Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz was named the Region III Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association on Wednesday. It marks the second time Ferentz has been selected for the honor, with the first coming after the Hawkeyes’ 2002 season, when Iowa went to the 2003 Orange Bowl.
The announcement comes a little more than a week after Ferentz, who took over the Iowa program in 1999, received his third Big Ten Coach of the Year award.
This season, the Hawkeyes went 10-2 during the regular season, marking the fourth 10-win season Iowa has had under Ferentz’s watch. The Hawkeyes finished tied for second in the Big Ten with Penn State at 6-2 in conference play.
Four other head coaches — Cincinnati’s Brian Kelly, Alabama’s Nick Saban, Texas’ Mack Brown, and TCU’s Gary Patterson — were also selected for regional Coach of the Year accolades by the association on Wednesday.
The national award will be announced on Jan. 12, 2010, in Orlando during the group’s national convention.
— by Brendan Stiles