentz and have been waiting ever since for him to depart. As a person I have no idea about Ferentz, never met the guy. But as a game day coach and now the total disregard for offense to protect Brian I really would like to see him step down as soon as possible.

I am a fan of Iowa sports, not some coach, so my support/allegiance depends on the coach's ability to run a clean winning program and to compete nationally.

 

[Frosty7130]

Hahaha OK
No cheating ... that we know of, though the staff tried 3 BS moves in final moments vs Minny. Let's count that racism lawsuit as a big time cheat. Who survives that.
High character student-athletes ... plenty of arrests in early 2000's. KF was told cool it or get out. Hence the try hard Iowa walkon/wasted scholie movement. The 'Iowa Way' good grief.
22 bowls ... almost all toilet bowls. Big time blow outs in the two that counted.
Unheard of program stability ... ya OK, that worked. No real expectations besides a toilet bowl.
Stadium/facility enhancements ... like those wouldn't have happend over 3 decades.

LOL is it your goal to be as wrong as possible all the time?