Iowa's defense lines up against Syracuse on September 8, 2007.

This is a list of seasons completed by the Iowa Hawkeyes football program since the team's inception in 1889. The list documents season-by-season records, and conference records from 1892 to 1896 and 1900 to the present. The Hawkeyes began playing football as a club sport in 1872, and began playing intramural games against other colleges in 1882, but it was not until 1889 when Iowa challenged Iowa College to an interscholastic varsity football game. Since then, the Hawkeyes have played over 1,200 games, including 30 bowl games.

Historically, Iowa has seen moderate success. The Hawkeyes won the Western Interstate University Football Association championship in 1896 and the Big Ten Conference football championship in 1900 – the school's first year as a member of the Big Ten Conference – but did not win another in the Big Ten until 1921. Iowa's coach at that time was Howard Jones. Under his direction, the Hawkeyes won conference championships in 1921 and 1922, and recorded a school-record 20-game winning streak from 1920 to 1923. However, the Hawkeyes' success on the field dipped once again. Debt on Iowa's new football stadium – Iowa Stadium – grew yearly, and the Hawkeyes finished in the bottom three of the Big Ten every year except 1933 from 1930 to 1938. Then, in 1939, Iowa surprisingly finished the season 6–1–1, tripling the win total from the last two seasons combined. The team was nicknamed the "Ironmen," and is generally thought to be one of the greatest teams in school history. They were led by Heisman winner Nile Kinnick, who died in 1943 during a World War II training flight. 29 years later, in 1972, Iowa Stadium was renamed as "Kinnick Stadium" in his honor.

Following the 1939 season, the Hawkeyes slipped into another "down period." From 1940 to 1955, Iowa recorded 11 losing seasons, and their best finish in the Big Ten was fourth. But in 1952, the Hawkeyes upset Ohio State in Forest Evashevski's first season as coach. Three years later, in 1956, the Hawkeyes won the Big Ten championship with a 9–1 record. Under Evashevski, Iowa won two more conference championships in 1958 and 1960, posting 8–1–1 and 8–1 records respectively. In 1958, the Hawkeyes were awarded the Grantland Rice Trophy as national champions of the Football Writers Association of America. Soon thereafter, however, Evashevski became athletic director, and the football program suffered. The team posted a winning record in 1961 under new head coach Jerry Burns, but it was Iowa's last winning season until 1981. From 1961 to 1978, the Hawkeyes had four head coaches. Not one of them had a team that finished better than fourth in the Big Ten.

In 1979, Hayden Fry was hired as Iowa's 24th head coach. In 1981, he took the Hawkeyes to their first Rose Bowl since 1958. Iowa won the Big Ten championship three times under Fry, and played in the Rose Bowl in each of those seasons. Following his tenure at Iowa, which ended after the 1998 season, Kirk Ferentz was hired as his successor. Ferentz has won Big Ten championships twice at Iowa, in 2002 and 2004.[1]

Seasons

Year Coach Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs Coaches# AP°
Independent (1889–1891)
1889 No coach 0–1
1890 No coach 1–1
1891 No coach 3–2[n 1]
Edwin A. Dalton (Western Interstate University Football Association) (1892)
1892 Edwin A. Dalton 3–2–1 0–2–1 4th
Ben Donnelly (Western Interstate University Football Association) (1893)
1893 Ben Donnelly 3–4 1–2 T–3rd
Roger Sherman (Western Interstate University Football Association) (1894)
1894 Roger Sherman 4–4–1 1–2 T–3rd
1895 No coach 4–4–1 1–2 T–3rd
Alfred E. Bull (Western Interstate University Football Association) (1896)
1896 Alfred E. Bull 7–1–1 2–0–1 1st
Otto Wagonhurst (Western Interstate University Football Association) (1897)
1897 Otto Wagonhurst 4–4 0–2 T–3rd
Alden Knipe (Independent) (1898–1899)
1898 Alden Knipe 3–4–2
1899 Alden Knipe 8–0–1
Alden Knipe (Western Conference) (1900–1902)
1900 Alden Knipe 7–0–1 2–0–1 T–1st
1901 Alden Knipe 6–3 0–3 9th
1902 Alden Knipe 5–4 0–3 7th
John Chalmers (Western Conference) (1903–1905)
1903 John Chalmers 9–2 1–1 5th
1904 John Chalmers 7–4 0–3 T–7th
1905 John Chalmers 8–2 0–2 T–7th
Mark Catlin Sr. (Western Conference) (1906–1908)
1906 Mark Catlin Sr. 2–3 0–1 6th
Mark Catlin Sr. (Western Conference / MVIAA) (1907–1908)
1907 Mark Catlin Sr. 3–2 1–1 / 1–0 4th / T–1st
1908 Mark Catlin Sr. 2–5 0–1 / 0–4–0 6th / 7th
John G. Griffith (Western Conference / MVIAA) (1909)
1909 John G. Griffith 2–4–1 0–1 / 1–3–1 7th / 4th
Jesse Hawley (Western Conference / MVIAA) (1910)
1910 Jesse Hawley 5–2 1–1 / 3–1 4th / 2nd
Jesse Hawley (Western Conference) (1911–1915)
1911 Jesse Hawley 3–4 2–2 5th
1912 Jesse Hawley 4–3 1–3 7th
1913 Jesse Hawley 5–2 2–1 T–2nd
1914 Jesse Hawley 4–3 1–2 7th
1915 Jesse Hawley 3–4 1–2 7th
Howard Jones (Western Conference) (1916–1923)
1916 Howard Jones 4–3 1–2 6th
1917 Howard Jones 3–5 0–2 T–9th
1918 Howard Jones 6–2–1 2–1 T–4th
1919 Howard Jones 5–2 2–2 6th
1920 Howard Jones 5–2 3–2 5th
1921 Howard Jones 7–0 5–0 1st
1922 Howard Jones 7–0 5–0 T–1st
1923 Howard Jones 5–3 3–3 T–5th
Burt Ingwersen (Big Ten Conference) (1924–1931)
1924 Burt Ingwersen 6–1–1 3–1–1 T–2nd
1925 Burt Ingwersen 5–3 2–2 T–4th
1926 Burt Ingwersen 3–5 0–5 T–9th
1927 Burt Ingwersen 4–4 1–4 T–9th
1928 Burt Ingwersen 6–2 3–2 T–4th
1929 Burt Ingwersen 4–2–2 2–2–2 5th
1930 Burt Ingwersen 4–4 0–1 T–9th
1931 Burt Ingwersen 1–6–1 0–3–1 9th
Ossie Solem (Big Ten Conference) (1932–1936)
1932 Ossie Solem 1–7 0–5 10th
1933 Ossie Solem 5–3 3–2 T–5th
1934 Ossie Solem 2–5–1 1–3–1 T–8th
1935 Ossie Solem 4–2–2 1–2–2 8th
1936 Ossie Solem 3–4–1 0–4–1 8th
Irl Tubbs (Big Ten Conference) (1937–1938)
1937 Irl Tubbs 1–7 0–5 10th
1938 Irl Tubbs 1–6–1 1–3–1 8th
Eddie Anderson (Big Ten Conference) (1939–1942)
1939 Eddie Anderson 6–1–1 4–1–1 2nd 9
1940 Eddie Anderson 4–4 2–3 T–6th
1941 Eddie Anderson 3–5 2–4 6th
1942 Eddie Anderson 6–4 3–3 T–5th
Slip Madigan (Big Ten Conference) (1943–1944)
1943 Slip Madigan 1–6–1 0–4–1 9th
1944 Slip Madigan 1–7 0–6 9th
Clem Crowe (Big Ten Conference) (1945)
1945 Clem Crowe 2–7 1–5 T–8th
Eddie Anderson (Big Ten Conference) (1946–1949)
1946 Eddie Anderson 5–4 3–3 4th
1947 Eddie Anderson 3–5–1 2–3–1 T–6th
1948 Eddie Anderson 4–5 2–4 T–5th
1949 Eddie Anderson 4–5 3–3 T–5th
Leonard Raffensperger (Big Ten Conference) (1950–1951)
1950 Leonard Raffensperger 3–5–1 2–4 6th
1951 Leonard Raffensperger 2–5–2 0–5–1 9th
Forest Evashevski (Big Ten Conference) (1952–1960)
1952 Forest Evashevski 2–7 2–5 T–6th
1953 Forest Evashevski 5–3–1 3–3 T–5th 10 9
1954 Forest Evashevski 5–4 4–3 5th
1955 Forest Evashevski 3–5–1 2–3–1 7th 19
1956 Forest Evashevski 9–1 5–1 1st W Rose 3 3
1957 Forest Evashevski 7–1–1 4–1–1 3rd 5 6
1958 Forest Evashevski 8–1–1 5–1 1st W Rose 2 2
1959 Forest Evashevski 5–4 3–3 6th
1960 Forest Evashevski 8–1 5–1 T–1st 2 3
Jerry Burns (Big Ten Conference) (1961–1965)
1961 Jerry Burns 5–4 2–4 T–7th
1962 Jerry Burns 4–5 3–3 T–5th
1963 Jerry Burns 3–3–2 2–3–1 8th
1964 Jerry Burns 3–6 1–5 T–9th
1965 Jerry Burns 1–9 0–7 10th
Ray Nagel (Big Ten Conference) (1966–1970)
1966 Ray Nagel 2–8 1–6 10th
1967 Ray Nagel 1–8–1 0–6–1 T–9th
1968 Ray Nagel 5–5 4–3 T–5th
1969 Ray Nagel 5–5 3–4 T–5th
1970 Ray Nagel 3–6–1 3–3–1 4th
Frank Lauterbur (Big Ten Conference) (1971–1973)
1971 Frank Lauterbur 1–10 1–8 10th
1972 Frank Lauterbur 3–7–1 2–6–1 8th
1973 Frank Lauterbur 0–11 0–8 T–9th
Bob Commings (Big Ten Conference) (1974–1978)
1974 Bob Commings 3–8 2–6 T–7th
1975 Bob Commings 3–8 3–5 T–7th
1976 Bob Commings 5–6 3–5 T–7th
1977 Bob Commings 5–6[n 2] 3–5 T–6th
1978 Bob Commings 2–9 2–6 8th
Hayden Fry (Big Ten Conference) (1979–1998)
1979 Hayden Fry 5–6 4–4 5th
1980 Hayden Fry 4–7 4–4 4th
1981 Hayden Fry 8–4 6–2 T–1st L Rose 15 18
1982 Hayden Fry 8–4 6–2 3rd W Peach
1983 Hayden Fry 9–3 7–2 3rd L Gator 14 14
1984 Hayden Fry 8–4–1 5–3–1 T–4th W Freedom 15 16
1985 Hayden Fry 10–2 7–1 1st L Rose 9 10
1986 Hayden Fry 9–3 5–3 T–3rd W Holiday 15 16
1987 Hayden Fry 10–3 6–2 T–2nd W Holiday 16 16
1988 Hayden Fry 6–4–3 4–1–3 4th L Peach
1989 Hayden Fry 5–6 3–5 T–6th
1990 Hayden Fry 8–4 6–2 T–1st L Rose 16 18
1991 Hayden Fry 10–1–1 7–1 2nd T Holiday 10 10
1992 Hayden Fry 5–7 4–4 5th
1993 Hayden Fry 6–6 3–5 8th L Alamo
1994 Hayden Fry 5–5–1 3–4–1 7th
1995 Hayden Fry 8–4 4–4 6th W Sun 22 25
1996 Hayden Fry 9–3 6–2 T–3rd W Alamo 18 18
1997 Hayden Fry 7–5 4–4 T–6th L Sun
1998 Hayden Fry 3–8 2–6 T–7th
Kirk Ferentz (Big Ten Conference) (1999–present)
1999 Kirk Ferentz 1–10 0–8 11th
2000 Kirk Ferentz 3–9 3–5 8th
2001 Kirk Ferentz 7–5 4–4 T–4th W Alamo
2002 Kirk Ferentz 11–2 8–0 T–1st L Orange† 8 8
2003 Kirk Ferentz 10–3 5–3 T–4th W Outback 8 8
2004 Kirk Ferentz 10–2 7–1 T–1st W Capital One 8 8
2005 Kirk Ferentz 7–5 5–3 T–3rd L Outback
2006 Kirk Ferentz 6–7 2–6 T–8th L Alamo
2007 Kirk Ferentz 6–6 4–4 T–5th
2008 Kirk Ferentz 9–4 5–3 T–4th W Outback 20 20
2009 Kirk Ferentz 11–2 6–2 T–2nd W Orange† 7 7
2010 Kirk Ferentz 8–5 4–4 T–4th W Insight
2011 Kirk Ferentz 7–6 4–4 4th (Legends) L Insight
2012 Kirk Ferentz 4–8 2–6 T–5th (Legends)
2013 Kirk Ferentz 8–5 5–3 T–2nd (Legends) L Outback
2014 Kirk Ferentz 7–6 4–4 4th (West) L TaxSlayer
2015 Kirk Ferentz 12–2 8–0 1st (West) L Rose† 10 9
2016 Kirk Ferentz 8–5 6–3 T–2nd (West) L Outback
2017 Kirk Ferentz 8–5 4–5 T–3rd (West) W Pinstripe
2018 Kirk Ferentz 9–4 5–4 T–2nd (West) W Outback 25
2019 Kirk Ferentz 10–3 6–3 3rd (West) W Holiday 15 15
2020 Kirk Ferentz 6–2 6–2 2nd (West) CX Music City[n 3] 15 16
2021 Kirk Ferentz 10–4 7–2 1st (West) L Citrus 23 23
2022 Kirk Ferentz 8–5 5–4 T–2nd (West) W Music City
2023 Kirk Ferentz 10–4 7–2 1st (West) L Citrus 22 24
Total: 683–571–39
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

Notes

  1. ^ The outcome of Iowa's game vs. Kansas in 1891 was disputed. Iowa lists the game as an 18–14 Hawkeye victory, because Kansas left the field before the final play of the game. Iowa scored a touchdown and then the game was over. Kansas lists the game as a 14–12 victory.
  2. ^ In 1977, Iowa lost to UCLA 34–16. However, UCLA later forfeited the game, giving Iowa a 5–6 final record.
  3. ^ The 2020 Music City Bowl was canceled due to COVID-19 issues.

References

  1. ^ "2018 Iowa Football Media Guide" (PDF). University of Iowa Athletics. August 2018. Retrieved September 1, 2018.
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