Iowa off coordinator Ken O’Keefe leaving

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It sure is nice to see other programs going through this instead of us (especially since its both our rivals).
 


I fully expect the Gophers to win in Iowa City next year. Call it a homer take if you want, but I would not trade programs with them right now. Everything is coming apart at the seams.
 

Glad to see the coaching upheaval. Once again, the timing of this right after signing day is well, sadly predictable.. BB gets an extension just before Wed. to show stability with most of the staff gone and now this. I wonder if any recruits would have dumped Iowa if the OC had "resigned" 2 weeks ago. These kids get worked and played. Welcome to adulthood I guess. Didn't Iowa pull a schollie from a kid this week as well?
 


Based on opinions I've seen from Iowa fans, it's a shame they didn't lose a linebacker or defensive line coach and kept O'Keefe.
 

Somethings fishy at Iowa. Why are the wheels coming off Ferentz and the program?
 

Maximus said:
Based on opinions I've seen from Iowa fans, it's a shame they didn't lose a linebacker or defensive line coach and kept O'Keefe.
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They did lose their defensive line coach. And, their defensive coordinator. And, now their offensive coordinator.

That said, I'd have been happy to see O'Keefe stay. He put together about four straight gameplans against us that were absolutely mind-boggling.
 

Iowa and Wisconsin.VVVVVVVV
Minnesota^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
 



GophersInIowa said:
It sure is nice to see other programs going through this instead of us (especially since its both our rivals).
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No kidding...the spread...followed by smash mouth football....I think Brewster was one more year away from dusting off the wishbone.
 


I bet he is going to be head coach at the Iowa state prison. Half of the inmates are former Iowa players.
 

Kevin O'Keefe is leaving to join the Miami Dolphins.

The demise and turnover of the coaching staff at Iowa City, IMO, is premature and exaggerated. The departure of the defensive line coach to Nebraska before their bowl game was a surprise; however, Norm Parker's retirement was not. Parker, the Hawks defensive coordinator, was getting up in years and had suffered setbacks in recent years with his severe diabetic condition. O'Keefe joined Ferentz at Iowa when Kirk took over the program in January 1999. There's been rumblings the past few years (wishful thinking for some Hawk fans) that he might be leaving but apparently the right position/offer had not occurred until now.

There's been little turnover in the Hawk program during Ferentz's tenure and I suspect he'll find qualified replacements to fill the three vacant positions.

Hayden Fry lost some top assistants in the late 80s when Barry Alvarez left for Notre Dame and a few other coaches went elsewhere. When Alvarez was hired at Wisconsin, 1989, he took some highly regarded assistants from Fry's staff (Bernie Wyatt (top recruiter, especially in New Jersey and New York area), Dan McCarney, etc.). Nevertheless, the Hawkeyes continued to win (went to the Rose Bowl) and the lost assistants were replaced with quality coaches. Good coaches replace coaches just as they do when a player graduates or uses up its eligiblity.

On paper, the Hawkeyes had a very good signing/recruiting class this year, especially up front on both sides of the line. So, I don't see that there will be a big drop off in their program, and I'm sure they'll find good replacements for the departed coaches.

Go Gophers!!
 



DL65 said:
Kevin O'Keefe is leaving to join the Miami Dolphins.

The demise and turnover of the coaching staff at Iowa City, IMO, is premature and exaggerated. The departure of the defensive line coach to Nebraska before their bowl game was a surprise; however, Norm Parker's retirement was not. Parker, the Hawks defensive coordinator, was getting up in years and had suffered setbacks in recent years with his severe diabetic condition. O'Keefe joined Ferentz at Iowa when Kirk took over the program in January 1999. There's been rumblings the past few years (wishful thinking for some Hawk fans) that he might be leaving but apparently the right position/offer had not occurred until now.

There's been little turnover in the Hawk program during Ferentz's tenure and I suspect he'll find qualified replacements to fill the three vacant positions.

Hayden Fry lost some top assistants in the late 80s when Barry Alvarez left for Notre Dame and a few other coaches went elsewhere. When Alvarez was hired at Wisconsin, 1989, he took some highly regarded assistants from Fry's staff (Bernie Wyatt (top recruiter, especially in New Jersey and New York area), Dan McCarney, etc.). Nevertheless, the Hawkeyes continued to win (went to the Rose Bowl) and the lost assistants were replaced with quality coaches. Good coaches replace coaches just as they do when a player graduates or uses up its eligiblity.

On paper, the Hawkeyes had a very good signing/recruiting class this year, especially up front on both sides of the line. So, I don't see that there will be a big drop off in their program, and I'm sure they'll find good replacements for the departed coaches.

Go Gophers!!
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Yep.
 

Hayden Frye had an amazing staff. Could really select coaching talent.
 

beavergopher said:
Hayden Frye had an amazing staff. Could really select coaching talent.
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Yes he could! An extensive coaching tree.

I forgot to mention in my above post, when Barry Alvarez was taking over the Wisconsin program, Bill Snyder, Hayden's offensive coordinator for several years, left Iowa to take over the Kansas State Wildcats. When he left for Manhattan, Kansas he took some of Hayden's assistants with him as well. So, there was a wholesale change in coaching personnel in Iowa City following the 1988 season. Makes the current coaching situation in Iowa City minor in comparison to what happened in 1988. The Hawks went 5-6 in 1989; however, in 1990 they were Big Ten co-champs and went to the Rose Bowl. (Good news: Minnesota beat Iowa both years!)

The above scenario(s) also makes me want to say, if they can win at Iowa, why not Minnesota? (It certainly helped Fry that he had a supportive administration: Bump Elliot former player and head coach at Michigan was his AD and President Sandy Boyd, a Minnesota alum.) Coach Kill and his stable coaching staff gives me hope that they can turn around the Gopher program. But patience is in order, for it'll take some time to build the solid foundation. Let's hope the new AD will truly know the importance and value of the football program. It sounds as though the new president does.


Go Gophers!!
 


It's probably worth noting that Iowa fans are pretty happy with this move. That's not a vote of confidence.
 


GoAUpher said:
It's probably worth noting that Iowa fans are pretty happy with this move. That's not a vote of confidence.
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chubbygopher said:
I noticed this also...the Iowa fans really didn't care for his play calling.
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And I'd tell them..."be careful what you wish for". Things might be a little dicey next year without Coker and a new OC.
 

highwayman said:
And I'd tell them..."be careful what you wish for". Things might be a little dicey next year without Coker and a new OC.
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No doubt. New coordinators always present challenges. I'm just saying anyone who assumes this means the decline of Iowa is jumping to very early conclusions.
 

chubbygopher said:
I noticed this also...the Iowa fans really didn't care for his play calling.
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And part of it is looking for a scapegoat for a pair of appearances in the Insight Bowl. The consensus was that Iowa was above the lower tier bowls. They aren't. Maybe the program isn't falling apart, but you can't turn a blind eye to the amount of off field problems that have faced the program in the last two years. Marcus Coker was supposed to be a "genius" in terms of the relative scholarship football player. Their best recruit, while currently healthy, is a lymphoma survivor. The foundation isn't exactly rock solid.
 

Breakin' The Plane said:
And part of it is looking for a scapegoat for a pair of appearances in the Insight Bowl. The consensus was that Iowa was above the lower tier bowls.
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And, in fairness, the Insight Bowl is not considered a lower tier bowl as it was when we went. The Insight increased its payout and is now in the old Alamo spot (#4/5), so it isn't a disgrace to end up in Tempe playing in that game.
 

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