Daily Dad News
Iowa Football Coach Adds Son To Staff Amid Slight Controversy
March 8, 2012
AP
Father and son coaching tandems in collegiate sports have been going on for years, but at the University of Iowa such pairings were said to be off limits. However, new Iowa assistant coach Brian Ferentz says his father, Kirk, hired him away from his New England Patriots post and not the school’s athletic director according to an Associated Press report.
Kirk Ferentz has been coaching at Iowa since 1999 after stints coaching at the pro level. His son Brian, a former Iowa player, was working as the Patriots offensive line coach, a position he also played. Although reports came out that Kirk stepped away from the hiring process, Brian has come out saying his father was the person who made the final decision in the hire.
“Once he had an idea of what he wanted to do, he reached out to me,” said Brian Ferentz of joining his dad’s coaching staff. “It was a no-brainer. You can’t say no to your father. And for me personally it was hard to say no to Iowa.”
The controversy sparked as a result of a statement from the school’s athletic director Gary Barta that stated Kirk would not be involved in the hiring in order to stave off conflict interests.
“I was very interested in pursuing Brian Ferentz to become a member of our football staff due to his strong experience and success in the professional coaching ranks,” Barta wrote in a Feb. 17 memo the school’s human resources. “I worked through UI policies and procedures and we were subsequently able to convince Brian to apply.”
Although some clandestine moves may have been made, school officials urge that Kirk Ferentz was not involved in hiring his son, stating that Brian’s hiring was done by the book. As Iowa’s highest paid state employee, Coach Ferentz is certainly facing more scrutiny than usual.
Football is a family affair with the Ferentz, especially at Iowa. Another son, James, currently plays for the Hawkeyes with another son, Steve, joining the squad later this year.
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