Two Coaches From the Iowa Family Tree
September 13, 2006 | Football
For the second straight week, two head coaches with Iowa ties will meet when the University of Wisconsin football team plays host to San Diego State this Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium.
Badger fans should all know by now that UW head coach Bret Bielema played for the Hawkeyes from 1989-92 and coached there from 1994-2001. What about San Diego State 's Chuck Long' If that name sounds familiar, it should, as Long led Iowa to a No. 1 national ranking and then won the Maxwell Memorial (college player of the year) and Davey O'Brien (outstanding quarterback) awards, all in 1985. In addition, he was the runner-up to the Heisman Trophy that year.
After a career in the NFL, Long became an assistant coach for the Hawkeyes from 1995-99. That means Long and Bielema served on the same staff together for a few years before each became coordinators at other schools; now both are in their first seasons as head coaches.
The so-called bloodlines continue through the assistant coaches as well. Aztecs defensive coordinator Bob Elliott is a 1976 grad and coached there from 1987-98. Del Miller, the offensive coordinator, spend time at Iowa as a graduate assistant (1978) and recruiting coordinator (1979-88).
In addition, SDSU running backs coach Larry Holton served in the same capacity (plus led the defensive backs) at Iowa from 1995-98, and linebackers coach William Inge was a graduate assistant coach in 1998 following his playing stint (1993-96).
'They're great guys and people that have been a part of my past, ' Bielema said. '(Long has) hired great coaches and people that will go on and execute the things that he's asked them to do.'
For Wisconsin, defensive backs coach Kerry Cooks was a Hawkeye strong safety from 1994-97 and served as team captain his senior year.
Altogether, that makes a total of seven former Iowa players and/or coaches that will be on the field this weekend. As the saying goes, 'birds of feather flock together. '
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Western Illinois head coach Don Patterson also came from the Iowa coaching family tree.
