In light of the inaugural Fry Fest taking place on Friday, legendary Iowa head coach Hayden Fry has been named an honorary captain for the Hawkeyes’ game at Kinnick Stadium on Saturday against Northern Iowa.

Fry spent 37 seasons as a college football head coach, with his final 20 years coming at Iowa. During his tenure, the Hawkeyes won three Big Ten championships — 1981, 1985, and 1990 — all of which resulted in trips to the Rose Bowl.

When he stepped aside after the 1998 season, he had a 143-89-6 record as Iowa’s head coach, with 96 of the victories coming in Big Ten play. He also entered the College Football Hall of Fame in 2003.

Fry will stand alongside the Iowa captains during the pregame coin flip and will accompany the Hawkeyes both on the sidelines and in the locker room on Saturday.

Iowa’s game against the Panthers is scheduled to kick off at 11 a.m. Fry Fest will take place Friday, starting with the co-naming Coralville’s First Avenue to “Hayden Fry Way.”

— by Brendan Stiles