LAS VEGAS — Kirk Ferentz was an offensive line coach at Iowa in the 1980s when he caught a glimpse of Woody Hayes roaming around Ohio Stadium.
“I remember distinctly he was over on the sideline doing a meet-and-greet with a lot of people,” Ferentz said. “He had a maroon sports coat on. I’ll never forget that. His classic tie. And his glasses. I looked over and was, like, ‘Wow, it’s Woody Hayes.’ It was pretty awesome.”
Ferentz is now in the company of Hayes, the Buckeyes’ legendary football coach. As he prepares for his 27th season leading the Hawkeyes, he is on the cusp of overtaking Hayes as the Big Ten’s all-time winningest coach.
With 204 wins at Iowa, he needs only two more to surpass Hayes, who led Ohio State to 205 wins over his 28 seasons from 1951-78.
Hayes’ record looks poised to fall early this season. Iowa opens with Albany, a program from the Football Championship Subdivision, and after visiting Iowa State for the Cy-Hawk game the following week hosts Massachusetts, which went 2-10 last season. The Hawkeyes begin Big Ten play at Rutgers on Sept. 19.
It could take decades for anyone else in Big Ten to catch up to Ferentz. Penn State’s James Franklin is the only other active coach in the league with more than 100 wins. Franklin is 101–42 since arriving in State College in 2014.
Months before he figures to etch his name in the history, Ferentz said he had not dwelled on the potential feat.
“I don’t think about it and haven’t thought about it,” he said. “That’s not why I got into coaching. It’s ironic or interesting, because it was never a goal of mine to be a head coach. I just wanted to be the best line coach I could be. The fact I am a head coach, the only place it would’ve happened is at Iowa.”
Ferentz’s overall record at Iowa is 204–124. Hayes went 205-61-10 with the Buckeyes.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Email him at jkaufman@dispatch.com and follow along on Bluesky, Instagram and X for more.
Get more Ohio State football news by listening to our podcasts
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Kirk Ferentz on the cusp of passing Woody Hayes as the Big Ten’s winningest football coach
Reporting by Joey Kaufman, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
