Iowa Coaching Legend Hayden Fry Passes Away at 90
Hayden Fry coached the Iowa Hawkeyes from 1979-1998. His team rarely missed a bowl game and he made Iowa a staple in the Big Ten Conference.
The unfortunate news came out Tuesday night that Fry had recently passed away.
Sad news: I can confirm legendary football coach Hayden Fry has died at age 90.
— Keith Murphy (@MurphyKeith) December 18, 2019
Fry resurrected Hawkeye football, and stands larger than life as one of the towering figures in Iowa sports history.
Hayden Fry, an American original. RIP pic.twitter.com/IuRaZxQmWa
This is a sad day for the Iowa family and also for college football fans who have been watching the game for decades. Fry was a head coach in the college ranks from 1962 at SMU all the way until his final season at Iowa in 1998. He was a familiar face and one other coaches could model themselves after.
Rest in peace Coach Hayden Fry pic.twitter.com/zdMqYNjSaP
— Blair Sanderson (@BlairRIVALS) December 18, 2019
Fry made the Iowa football program into what it is today and aided the passing of the torch to Kirk Ferentz to ensure it was a smooth transition. Iowa routinely won fewer than five games in the previous two decades before Fry arrived.
Fry will be missed and his spirit lives on with the Iowa football program he adored so much.