A Legacy Forged in Pigskin: Charting the University of Iowa's Head Football Coaches
The roar of the crowd, the crisp autumn air, and the iconic black and gold - these are the hallmarks of Iowa Football. Since its inception in 1889, the University of Iowa's Hawkeyes have etched their name into the annals of college football history. Over more than a century of play, the program has been shaped by a succession of leaders, each leaving their unique imprint on the team's journey. From the foundational years to eras of national prominence, the story of Iowa's head football coaches is a narrative of dedication, innovation, and the relentless pursuit of gridiron glory.
The Genesis of Hawkeye Football: Early Days and Foundational Figures
The very genesis of organized football at the State University of Iowa (SUI) can be traced back to a student initiative. On September 26, 1889, Martin Sampson, a student at SUI, convened a meeting to discuss the formation of a university football team. This pivotal moment earned Sampson the dual distinction of being the team's first coach and captain. In the initial years, from 1889 to 1891, the Hawkeye squad operated without a formal football coach, relying on student leaders like Sampson to guide their efforts. This period saw Iowa issue a statewide challenge for a game, with Iowa College in Grinnell being the sole team to accept.
The landscape began to shift in 1892. While the season concluded with a modest 3-2-1 record, it marked significant "firsts" for the Hawkeyes. Edwin A. Dalton became Iowa's inaugural paid football coach, albeit for a brief ten-day tenure in October of that year. Crucially, Iowa also joined its first conference, the Western Interstate University Football Association, alongside Nebraska, Missouri, and Kansas. Following early non-conference wins, the Hawkeyes faced formidable opponents in Kansas and Missouri. Despite these challenges, Iowa managed to break Iowa College's three-year dominance by securing an 18-12 victory over the Pioneers. The season concluded with a 10-10 tie against Nebraska. Though Edwin A. Dalton's coaching career was short, his tenure represented a crucial step in the formalization of the Hawkeye football program.
The period between 1892 and 1916 saw a rapid succession of nine different football coaches over 24 years. Among them, only three - Alfred E. Bull, Alden Knipe, and Mark Catlin - managed to lead the Hawkeyes to conference championships. John Chalmers distinguished himself with a .750 winning percentage during this era. Concurrently, in 1899, Iowa became a member of a new league, The Western Conference, later known as The Big Nine. This alliance comprised prominent Midwestern institutions: Chicago, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Northwestern, Purdue, and Wisconsin. Michigan's temporary departure in 1907 and subsequent replacement by Ohio State in 1912, followed by Michigan's re-invitation in 1916, led to the conference being recognized for the first time as The Big Ten.
The Howard Jones Era: National Recognition and Championship Dominance
Howard Jones, who coached the Hawkeyes from 1916 to 1923, stands as a towering figure in Iowa football history. During his tenure, Jones amassed a record of 42-17-1 over 60 games, achieving a .708 winning percentage. His leadership brought two Big Ten Conference championships to Iowa in 1921 and 1922, and his contributions were recognized with induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1951.
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Born in Excello, Ohio, on August 23, 1885, Jones honed his skills as a player at Yale University from 1905 to 1907. His time with the Bulldogs was marked by an undefeated streak of 28-0-2, earning them "mythical" national championships for all three seasons. After graduating in 1908, Jones embarked on his coaching career at Syracuse University before returning to Yale as head coach, leading them to a perfect 10-0 record and another "mythical" national title in 1909. He then spent a year as head coach at Ohio State University in 1910, guiding the Buckeyes to a 6-1-3 record. Jones took a five-year hiatus from coaching between 1910 and 1915, dedicating himself to private business, with a brief return to coach Yale to a 5-2-3 record in 1913.
Reed Lane, a businessman and member of the Iowa Athletic Board, was a former classmate of Jones. Upon the departure of Coach Jesse Hawley after the 1915 season, Lane's recommendation led to Iowa offering Jones a five-year contract at $4,500 annually, the longest and most lucrative coaching commitment the university had extended at that time. Jones became the Hawkeyes' 11th head football coach.
Jones's initial two seasons were challenging, marked by significant losses to Minnesota (67-0 in 1916) and Nebraska (47-0 in 1917). However, Jones vowed to rectify these results, and he did. In 1918, Iowa defeated Minnesota for the first time in school history, initiating a streak of five consecutive wins against the Golden Gophers under Jones, along with three victories over Nebraska.
World War I significantly impacted the college football landscape, leading to relaxed eligibility rules in the Big Ten Conference in 1918. During this period, with Iowa's athletic director serving in the war, Jones assumed that role as well. In a scenario reminiscent of the modern era, Iowa's 1918 game against Coe College was played without spectators due to fears surrounding the Spanish flu epidemic. In 1918 and 1919, Iowa narrowly missed out on the Big Ten title, with losses to Illinois proving costly in both seasons. By 1920, Iowa boasted the Big Ten's top two scorers and finished with a 5-2 record, yet the conference title remained elusive for 21 years.
This drought ended in 1921 when Iowa achieved a perfect 7-0 record, clinching the Big Ten title outright. A pivotal victory was the 10-7 triumph over Notre Dame, marking Jones's first encounter with legendary Notre Dame coach Knute Rockne. This win halted Notre Dame's 20-game winning streak, the longest of Rockne's career. The game, characterized by the formidable play of Iowa superstar Duke Slater, is credited with securing the Hawkeyes' first "mythical" national championship, as no official poll existed at the time.
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One of the criticisms leveled against the previous coach, Jess Hawley, was his perceived inability to attract top Iowa talent to SUI. Jones, however, excelled in this area. The 1921 Hawkeyes featured 11 native Iowans in their starting lineup. Despite the graduation of key players, Iowa replicated its success in 1922, achieving another perfect 7-0 record, going 5-0 in the Big Ten, and securing its second consecutive conference crown. This remains the only instance in Iowa football history where the Hawkeyes have won back-to-back conference titles. A notable highlight of the 1922 season was a victory over Yale, coached by Howard's brother, Tad Jones. This marked the first time a "western" team had ever defeated Yale in New Haven. Under Jones, Iowa's winning streak from 1920 to 1923 extended to 20 games, spanning nearly three full years.
Tragically, Howard Jones's wife found Iowa City uncongenial. This led Jones to demand a new contract in 1923, stipulating that he would coach and reside in Iowa City only during the football season. Tensions were further exacerbated by a conflict between Jones and the chairman of Iowa's Athletics Board, ultimately prompting Jones to resign as head coach and athletic director. He continued his successful coaching career at Duke and Southern California, compiling an impressive career record of 194-64-21 (.733 winning percentage) over 28 seasons.
Duke Slater: An All-American Trailblazer
Duke Slater, an All-American football player from Clinton, Iowa, emerged as a pivotal figure in the 1921 season, single-handedly propelling the Hawkeyes to their first "mythical" national championship. His legacy, though perhaps less widely celebrated in recent times due to racial barriers, is now rightfully acknowledged. Since 2021, the Hawkeyes have played on Duke Slater Field in Kinnick Stadium, a fitting tribute to his groundbreaking contributions.
Dr. Eddie Anderson: The "Ironmen" and a Heisman Triumph
Dr. Eddie Anderson coached the Hawkeyes in two stints: 1939-1942 and 1946-1949, accumulating a record of 35-33-2 over 70 games. His .468 winning percentage belies his significant impact, including being named National Coach of the Year in 1939 and earning induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1971.
Born in Oskaloosa, Iowa, on November 11, 1900, Anderson attended Mason City High School before enrolling at the University of Notre Dame. There, he played for Knute Rockne from 1918 to 1921, becoming a teammate of the legendary George Gipp. In his senior year, Anderson was a consensus first-team All-American and captain of the 1921 Notre Dame football team. His final three years at Notre Dame saw the Irish achieve a remarkable 28-1 record, with Anderson's sole loss coming in Iowa City in 1921, against Coach Howard Jones and Duke Slater's Hawkeyes, by a score of 10-7.
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After graduating from Notre Dame, Anderson coached at Columbia College in Dubuque from 1922 to 1924, achieving a 16-6-1 record and an undefeated season. During this time, he was considered for an assistant coaching position at Iowa, but Howard Jones reportedly rejected the idea. Anderson also played and coached for the Chicago Cardinals professional football team in the early 1920s. Simultaneously, he enrolled at Rush Medical College in Chicago, where he also coached football at DePaul University from 1925 to 1931, compiling a 21-22-3 record. Upon graduating from Rush, Anderson took the helm as head football coach at the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts. He built an impressive 47-7-4 record over six years (1933-1938), including undefeated seasons in 1935 and 1937. Notably, Anderson also served as the head of the eye, ear, nose, and throat clinic at Boston’s Veterans Hospital during this period.
Dr. Eddie Anderson was appointed the 15th head football coach at Iowa prior to the 1939 season. The Hawkeyes had endured a dismal two-year record of 2-13-1 (1937-38) under Coach Irl Tubbs, consistently finishing among the bottom three teams in the Big Ten Conference standings throughout the 1930s, with the exception of 1933. Anderson aimed to immediately reverse Iowa's fortunes, subjecting the 85 players who attended spring practice to an intense regimen, with only 37 earning football letters in 1939. This demanding approach earned the 1939 Hawkeyes the moniker "The Ironmen." Anderson's squad went on to become one of the greatest and most romanticized teams in school history. Spearheaded by Nile Kinnick, the 1939 Heisman Trophy winner, the Hawkeyes achieved a 6-1-1 record, the best overall mark in the Big Ten. Although Ohio State narrowly edged out Iowa for the conference title, Anderson was recognized as National Coach of the Year by multiple organizations. Jim Gallager of the Chicago Herald-American remarked, "It’s doubtful if any coach in football history ever accomplished such an amazing renaissance as Eddie Anderson has worked at Iowa."
Following two more average seasons (1940-1941), Iowa started the 1942 season with a 6-2 record and was in contention for the Big Ten title. However, consecutive road conference losses at Minnesota and Michigan derailed their championship aspirations. Anderson then served in the Army Medical Corps during World War II. Upon his return to Iowa City after the war, he coached the Hawkeyes for four more seasons (1946-1949). Sadly, Anderson was unable to recapture the magic of the 1939 "Ironmen" season. After two subpar seasons (1948-49), he accepted a lucrative offer to return to Holy Cross in Worcester, Massachusetts.
As previously noted, Dr. Anderson was a gifted physician who also practiced medicine part-time at the SUI Hospital while coaching. He had been studying urology under the Head of Urology at the hospital. When Anderson returned to Iowa City in 1946, he was informed that if he retired from coaching, he would be named the successor to Dr. Alcock. Anderson declined this offer and continued his part-time medical practice. After returning to Holy Cross, Anderson coached for 15 more years (1950-1964), amassing a record of 82-60-4. Throughout his distinguished career, the esteemed doctor coached for 39 seasons across four different schools, compiling a record of 201-128-15, becoming the fourth coach in college football history to achieve 200 wins. Following his resignation from Holy Cross in 1964, Anderson was appointed chief of outpatient services at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Rutland, Massachusetts, while also contributing to a nearby school for mentally ill children.
Nile Kinnick: Iowa's Heisman Icon
The year 1939 proved to be a landmark year for Iowa City. Under the leadership of Coach Eddie Anderson and the exceptional athleticism of Nile Kinnick, a young man from Adel, Iowa, the "Iron Men" of Iowa stunned the college football world. This remarkable season culminated in Kinnick winning the Heisman Trophy, cementing his status as a legendary figure in Iowa football lore. The 1939 season also saw Kinnick excel in the Big Ten Conference, a league that by then had evolved into a national leader in both academics and sports, having originated from the Western Conference founded in 1896 to address the growing concerns about the physicality and safety of college football.
Forest "Evy" Evashevski: A Dynasty of Dominance
Forest "Evy" Evashevski, who coached from 1952 to 1960, led the Hawkeyes to a remarkable period of success. He amassed a record of 52-27-4 over 83 games, achieving a .607 winning percentage. His tenure was highlighted by three Big Ten Conference championships (1956, 1958, 1960), two Rose Bowl victories, and a National Championship. Evashevski was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
Born in Detroit, Michigan, on February 18, 1918, Evashevski displayed athletic prowess from a young age, captaining multiple teams in grade school. At Northwestern High School in Detroit, he was initially deemed too small for the football team, weighing only 128 pounds. However, by his senior year, he had grown to 180 pounds, and his intramural team's upset victory over the varsity squad led to his inclusion on the senior team.
Eighteen months later, Evashevski enrolled at the University of Michigan, where Coach Fritz Crisler recognized his potential. Moved from center to quarterback a week before his first varsity game, Evashevski thrived in Crisler's single-wing system, which emphasized signal-calling and blocking. His exceptional blocking skills and football intelligence quickly made him a star. He started at quarterback for the entire year and was an all-Big Ten Conference performer for three consecutive seasons (1938-1940), paving the way for running back Tom Harmon, who won the Heisman Trophy in 1940. The Wolverines achieved a 20-4 record from 1938 to 1940 under Crisler's guidance.
The Modern Era and Sustained Success
The University of Iowa football program has a rich history, marked by periods of significant achievement and consistent performance. Since its establishment in 1889, the Hawkeyes have seen 25 head coaches lead the team. The program's evolution reflects a transition from its independent roots to a longstanding membership in the Big Ten Conference, which it joined in 1900. The sustained participation in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) era, beginning in the late 1970s, has been characterized by a notable resurgence in competitive success from the 1980s onward.
Within the Big Ten, Iowa has secured 11 conference championships, with the most recent co-title in 2004 alongside Michigan. These periods of excellence have been particularly evident in the early 1920s, the mid-1950s to early 1960s, and the early 2000s. On the national stage, Iowa claims two retroactive national championships: the 1921 title, recognized by the Parke H. Davis selector for its undefeated season, and the 1958 title, awarded by the Football Writers Association of America via the Grantland Rice Trophy following a dominant 38-12 Rose Bowl victory over California. The 1958 squad concluded the season ranked second in both the Associated Press and United Press International final polls, leading the nation in total offense.
The Hawkeyes' coaching history showcases distinct eras, from early successes and mid-20th-century dominance to modern-day consistency, with several standout figures shaping the program's enduring legacy. As of November 2025, the Hawkeyes have completed 127 seasons with an all-time record of 677-556-34 (.548 winning percentage), including a conference mark of 347-360-24 and a bowl record of 18-18-1 across 37 appearances. The 2025 team, as of November 17, 2025, stands at 6-4 overall (4-3 Big Ten), poised for a potential 38th bowl appearance.
Kirk Ferentz holds the distinction of the longest tenure, with 27 seasons through 2025, and the most career wins with 210. Hayden Fry recorded 143 wins during his 20-year tenure, a program benchmark at the time. Bob Commings coached from 1974 to 1978, following a transitional period, while Ray Nagel led the team from 1966 to 1970 amidst program rebuilding efforts. The following table presents a summary of the head coaching records for the Iowa Hawkeyes football program, detailing tenures, seasons coached, overall records, winning percentages, bowl records, and notable achievements.
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