Hayden Fry facts for kids
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Fry at FRY Fest, 2009
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| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 28, 1929 Eastland, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | December 17, 2019 (aged 90) Dallas, Texas, U.S. |
| Playing career | |
| 1947–1950 | Baylor |
| Position(s) | Quarterback |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1956–1958 | Odessa HS (TX) |
| 1959–1960 | Baylor (DB) |
| 1961 | Arkansas (QB/RB) |
| 1962–1972 | SMU |
| 1973–1978 | North Texas State |
| 1979–1998 | Iowa |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1964–1972 | SMU |
| 1973–1978 | North Texas State |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 232–178–10 |
| Bowls | 7–9–1 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1 SWC (1966) 1 MVC (1973) 3 Big Ten (1981, 1985, 1990) |
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| Awards | |
| Sporting News College Football COY (1981) Amos Alonzo Stagg Award (2005) SWC Coach of the Year (1963) MVC Coach of the Year (1973) 3× Big Ten Coach of the Year (1981, 1990–1991) |
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| College Football Hall of Fame Inducted in 2003 (profile) |
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John Hayden Fry (born February 28, 1929 – died December 17, 2019) was a famous American college football player and coach. He led football teams at Southern Methodist University (SMU), North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas), and the University of Iowa. Over his career, he won 232 games. Fry played college football at Baylor University. In 2003, he was honored by being added to the College Football Hall of Fame.
Contents
Hayden Fry's Early Life
Hayden Fry was born in Eastland, Texas. When he was young, his family moved to Odessa, Texas. At age 14, Fry's father passed away. This made Fry, who was a shy kid, become the leader of his family. He worked in oil fields during the summers to help out.
At Odessa High School, Fry was a talented quarterback. He earned all-state honors and helped his team win the Texas state high school championship in 1946.
Fry then played football at Baylor University from 1947 to 1950. He graduated from Baylor in 1951 with a degree in psychology. After college, Fry taught American history and was an assistant football coach at Odessa High School.
In 1952, Fry joined the U.S. Marine Corps. He played football for the Quantico Marines team and even coached a special six-man football team. This experience helped him learn to be creative with new game plans. He left the Marines in 1955 as a captain.
Becoming a Coach
In 1955, Hayden Fry returned to Odessa High School as a teacher and assistant coach. The next year, at just 26 years old, he became the head coach of his old high school team. He coached there for three years.
After 1958, Fry became an assistant coach at Baylor. He coached the defensive backs. In 1960, Baylor had a great season, and Fry's defense was key to their success.
In 1961, Fry moved to the Arkansas as an assistant coach. Arkansas won a share of their conference championship that year. After just one year, Southern Methodist University (SMU) hired Fry to be their head football coach in 1962.
Coaching at SMU and North Texas State
When Fry started at SMU, he was promised he could recruit black athletes. He found a special player named Jerry LeVias. LeVias was a great athlete, a good student, and very strong mentally. He became the first black player to get a football scholarship in the Southwest Conference.
Fry faced a lot of hate for recruiting LeVias, but he focused on the team. In 1966, SMU had an 8–2 record and won their first Southwest Conference title in 18 years. LeVias was an all-conference player and handled the tough situations well. SMU finished the year ranked #10 in the nation.
After a few less successful years, Fry was fired from SMU in 1972. He had a 49–66–1 record in 11 seasons. Fry later said he believed he was fired because he refused to be part of a plan to secretly pay players. After he left, SMU's football program got into big trouble for breaking rules and was even shut down for a year.
In 1973, Hayden Fry became the coach and athletic director at North Texas State University (now the University of North Texas). The team was struggling, but Fry turned them around. In 1973, North Texas won a share of the Missouri Valley Conference title. He coached three of his sons during his time there. Fry led North Texas to a 40–23–3 record over six seasons. He wanted to coach at a school where he was sure to get a chance to play in a bowl game.
Iowa Coaching Career
Hayden Fry became the head football coach at the University of Iowa after the 1978 season. Iowa's team had not had a winning season in 17 years. Fry had never been to Iowa, but he was impressed by how much the fans supported the team, even when they were losing.
Fry wanted to change the team's losing mindset. He did many unique things:
- He created the "Tigerhawk" logo, which is still used today.
- He changed Iowa's uniforms to look like the Pittsburgh Steelers, a very successful NFL team.
- He made the team "swarm" onto the field together, holding hands, to show they were united.
- He even had the visitors' locker room painted pink! Fry, who studied psychology, thought the color might make the opposing team feel too relaxed or distracted.
Fry brought many of his assistant coaches from North Texas, and he also hired future famous coaches like Barry Alvarez and Kirk Ferentz.
Winning a Big Ten Title (1979–1981)
Fry brought an exciting passing game to the Big Ten conference. At first, wins didn't come easily. After two losing seasons, some people wondered if Fry would fail like the coaches before him.
But in 1981, everything changed! Iowa started the year by beating #6 ranked Nebraska, a team that had crushed them the year before. They also beat #6 ranked UCLA, giving Fry his 100th career win.
Later that season, Iowa beat Michigan for the first time in 19 years. A win over Purdue ended a 20-game losing streak against them. This win also meant Iowa had its first winning season and first bowl game in many years.
In the last game of 1981, Iowa's win and another team's upset helped Iowa share the 1981 Big Ten title. Since Iowa hadn't been to the Rose Bowl since 1959, they got to go! This was a huge deal because for years, only Michigan or Ohio State had gone. Even though Iowa lost the 1982 Rose Bowl to Washington, they had shown that the Big Ten was no longer just about two teams.
More Bowl Games (1982–1984)
In 1982, Iowa started slow but finished strong. They earned a spot in the 1982 Peach Bowl and beat Tennessee, which was Iowa's first bowl win since 1959.
In 1983, Fry's team had a great 9–2 record. They went to the 1983 Gator Bowl. Their nine wins tied a school record from 1903.
In 1984, Iowa played Texas in the 1984 Freedom Bowl. Iowa won big, 55–17, scoring the most points against Texas in 80 years!
Another Title and Exciting Wins (1985–1987)
The 1985 season was one of Fry's best. Iowa was ranked #1 in the country for the first time in 24 years! They stayed #1 for five weeks. During this time, they had two thrilling, last-minute wins.
One of the most famous games in Iowa history happened in 1985. The #1 ranked Iowa Hawkeyes played the #2 ranked Michigan Wolverines. With only two seconds left, Iowa was losing 10–9. Kicker Rob Houghtlin made a 29-yard field goal as time ran out, giving Iowa a dramatic 12–10 victory!
Iowa finished the season with a 10–1 record, winning its first outright Big Ten title in 27 years. They went to the 1986 Rose Bowl. Iowa quarterback Chuck Long almost won the Heisman Trophy, finishing second by the smallest amount ever.
In 1986, Fry became the winningest coach in Iowa history. Iowa won the 1986 Holiday Bowl on another last-second kick. In 1987, Iowa had another great season, winning the 1987 Holiday Bowl again. From 1981 to 1987, Iowa won more games than any other Big Ten team. Fry had turned a struggling team into one of the best.
Third Big Ten Title (1988–1991)
The 1988 season was Fry's tenth at Iowa, making him the first coach to lead the team for a full decade. They played in their eighth straight bowl game.
In 1989, a TV show called Coach started, with a main character named "Hayden Fox" who was based on Hayden Fry!
In 1990, Iowa had a strong season. They won their third Big Ten title and earned another trip to the 1991 Rose Bowl. Even though they lost the Rose Bowl, fans were excited for 1991.
The 1991 team had an even better record at 10–1–1. Their win over Minnesota was Fry's 100th victory at Iowa. They played in the 1991 Holiday Bowl and finished the year ranked in the top ten. From 1981 to 1991, Iowa played in 10 bowl games and won three Big Ten titles.
Winning More Bowl Games (1992–1996)
From 1992 to 1994, Iowa had a tougher time. In 1993, Iowa won four straight games to get into the Alamo Bowl. Their final win of 1993 gave Fry his 200th career coaching victory.
But Fry had one more strong period. In 1995, Iowa had a 7–4 record and played Washington in the 1995 Sun Bowl. Iowa won, 38–18. In 1996, they had an 8–3 record and won the 1996 Alamo Bowl with a 27–0 shutout.
Retirement (1997–1998)
In 1997, Iowa had a disappointing season, losing in the 1997 Sun Bowl. The 1998 season was Fry's last at Iowa. It was his toughest season, with a 3–8 record. Fry had been secretly getting treatments for prostate cancer all year. He announced his retirement on November 22, 1998.
Legacy and Honors
Hayden Fry coached at Iowa for two decades, longer than any coach before him. He won 143 games at Iowa, which was the most in school history until Kirk Ferentz passed him in 2018. Fry led the Hawkeyes to 14 bowl games and three Big Ten titles. Before he arrived, Iowa had only been to two bowl games in 90 years!
Many of Fry's former assistant coaches and players went on to become successful head coaches at other colleges. Some of them include:
- Barry Alvarez (Wisconsin)
- Bret Bielema (Wisconsin, Arkansas, Illinois)
- Kirk Ferentz (Iowa)
- Bob Stoops (Oklahoma)
- Bill Snyder (Kansas State)
After his cancer treatment, Fry moved to Nevada for retirement. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003. In 2009, a road in Coralville, Iowa, near the stadium was named "Hayden Fry Way" in his honor. In 2010, he was inducted into the Rose Bowl Hall of Fame. In 2016, a life-sized bronze statue of Fry was placed along Hayden Fry Way.
Death
Hayden Fry passed away from cancer on December 17, 2019, at the age of 90.
Head coaching record
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | Coaches# | AP° | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMU Mustangs (Southwest Conference) (1962–1972) | |||||||||
| 1962 | SMU | 2–8 | 2–5 | 7th | |||||
| 1963 | SMU | 4–7 | 2–5 | T–6th | L Sun | ||||
| 1964 | SMU | 1–9 | 0–7 | 8th | |||||
| 1965 | SMU | 4–5–1 | 3–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 1966 | SMU | 8–3 | 6–1 | 1st | L Cotton | 9 | 10 | ||
| 1967 | SMU | 3–7 | 3–4 | 6th | |||||
| 1968 | SMU | 8–3 | 5–2 | 3rd | W Astro-Bluebonnet | 16 | 14 | ||
| 1969 | SMU | 3–7 | 3–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1970 | SMU | 5–6 | 3–4 | T–4th | |||||
| 1971 | SMU | 4–7 | 3–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1972 | SMU | 7–4 | 4–3 | T–2nd | |||||
| SMU: | 49–66–1 | 34–43 | |||||||
| North Texas State Mean Green (Missouri Valley Conference) (1973–1974) | |||||||||
| 1973 | North Texas State | 5–5–1 | 5–1 | T–1st | |||||
| 1974 | North Texas State | 2–7–2 | 1–3–2 | 6th | |||||
| North Texas State Mean Green (NCAA Division I/I-A independent) (1975–1978) | |||||||||
| 1975 | North Texas State | 7–4 | |||||||
| 1976 | North Texas State | 7–4 | |||||||
| 1977 | North Texas State | 10–1 | 16 | ||||||
| 1978 | North Texas State | 9–2 | |||||||
| North Texas State: | 40–23–3 | 6–4–2 | |||||||
| Iowa Hawkeyes (Big Ten Conference) (1979–1998) | |||||||||
| 1979 | Iowa | 5–6 | 4–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1980 | Iowa | 4–7 | 4–4 | 4th | |||||
| 1981 | Iowa | 8–4 | 6–2 | T–1st | L Rose | 15 | 18 | ||
| 1982 | Iowa | 8–4 | 6–2 | 3rd | W Peach | ||||
| 1983 | Iowa | 9–3 | 7–2 | 3rd | L Gator | 14 | 14 | ||
| 1984 | Iowa | 8–4–1 | 5–3–1 | T–4th | W Freedom | 15 | 16 | ||
| 1985 | Iowa | 10–2 | 7–1 | 1st | L Rose | 9 | 10 | ||
| 1986 | Iowa | 9–3 | 5–3 | T–3rd | W Holiday | 15 | 16 | ||
| 1987 | Iowa | 10–3 | 6–2 | T–2nd | W Holiday | 16 | 16 | ||
| 1988 | Iowa | 6–4–3 | 4–1–3 | 4th | L Peach | ||||
| 1989 | Iowa | 5–6 | 3–5 | T–6th | |||||
| 1990 | Iowa | 8–4 | 6–2 | T–1st | L Rose | 16 | 18 | ||
| 1991 | Iowa | 10–1–1 | 7–1 | 2nd | T Holiday | 10 | 10 | ||
| 1992 | Iowa | 5–7 | 4–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1993 | Iowa | 6–6 | 3–5 | 8th | L Alamo | ||||
| 1994 | Iowa | 5–5–1 | 3–4–1 | 7th | |||||
| 1995 | Iowa | 8–4 | 4–4 | 6th | W Sun | 22 | 25 | ||
| 1996 | Iowa | 9–3 | 6–2 | T–3rd | W Alamo | 18 | 18 | ||
| 1997 | Iowa | 7–5 | 4–4 | T–6th | L Sun | ||||
| 1998 | Iowa | 3–8 | 2–6 | T–7th | |||||
| Iowa: | 143–89–6 | 96–61–5 | |||||||
| Total: | 232–178–10 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
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See also
- List of college football coaches with 200 wins
- List of presidents of the American Football Coaches Association
- Legends Poll
