A Slow Start, And Then Big Moments, During Fry's Career
The first two seasons of Hayden Fry's coaching career at Iowa looked liked some of the ones preceding him.
Fry's 1979 team went 5-6, the 1980 team went 4-7.
Everything changed in 1981.
An 8-4 season that included a Rose Bowl appearance began a long run of success for Fry, who went 143-89-6 in his 20 seasons at Iowa.
A look at the pivotal seasons of Fry's career:
1981: 8-4 overall (6-2 Big Ten)
It all started with a 10-7 home win over Nebraska to open the season. Two weeks later, the Hawkeyes defeated UCLA, 20-7, starting a four-game winning streak that continued into Big Ten play.
Back-to-back losses to Minnesota and Illinois put Iowa's Big Ten title hopes in jeopardy, but the Hawkeyes closed the season with wins over Purdue, Wisconsin and Michigan State, outscoring the three teams 86-21.
The Hawkeyes lost, 28-0, to Washington in the Rose Bowl.
1983: 9-3 (7-2)
The last time the Hawkeyes had won nine games was in 1956.
This team opened the season with road wins over Iowa State and Penn State and a home win over Ohio State. Losses to Illinois and Michigan took the Hawkeyes out of Big Ten title contention, but they closed the season with four consecutive wins before a 14-6 loss to Florida in the Gator Bowl.
Iowa scored 40 or more points in five games that season, including 61 against Northwestern and 61 in the regular-season finale against Minnesota.
1985: 10-2 (7-1)
It was a season of memorable games.
Quarterback Chuck Long's bootleg gave Iowa a 24-21 over Michigan State on Oct. 4, the middle game in a seven-game winning streak to start the season.
The Hawkeyes were ranked No. 1 in the nation when they defeated Michigan, 12-10, on a Rob Houghtlin field goal as time expired. Two weeks later, they lost for the first time, falling 22-13 at Ohio State.
Iowa closed the season with three consecutive wins, including a 59-0 victory over Illinois and a 31-9 win over Minnesota in the regular-season finale that clinched a Rose Bowl berth.
The Hawkeyes lost to UCLA in the Rose Bowl, 45-28.
1987: 10-3 (6-2)
The Hawkeyes were 4-3 in mid-October, then roared to six consecutive wins to close the season. Included in that streak was a 29-27 victory at Ohio State on Nov. 14 when Marv Cook bulled into the end zone for a touchdown reception on a fourth-and-23 pass in the closing seconds.
1990: 8-4 (6-2)
The Hawkeyes got to the Rose Bowl despite losses to Ohio State and Minnesota, winning a tiebreaker in a share of the Big Ten title.
1991: 10-1 (7-1)
A 43-24 loss at Michigan was all that stood between the Hawkeyes and an undefeated season. Iowa closed the season with seven consecutive wins, then tied Brigham Young, 13-13, in the Holiday Bowl.
1998: 3-8 (2-6)
Iowa was 3-3 in mid-October, then lost the last five games. A 49-7 loss at Minnesota was the final game of Fry's career — he would announce his retirement two days later.
"I would have rather gone out," Fry said, "with a really good season."
