Fry's Teams Had An Impressive Run Of Bowl Appearances
When Hayden Fry took over as Iowa's football coach in 1979, the Hawkeyes hadn't been to a postseason game since the 1959 Rose Bowl.
Three seasons later, the Hawkeyes were going back to the Rose Bowl, starting a stretch of 14 bowl appearances in the last 18 seasons under Fry.
The Hawkeyes went 6-7-1 in bowl games under Fry, constructing a postseason foundation for the program.
A look at some of Iowa's notable bowls under Fry:
1982 Rose Bowl: Washington 28, Iowa 0
The Hawkeyes went 8-3 that season, winning their final three games for their first Rose Bowl appearance since 1959.
But Iowa could do nothing against the Huskies. The Hawkeyes, who had 264 yards of offense, had five turnovers, and Washington running back Jacque Robinson rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns.
1982 Peach Bowl: Iowa 28, Tennessee 22
The first bowl win under Fry came with the help of freshman quarterback Chuck Long, who threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns.
Dave Moritz had eight catches for 168 yards and a touchdown, all in the first half. Ronnie Harmon also caught two touchdowns.
1984 Freedom Bowl: Iowa 55, Texas 17
It was the first Freedom Bowl, and Long put on a show. He had 461 passing yards and six touchdowns on a rainy night in Anaheim.
The Hawkeyes scored 31 third-quarter points after leading 24-17 at halftime. Long had 241 passing yards in that quarter.
1986 Rose Bowl: UCLA 45, Iowa 28
A magical season for Iowa — the Hawkeyes were ranked No. 1 at midseason and had a nationally-televised last-second win over Michigan in a 1 vs. 2 battle at Kinnick Stadium.
But Iowa's defense couldn't stop UCLA freshman tailback Eric Ball, who had 227 rushing yards and scored four touchdowns. The Hawkeyes also turned the ball over five times, four coming on fumbles by running back Ronnie Harmon.
Long threw for 319 yards and a touchdown.
1986 Holiday Bowl: Iowa 39, San Diego State 38
Rob Houghtlin's 41-yard field goal as time ran out gave the Hawkeyes the win in the first of back-to-back appearances in the San Diego game.
Mark Vlasic threw for two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Rick Bayless rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown.
1987 Holiday Bowl: Iowa 20, Wyoming 19
The Hawkeyes trailed 19-7 heading into the fourth quarter, but Anthony Wright's 33-yard interception return for a touchdown and David Hudson's 1-yard run led to the win.
Merton Hanks blocked a 52-yard field goal attempt with 46 seconds left to seal the win.
1991 Rose Bowl: Washington 46, Iowa 37
Another Pasadena flop for the Hawkeyes. This time, they were down 33-7 at halftime before rallying in the second half.
Quarterback Matt Rodgers had two touchdown runs, but threw three interceptions.
1991 Holiday Bowl: Iowa 13, BYU 13
The Hawkeyes came into the game at 10-1, and led 13-0 before Heisman Trophy winner Ty Detmer threw two touchdowns for the tie.
BYU was driving for what would have been the winning score in the final minutes, but Carlos James intercepted Detmer's pass at the goal line.
1995 Sun Bowl: Iowa 38, Washington 18
The Hawkeyes scored the first 21 points on a touchdown, a safety, and four field goals.
Sedrick Shaw rushed for 135 yards and Tavian Banks had 122 rushing yards for the Hawkeyes.
1996 Alamo Bowl: Iowa 27, Texas Tech 0
The last bowl win under Fry was a dominating defensive performance.
Iowa held Texas Tech's Byron Hanspard, who had rushed for 2,000 yards during the season, to 64 yards on 18 carries.
Shaw rushed for 113 yards.
