Hayden Fry John Hayden Fry ( born February 28 , 1929 ) is a former American football player and coach . He played college football for Baylor University . He served as the head coach at Southern Methodist University ( 1962 – 1972 ) , North Texas State University , now the University of North Texas ( 1973 – 1978 ) , and the University of Iowa ( 1979 – 1998 ) , compiling a career college football record of 232 – 178 – 10 . He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2003 . Background . Born in Eastland , Texas , Hayden Fry was descended from one of the Texas First Families ; his great - great - grandfather fought beside General Sam Houston in the Mexican War against Santa Anna in the battle of San Jacinto . Fry ' s family moved to Odessa , Texas , when he was eight years old . Fry worked multiple jobs as a child to help his family through the Great Depression . He also played sports , partly to stay out of trouble . Hayden played basketball , football , and track , but he most loved and was most successful at football , and Odessa was a football town . When Fry played safety and quarterback for Odessa High School in the 1940s , their stands routinely had sellout crowds . In Fry ' s senior year , Odessa won 14 straight games , scoring almost 400 points and allowing about 50 . Odessa did not commit a single turnover all season . The Texas state playoffs placed every school into a single bracket . At the end of the year , Hayden Fry quarterbacked Odessa to the Texas state high school championship in 1946 . Fry then played at Baylor University from 1947 – 1950 . Baylor had a 26 – 13 – 2 record during Fry ' s four years there . Fry started a few games as an upperclassman at Baylor , but he could never win the full - time starting quarterback job . He graduated from Baylor with a degree in psychology in 1951 . Fry was an American history teacher and assistant football coach at Odessa High School for a year in 1951 before joining the U . S . Marine Corps in 1952 . During his time in Odessa , Fry met and befriended a young George H . W . Bush , who would become the 41st President of the United States . Fry served in the U . S . Marine Corps from 1952 – 1955 . He played with the Quantico Marines football team in 1953 , winning the Marine Corps championship and playing in the Poinsettia Bowl . Fry also coached a six man football team while in the Marines , and the unique style of play allowed Fry to innovate and invent new creative schemes . He became friends with Al Davis , who was coaching a rival military team ; Davis would later become the famous owner of the Oakland Raiders . Fry ' s time coaching and serving in the Marines were an asset as he began his coaching career . Fry was discharged from the Marines in February 1955 with the rank of captain . High school and assistant coach . In 1955 , Hayden returned to Odessa as a teacher and assistant football coach . The following season , Odessa head coach and former Texas A & M freshmen varsity coach Cooper Robbins was promoted to athletic director , and Hayden Fry took his first head coaching job . At 26 years old , he was coaching the high school he had led to the state title less than 10 years earlier . He served as Odessa ' s head football coach for three years . During that time , he first met and befriended the head coach at Texas A & M , Bear Bryant . Fry also continued as a history teacher at Odessa , and one of his students , Roy Orbison , later became a musical star . After the 1958 season , the new head football coach at Baylor hired Hayden Fry as an assistant coach . Fry spent two years at Baylor coaching the defensive backs . In 1960 , Baylor had an 8 – 2 record in the regular season and finished the year with a one point loss to Florida in the Gator Bowl . That season , Fry ' s defensive secondary helped Baylor lead the nation in pass defense . Fry left Baylor to become an assistant coach at Arkansas under Frank Broyles . Broyles had been Fry ' s position coach when Fry played at Baylor . Fry was the offensive backfield coach at Arkansas in 1961 . Arkansas won the Southwest Conference co - championship with an 8 – 2 record and narrowly lost the Sugar Bowl to Bear Bryant ' s Alabama squad . After one year at Arkansas , Southern Methodist University tabbed Fry as their next head football coach for the 1962 season . Head coaching career . The SMU Mustangs were members of the Southwest Conference at the time . Fry won the conference coach of the year award in his first season . In 1963 , SMU opened the season with a 27 – 16 loss to a Michigan team coached by Bump Elliott , Fry ' s future boss at Iowa . SMU lost to Oregon in the 1963 Sun Bowl , 21 – 14 . After the season , Fry was also appointed as SMU ' s athletic director . When Fry took the job at SMU , he was promised that he would be allowed to recruit black athletes . Fry and the school wanted to make certain that the player they recruited was not only a good athlete but also a good student and citizen and someone with the mental toughness to be one of the first black players in conference history . Fry found that player in Jerry LeVias . LeVias was a great player , an exceptional student , and mentally tough . He had never had discipline problems and was deeply religious . LeVias was the perfect player for SMU . Jerry LeVias had many other scholarship offers to good integrated schools , but he chose to attend SMU . LeVias became the first black player signed to a football scholarship in the Southwest Conference . In 1966 , LeVias made his debut , one week after John Hill Westbrook of Baylor became the first black player to play for a conference team . Fry received abuse for recruiting a black player to SMU in the form of hate mail and threatening phone calls , but he downplayed the treatment , because the harassment of LeVias was much , much worse . SMU had an 8 – 2 record in 1966 and won its first Southwest Conference title in 18 years . LeVias was named to the all - conference team and handled the racial incidents well . SMU lost in the Cotton Bowl Classic to Georgia but finished the year ranked # 10 in the nation . SMU had a down year in 1967 , but LeVias was again an all - conference selection . In 1968 , SMU went 7 – 3 and defeated Oklahoma in the Bluebonnet Bowl . LeVias was selected as an all - conference player as a senior for the third time . Fry ' s Mustangs then had just a 12 – 20 record over the next three years from 1969 – 1971 . That put Fry ' s job in jeopardy , and rumors started to swirl after Fry ' s Mustangs started the 1972 season at 4 – 4 . Not even a three game winning streak could save Fry . After a 7 – 4 season in 1972 , Fry was fired at SMU , which robbed the Mustangs of a bowl berth . Hayden Fry compiled a 49 – 66 – 1 record in 11 seasons at SMU , including the school ' s only three winning seasons since the late 1940s . In Fry ' s autobiography , Fry stated that he believed his firing was related to several boosters ' desire to start a slush fund to pay players and recruits . SMU was the second - smallest school in the Southwest Conference , and had found it difficult to compete over the last two decades against schools double its size or more . When he refused to go along with the plan , Fry said , the boosters pressured the school ' s new president to fire him . As it turned out , SMU would be hit with NCAA sanctions five times after Fry ' s departure before having its program completely shut down for the 1987 season due to a massive litany of misconduct . Most of the violations were related to the slush fund Fry had opposed several years earlier . Hayden Fry was hired as the coach and athletic director at North Texas State University ( now the University of North Texas ) before the 1973 season . North Texas appeared to be on the verge of dropping from Division I football or even ending the sport altogether . In 1973 , North Texas won a share of the Missouri Valley Conference title . However , North Texas left the conference after the year in hopes of joining a more football - oriented conference . While Fry was there , North Texas never did . He also coached three of his sons while at North Texas . Fry turned North Texas ' program around , compiling a 40 – 23 – 3 record over six seasons from 1973 – 1978 . In his final four seasons , North Texas had winning records , including a 10 – 1 mark in 1977 and a 9 – 2 record in 1978 . Still , North Texas never received a bowl invitation . Fry wanted to go to a school where he would be assured of a bowl game with a solid record and where he did not need to also serve as athletic director . Addendum : While Hayden Fry was at North Texas had there been as many bowls as there are present day , 5 out of 6 Hayden Fry - coached North Texas Mean Green football teams would have been bowl elgible . Also , from the Hayden Fry Iowa Coaching Tree you have Dan McCarney , ie , a former Iowa Hawkeye and assistant coach with Fry at Iowa who is now the head football coach at the University of North Texas . Coach McCarney has a framed photo of his personal hero Coach Fry in his office which overlooks UNT ' s new ultra - modern football stadium named Apogee Stadium . This LEEDS certified stadium has received rave reviews from all who have toured or played the Mean Green at UNT ' s ultra - modern facility . Ex Dallas Cowboy Super Scout Gil Brandt after touring Apogee Stadium called UNT ' s football palace " a Taj Mahal of a college football stadium . " Iowa coaching career . Hayden Fry was hired as Iowa ' s 25th head football coach after the 1978 season . Fry had never been to Iowa , but he knew and liked Bump Elliott , by this time the university ' s athletic director . Iowa had had 17 straight non - winning seasons , but Fry was impressed at the fan support for a program that had struggled for so long . Fry turned his attention to changing a losing attitude and starting new traditions at Iowa . Hayden would not celebrate close losses or moral victories . He hired a marketing group to create the Tigerhawk , a logo to represent the University of Iowa ' s athletic programs . Since both shared the colors of black and gold , Fry gained permission from the Pittsburgh Steelers , the dominant NFL program of the time , to overhaul Iowa ’ s uniforms in the Steelers ’ image . Fry had the team " swarm " onto the field together as they left the locker room , holding hands in a show of solidarity . And Fry had the visitors ’ locker room painted pink . Fry , a psychology major at Baylor , knew that pink is occasionally used in jails and mental institutions to relax and pacify the residents , and Fry claimed that it might have the same effect on the visiting team . Principally , though , Fry hoped that the unusual color would distract and fluster the opposing players and coaches . Visiting head coaches , particularly Michigan head coach Bo Schembechler , would occasionally try to cover the pink walls with paper to shield their players from the color . On the field , Hayden assembled a terrific coaching staff , bringing his assistant coaches with him from North Texas , including Bill Brashier , his defensive coordinator and a childhood friend from Eastland , Texas , and Bill Snyder , his offensive coordinator . Fry retained some of the Iowa coaches from the previous staff , including Dan McCarney and Bernie Wyatt . Finally , Fry hired the head coach at Mason City High School , Barry Alvarez . Fry would later add Kirk Ferentz as his offensive line coach and hire his former players Bob Stoops , Mike Stoops , Chuck Long , and Bret Bielema as assistant coaches . Fry also gave former USF Head Coach Jim Leavitt one of his first breaks in college football , making him a graduate assistant coach at Iowa in 1989 . Big Ten Title ( 1979 – 1981 ) . Fry brought a wide - open passing game to the Big Ten for the first time . He had his tight ends stand at the line of scrimmage at the snap , creating a unique looking offensive formation . He tried a number of trick plays , or " exotics " , to keep the opposition on its toes . All this did not immediately translate into wins . Iowa had losing seasons in 1979 and 1980 , and some began to wonder if Fry would suffer the same fate as the four coaches before him , who had left Iowa after failing to produce a winning season . But the team broke through in 1981 , a magical season for Hawkeye fans . Iowa began the year by upsetting sixth ranked Nebraska , a team that had defeated Iowa 57 – 0 the previous season . Two weeks later , Iowa defeated sixth ranked UCLA to give Fry win # 100 in his career . Later that season , Iowa defeated Michigan in Ann Arbor for its first victory over the Wolverines in 19 years . A victory over Purdue in 1981 snapped a 20 game losing streak to the Boilermakers and clinched Iowa ' s first winning season in 19 years , as well as its first bowl appearance in 23 years . In the final game of the 1981 regular season , Iowa ' s win over Michigan State , coupled with an Ohio State upset of Michigan in Ann Arbor , gave Iowa a share of the 1981 Big Ten title . Since Iowa had last been to the Rose Bowl in 1959 , the Hawkeyes got the conference ' s berth in the 1982 Rose Bowl . Either Michigan or Ohio State had gone to the Rose Bowl in each of the last 12 seasons , prompting critics to nickname the Big Ten the " Big Two and Little Eight " . While the Hawks lost to Washington , they had nonetheless altered the balance of the Big Ten . Three more bowls ( 1982 – 1984 ) . Iowa started the 1982 season with an 0 – 2 record , but the Hawkeyes compiled a 6 – 2 record in the Big Ten to earn a berth in the Peach Bowl . The Hawkeyes defeated Tennessee in the 1982 Peach Bowl to earn Iowa ' s first bowl victory since 1959 . In 1983 , Fry ' s Hawkeyes had a 9 – 2 record overall and a 7 – 2 mark in the Big Ten as the Hawks earned an invitation to the Gator Bowl . Iowa ' s seven Big Ten wins set a school record , and Iowa ' s nine wins overall tied the school record for wins in a single season set in 1903 . Iowa was ranked in the top ten in the country before losing in the Gator Bowl to Florida . A five game conference winning streak in 1984 helped put Fry and Iowa in contention for the league title , but injuries contributed to Iowa ' s 0 – 2 – 1 finish to the conference schedule . Iowa carried a 7 – 4 – 1 record into the 1984 Freedom Bowl against Texas . It was Fry ' s first game against a Texas school since leaving the state in 1978 . The Hawkeyes set the stage for the 1985 season by routing Texas , 55 – 17 . It was the most points scored against Texas in eighty years and the second most points ever allowed by the Longhorns . Another title and more bowls ( 1985 – 1987 ) . 1985 was arguably Fry ’ s best season at Iowa . Iowa was ranked # 1 in AP poll for the first time in 24 years and remained there for 5 weeks . During that time , the Hawkeyes scored two thrilling , last - minute victories as America ' s top team . Iowa quarterback Chuck Long scored a last minute touchdown on a bootleg run to clinch a 35 – 31 victory over Michigan State . Two weeks later , one of the most celebrated games in Iowa history was set to be played . The Michigan Wolverines came into Iowa City with a perfect 5 – 0 record and the # 2 ranking in the AP poll . It was just the 12th time in college football history that the # 1 and # 2 ranked teams in the AP poll would meet for a regular season game . It was the first such meeting where the victor scored the winning points on the game ' s final play . With two seconds remaining in the game and Iowa trailing 10 – 9 , kicker Rob Houghtlin booted his fourth field goal of the day , this one from 29 yards out , as time expired to give Iowa a dramatic 12 – 10 victory over Michigan at Kinnick Stadium . Iowa would finish the season with a 10 – 1 record , losing only in Columbus to Ohio State . Still , Iowa would win its first outright Big Ten title in 27 years and secure Fry ' s second Rose Bowl berth and a top ten final ranking . The Hawkeyes set a new school record for wins in 1985 , and Long finished second to Bo Jackson for the Heisman Trophy by the narrowest margin in the history of the award . A win in 1986 over Iowa State was Fry ' s 53rd at Iowa , giving him more wins than any coach in Hawkeye history . Iowa had an 8 – 3 record in 1986 and accepted an invitation to the Holiday Bowl . The Hawkeyes won the 1986 Holiday Bowl , 39 – 38 , again on a kick by Houghtlin as time expired . In 1987 , the Hawkeyes had a 9 – 3 record and returned to San Diego for the Holiday Bowl . A second straight Holiday Bowl victory gave Iowa another ten win season . Iowa ' s 62 victories from 1981 – 1987 were the most of any Big Ten team in that span , more than Michigan or Ohio State . Fry had taken a team with 19 consecutive non - winning seasons and turned them into one of the best teams in the Big Ten conference . Third Big Ten title ( 1988 – 1991 ) . The 1988 season marked the 100th season of Iowa football . It was also Fry ' s tenth at the school , making him the first Iowa football coach to lead the Hawkeyes for a full decade . Iowa compiled a 6 – 3 – 3 record and accepted its eighth consecutive invitation to a bowl game by playing in the 1988 Peach Bowl . In 1989 , the television show " Coach " debuted , starring Craig T Nelson as " Hayden Fox " . The title character , created by Iowa alumnus Barry Kemp , was loosely based on Hayden Fry ( Fry later appeared in commercials for the NCAA with the female lead of the TV series , Shelley Fabares ) , and exterior scenes for the show were shot on campus , mainly around Hillcrest Dormitory . Iowa had a disappointing season , however , as a season ending loss to Minnesota cost Iowa a ninth straight bowl game and a Copper Bowl berth , as the Hawkeyes finished the year 5 – 6 . The Hawks bounced right back in 1990 , as Iowa started the season with a 7 – 1 record . Iowa ' s final regular season game in 1990 was against Minnesota , and Iowa entered the game with records of 8 – 2 overall and 6 – 1 in the Big Ten . Early in the game , results of other Big Ten games gave Fry his third conference title and third Rose Bowl berth in ten years more than any other Big Ten Conference team . However , Iowa ' s loss to Minnesota cost the Hawkeyes the outright conference crown ; the Hawks finished tied atop the Big Ten Conference standings with Illinois , Michigan , and Michigan State , all of which compiled 6 – 2 league records . Iowa earned the trip to Pasadena , since the Hawks had beaten all three teams during the regular season , and all of them on the road . Although the Hawkeyes lost in Pasadena for the third time under Fry , many fans expected 1991 to be an even better year . The Hawks had a better record in 1991 , posting a 10 – 1 record , but the lone loss to Michigan cost Fry a fourth Big Ten title and Rose Bowl berth . Iowa ' s season ending win against Minnesota in 1991 was win number ten on the season , tying the school record for wins in a season . The win over Minnesota was also Fry ' s 100th victory at Iowa . The Hawkeyes accepted a third invitation to the Holiday Bowl , and the 13 – 13 tie with BYU gave Iowa a 10 – 1 – 1 final record and a top ten finish in the final AP rankings . Iowa ' s winning percentage from 1981 to 1991 ranked second in the Big Ten behind Michigan and ahead of Ohio State . The Hawkeyes played in 10 bowl games in 11 years and won three Big Ten titles during that span . Winning two more bowl games ( 1992 – 1996 ) . As Fry got older and several assistant coaches departed for other coaching jobs , Iowa had a down period from 1992 – 1994 . A season ending loss to Minnesota in 1992 gave Fry just his second losing season in the last 12 years , as Iowa finished with a 5 – 7 record . After starting the 1993 season at 2 – 5 , the Hawkeyes rebounded with four straight wins to garner an Alamo Bowl berth . Iowa ' s final win of the 1993 season over Minnesota gave Fry the 200th victory of his coaching career . However , Iowa lost the inaugural Alamo Bowl to California , 37 – 3 . The Hawkeyes then struggled to a 5 – 5 – 1 record the following year in 1994 , and some critics wondered if Fry ' s coaching career was at an end . But Fry had one last run of winning seasons . In 1995 , the Hawkeyes had a 7 – 4 record and played Pacific - 10 Conference co - champion Washington in the Sun Bowl . Fry got a measure of revenge against Washington , who had defeated Iowa in two of their three trips to the Rose Bowl under Fry , by defeating the heavily favored Huskies , 38 – 18 . The Hawks then had an 8 – 3 record in 1996 and ended the year by recording the first bowl shutout in school history with a 27 – 0 victory over Texas Tech in the Alamo Bowl . Retirement ( 1997 – 1998 ) . In 1997 , the Hawkeyes were expected to again challenge for the Big Ten title . Instead , Iowa settled for a disappointing 7 – 5 record . Although Iowa defeated Iowa State for the 15th consecutive time , Wisconsin defeated Iowa for the first time in 20 years . Iowa also led eventual co - national champion Michigan at halftime , 21 – 7 , before falling in Ann Arbor , 28 – 24 . The Hawkeyes ended the disappointing year in fitting fashion , losing in the Sun Bowl to Arizona State . The 1998 season marked Fry ' s 20th at the University of Iowa . It was his worst season at Iowa , as the Hawks finished with a 3 – 8 record . That season included a home loss to intrastate rival Iowa State ( Fry ' s first loss to Iowa State in 15 years ) . It would be his last season at Iowa . Fry , who was secretly undergoing radiation treatments for prostate cancer all year , announced his retirement on November 22 , 1998 . In 2002 , Fry reportedly expressed an interest in the open head coaching position at Baylor University ( his Alma Mater ) that ultimately went to Guy Morriss . Legacy and honors . It is difficult to overstate Fry ' s positive impact on Iowa football . Fry coached two decades at Iowa , more than twice as long as any coach before him . Hayden had a 143 – 89 – 6 record at Iowa , easily the most in school history . He led the Hawkeyes to 14 bowl games ; before his arrival they had only been to two bowl games in 90 years . He also led the Hawkeyes to three Big Ten titles and three Rose Bowl appearances . But more than that , Fry established a winning tradition at Iowa , on and off the field . Iowa was no longer considered a coaching graveyard but rather , a place where a great coach could excel . Several of Fry ’ s former assistants followed Fry ’ s example in resurrecting other struggling football programs . Former Fry assistants or players who have taken over as head coach at a Division I - A college football programs include : After undergoing successful treatment for prostate cancer , Fry moved to Nevada to live in retirement . He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003 , alongside former SMU star Jerry LeVias . He received the Amos Alonzo Stagg Award , presented by the American Football Coaches Association , in 2005 . In 2009 , prior to the first football game of the Hawkeye ' s season , First Avenue in adjoining Coralville was co - named Hayden Fry Way in his honor . This road is one of the main routes that can be taken to Kinnick Stadium from Interstate 80 . On December 30 , 2010 , Fry was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame in a ceremony at the Pasadena Convention Center . As part of being honored , Fry participated in the 122nd Annual Tournament of Roses Parade and was recognized for his induction at the 2011 Rose Bowl following the 3rd quarter . In the Rose Bowl game during which Fry was honored , his former player Bret Bielema ' s Wisconsin Badgers lost to the TCU Horned Frogs .