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Hayden Fry passes away at 90

texifornia

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texifornia

texifornia 56560

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An absolute, unquestionable legend of the game

The 1983 Iowa coaching staff.

Back row, from left: Bill Snyder, Del Miller, Kirk Ferentz, head coach Hayden Fry, Carl Jackson, Don Patterson, Bill Dervrich.

Front row, from left: Bernie Wyatt, Barry Alvarez, Bill Brashier, Dan McCarney, Bob Stoops.

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TwiceHorn

TwiceHorn 31311

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14 minutes ago, NowThis said:

the pic mentioned him living in Nevada, but I believe his last years was in an assisted living place in McKinney, TX - close to many of you.  Weird how he made a successful career but didn't have much money at the end.

I think he almost entirely missed the era of ginormous coaching salaries.  Salaries back then were probably low enough that all the moving around put a pretty serious dent in it.  No pensions, probably not much in the way of 401k.

Quote

“Today it’s astronomical,” said Fry. “I’ve got five assistant coaches who are head coaches now who make more money in one year than I made in 47. That’s how much it’s changed.”

https://www.thegazette.com/subject/sports/from-financial-standpoint-hayden-fry-was-born-too-soon-20150629

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Beau Vine

Beau Vine 54012

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He was the coach at NTSU when I was a kid growing up in Denton.  He really got that campus excited about football.  Great coach, and solid guy, too.  He also brought the flying worm logo and that bright-ass green to NTSU.  

north-texas-state-university-retro_1_919

His life was so amazing it sounds made-up:

Quote

Born in Eastland, Texas, Hayden Fry was descended from one of the Texas First Families; his great-great-grandfather fought beside General Sam Houston in the Texas War of Independence against Santa Anna in the battle of San Jacinto and in the Mexican War.[1] Fry's family moved to Odessa, Texas, when he was eight years old.

Fry worked multiple jobs as a child to help his family through the Great Depression. He also played sports, partly to stay out of trouble. Hayden played basketball, football, and track, but he most loved and was most successful at football, and Odessa was a football town.

When Fry played safety and quarterback for Odessa High School in the 1940s, their stands routinely had sellout crowds. In Fry's senior year, Odessa won 14 straight games, scoring almost 400 points and allowing about 50. Odessa did not commit a single turnover all season. The Texas state playoffs placed every school into a single bracket. At the end of the year, Hayden Fry quarterbacked Odessa to the Texas state high school championship in 1946.

Fry then played at Baylor University from 1947 to 1950. Baylor had a 26–13–2 record during Fry's four years there. Fry started a few games as an upperclassman at Baylor, but he could never win the full-time starting quarterback job. He graduated from Baylor with a degree in psychology in 1951.

Fry was an American history teacher and assistant football coach at Odessa High School for a year in 1951 before joining the U.S. Marine Corps in 1952. During his time in Odessa, Fry met and befriended a young George H. W. Bush, who would become the 41st President of the United States.

Fry served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 1952 to 1955. He played with the Quantico Marines football team in 1953, winning the Marine Corps championship and playing in the Poinsettia Bowl. Fry also coached a six-man football team while in the Marines, and the unique style of play allowed Fry to innovate and invent new creative schemes. He became friends with Al Davis, who was coaching a rival military team; Davis would later become the famous owner of the Oakland Raiders. Fry's time coaching and serving in the Marines were an asset as he began his coaching career. Fry was discharged from the Marines in February 1955 with the rank of captain.

 

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thirtyand0

thirtyand0 8

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   I was standing outside the SMU locker room (visitors) at Amon Carter pre game the day SMU fired Hayden Fry. You could tell he knew.

His team won that day. Finished 7-4. He went on to North Texas and beat SMU while there.

The 1966 SWC championship team with Jerry Levias, Mac White and Bill Livingston (John LeGroan) was a real fun team to watch.
Beat Texas 13-12 in Austin.

His 67 team beat the Aggie’s with Inez Perez in the season opener.

His 68 team with Chuch Hickson beat OU and Heisman winner Steve Owens in the Bluebonnet Bowl.

His youngsters as he always called them were always entertaining.

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JimmyHoffa

JimmyHoffa 1188

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14 hours ago, texifornia said:

An absolute, unquestionable legend of the game

The 1983 Iowa coaching staff.

Back row, from left: Bill Snyder, Del Miller, Kirk Ferentz, head coach Hayden Fry, Carl Jackson, Don Patterson, Bill Dervrich.

Front row, from left: Bernie Wyatt, Barry Alvarez, Bill Brashier, Dan McCarney, Bob Stoops.

 

All the more amazing is this-

 

 

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JimmyHoffa

JimmyHoffa 1188

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I was just reading before Hayden got to Iowa they had 16 losing seasons in a row or something like that. They had two more his first two years and then they went to the Rose Bowl in his 3rd year 1981. Before Iowa went to the Rose Bowl in 1981 the previous 13 years the Big Ten representative was either Michigan or Ohio State. Back in a time when it was the Big two and little eight. 

Pretty amazing.

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Beau Vine

Beau Vine 54012

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1 hour ago, JimmyHoffa said:

I was just reading before Hayden got to Iowa they had 16 losing seasons in a row or something like that. They had two more his first two years and then they went to the Rose Bowl in his 3rd year 1981. Before Iowa went to the Rose Bowl in 1981 the previous 13 years the Big Ten representative was either Michigan or Ohio State. Back in a time when it was the Big two and little eight. 

Pretty amazing.

Drove over to Brenham to see my dad today.  He knew Fry at NTSU.  He said he went to a conference in Iowa City after Hayden's first year there (5-6 record) and said that everyone from Iowa was so excited about how much success he had already had.  He also said Fry was one of those people who, you could meet them once for a few seconds, and years later, you'd see them in a random place and he'd remember who you were.  

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BachelorTrek

BachelorTrek 2942

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21 hours ago, texifornia said:

 

movieplotstrue-weekend-at-bernies-590x35

 

Still feel the hatred for this man for the unrepentant and CLASSLESS running up the score on a good Texas team that was already beaten in the 1984 Freedom Bowl. 55-17.  I was 13 at the time.

QB Todd Dodge, RB Terry Orr (a future NFL TE playing RB!) and K Jeff Ward were on that team. It was the season of the 15-15 tie with blowU in the rain that Switzer's still mad about Jeff's FG to tie it at the gun, to this day. I'll never forget how I felt in Memorial Stadium when the FG was blocked by aggy (Sherrill finally turned them around) in the 2nd half when the defense was raring to attack after aggy would get the post-FG kickoff. I'll never forget the feeling leaving the stadium that night, neither.... 37-12? How??  

We backed into the Freedom Bowl.

Maybe Chuck Long should've made all the NFL teams he played against wear Texas uniforms, and he would have played harder!  /washout

/rant

 

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Gil Bang

Gil Bang 25901

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On 12/17/2019 at 8:25 PM, Bullneck said:

Hate to be "that guy" but Steve Spurrier probably would have caused him some problems.

Is it OK to still be pissed off about the Freedom Bowl?

 

On 12/17/2019 at 8:37 PM, Hagbard Celine said:

Yes.  Yes it is.

 

5 hours ago, BachelorTrek said:

movieplotstrue-weekend-at-bernies-590x35

 

Still feel the hatred for this man for the unrepentant and CLASSLESS running up the score on a good Texas team that was already beaten in the 1984 Freedom Bowl. 55-17.  I was 13 at the time.

QB Todd Dodge, RB Terry Orr (a future NFL TE playing RB!) and K Jeff Ward were on that team. It was the season of the 15-15 tie with blowU in the rain that Switzer's still mad about Jeff's FG to tie it at the gun, to this day. I'll never forget how I felt in Memorial Stadium when the FG was blocked by aggy (Sherrill finally turned them around) in the 2nd half when the defense was raring to attack after aggy would get the post-FG kickoff. I'll never forget the feeling leaving the stadium that night, neither.... 37-12? How??  

We backed into the Freedom Bowl.

Maybe Chuck Long should've made all the NFL teams he played against wear Texas uniforms, and he would have played harder!  /washout

/rant

 

I was at that shitshow, and I'm not sure that I've dried off yet.  

it's not supposed to rain like that out here. 

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Wally Fairway

Wally Fairway 5527

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That man could coach coaches.

I had no idea that he had such deep Texas ties -Born in Eastland, Texas, Hayden Fry was descended from one of the Texas First Families; his great-great-grandfather fought beside General Sam Houston in the Texas War of Independence against Santa Anna in the battle of San Jacinto and in the Mexican War.

I do feel bad for Coach Hayden, having to spend all those years in Iowa

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Al_4_ISU

Al_4_ISU 12409

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I hate the son of a bitch for creating the ANF deal, which was part of his calculated plan to absolutely wipe Iowa State off the face of the planet.  He was very public and outspoken in his belief that the state of Iowa couldn't have two competitive programs, so he set out to destroy Iowa State not only on the field, but then off the field.  ANF (America Needs Farmers) was a helmet sticker he and the U of I started using in the 1980's during the farm crisis.  It looked like a great act of awareness and charity, but it was also a very calculated move to win the support of Iowa's ag community, which had traditionally backed ISU because - you know - we're an actual ag college that actually does research and development into products and methods that improve farmers bottom lines.

It worked.  Fry would go on to beat ISU 15 consecutive years, and the ISU football team became a complete and total afterthought.  I mean, you have to tip the hat a little bit to the marketing genius, but it doesn't take away how slimy it was.  By the time the 90's rolled around, the helmet stickers went away and it was mostly forgot about.  Fry finally lost to ISU in 1998, and that game became the catalyst to his retirement at the end of that season.  Since that point, the two programs have become much more competitive, and ISU's fanbase has exploded.

In 2011, in the midst of one of the ag economy's biggest booms (and a massive increase in interest in ISU sports), Iowa resurrected ANF.  At this point, their motivation was obvious.  Farmers were not hurting.  Not even a little.  But the ANF merch sold like hot cakes, and Hawk fans patted themselves on the back about how they supported farmers, while simultaneously making "Moo U" rips at Iowa State.  Wide Right Natty Lite responded with "AHF:  Actually Helping Farmers" shirts.  Hawk fans lost their minds, and took grave offense.  How dare they point out this fact!  The U of I cent a cease and desist to WRNL to get them to stop making the shirts.  It was obvious protected parody, but this was after WRNL had sold to SB Nation, who controlled the merch side of things, and SB Nation wilted in the face of U of I's massive legal budget.

The ANF thing is still a massive bone of contention in the ISU/Iowa rivalry - especially for ISU educated farmers, like myself.  ISU fans like to point out that it's nothing more than a marketing gimmick that in reality does little for the people it claims to promote, and that Iowa State is an unquestioned leader in agricultural development.  Iowa fans either get indignant about being called out on this, or respond (correctly) "you should have thought of it first".

So, I'm done rambling.  Fry was a dick from my point of view, but the general consensus was he was a pretty good guy.  He deserves credit for integrating the SWC.  He was definitely a character, and he was one hell of a coach.  College football is a big deal in Iowa, and it's 100% because of Hayden Fry - even if you're a Clone.

Edited by Al_4_ISU
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texifornia

texifornia 56560

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2 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I hate the son of a bitch for creating the ANF deal, which was part of his calculated plan to absolutely wipe Iowa State off the face of the planet.  He was very public and outspoken in his belief that the state of Iowa couldn't have two competitive programs, so he set out to destroy Iowa State not only on the field, but then off the field.  ANF (America Needs Farmers) was a helmet sticker he and the U of I started using in the 1980's during the farm crisis.  It looked like a great act of awareness and charity, but it was also a very calculated move to win the support of Iowa's ag community, which had traditionally backed ISU because - you know - we're an actual ag college that actually does research and development into products and methods that improve farmers bottom lines.

It worked.  Fry would go on to beat ISU 15 consecutive years, and the ISU football team became a complete and total afterthought.  I mean, you have to tip the hat a little bit to the marketing genius, but it doesn't take away how slimy it was.  By the time the 90's rolled around, the helmet stickers went away and it was mostly forgot about.  Fry finally lost to ISU in 1998, and that game became the catalyst to his retirement at the end of that season.  Since that point, the two programs have become much more competitive, and ISU's fanbase has exploded.

In 2011, in the midst of one of the ag economy's biggest booms (and a massive increase in interest in ISU sports), Iowa resurrected ANF.  At this point, their motivation was obvious.  Farmers were not hurting.  Not even a little.  But the ANF merch sold like hot cakes, and Hawk fans patted themselves on the back about how they supported farmers, while simultaneously making "Moo U" rips at Iowa State.  Wide Right Natty Lite responded with "AHF:  Actually Helping Farmers" shirts.  Hawk fans lost their minds, and took grave offense.  How dare they point out this fact!  The U of I cent a cease and desist to WRNL to get them to stop making the shirts.  It was obvious protected parody, but this was after WRNL had sold to SB Nation, who controlled the merch side of things, and SB Nation wilted in the face of U of I's massive legal budget.

The ANF thing is still a massive bone of contention in the ISU/Iowa rivalry - especially for ISU educated farmers, like myself.  ISU fans like to point out that it's nothing more than a marketing gimmick that in reality does little for the people it claims to promote, and that Iowa State is an unquestioned leader in agricultural development.  Iowa fans either get indignant about being called out on this, or respond (correctly) "you should have thought of it first".

So, I'm done rambling.  Fry was a dick from my point of view, but the general consensus was he was a pretty good guy.  He deserves credit for integrating the SWC.  He was definitely a character, and he was one hell of a coach.  College football is a big deal in Iowa, and it's 100% because of Hayden Fry - even if you're a Clone.

I like it when I actually learn something on surly. This was fun to read.

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JimmyHoffa

JimmyHoffa 1188

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2 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I hate the son of a bitch for creating the ANF deal, which was part of his calculated plan to absolutely wipe Iowa State off the face of the planet.  He was very public and outspoken in his belief that the state of Iowa couldn't have two competitive programs, so he set out to destroy Iowa State not only on the field, but then off the field.  ANF (America Needs Farmers) was a helmet sticker he and the U of I started using in the 1980's during the farm crisis.  It looked like a great act of awareness and charity, but it was also a very calculated move to win the support of Iowa's ag community, which had traditionally backed ISU because - you know - we're an actual ag college that actually does research and development into products and methods that improve farmers bottom lines.

It worked.  Fry would go on to beat ISU 15 consecutive years, and the ISU football team became a complete and total afterthought.  I mean, you have to tip the hat a little bit to the marketing genius, but it doesn't take away how slimy it was.  By the time the 90's rolled around, the helmet stickers went away and it was mostly forgot about.  Fry finally lost to ISU in 1998, and that game became the catalyst to his retirement at the end of that season.  Since that point, the two programs have become much more competitive, and ISU's fanbase has exploded.

In 2011, in the midst of one of the ag economy's biggest booms (and a massive increase in interest in ISU sports), Iowa resurrected ANF.  At this point, their motivation was obvious.  Farmers were not hurting.  Not even a little.  But the ANF merch sold like hot cakes, and Hawk fans patted themselves on the back about how they supported farmers, while simultaneously making "Moo U" rips at Iowa State.  Wide Right Natty Lite responded with "AHF:  Actually Helping Farmers" shirts.  Hawk fans lost their minds, and took grave offense.  How dare they point out this fact!  The U of I cent a cease and desist to WRNL to get them to stop making the shirts.  It was obvious protected parody, but this was after WRNL had sold to SB Nation, who controlled the merch side of things, and SB Nation wilted in the face of U of I's massive legal budget.

The ANF thing is still a massive bone of contention in the ISU/Iowa rivalry - especially for ISU educated farmers, like myself.  ISU fans like to point out that it's nothing more than a marketing gimmick that in reality does little for the people it claims to promote, and that Iowa State is an unquestioned leader in agricultural development.  Iowa fans either get indignant about being called out on this, or respond (correctly) "you should have thought of it first".

So, I'm done rambling.  Fry was a dick from my point of view, but the general consensus was he was a pretty good guy.  He deserves credit for integrating the SWC.  He was definitely a character, and he was one hell of a coach.  College football is a big deal in Iowa, and it's 100% because of Hayden Fry - even if you're a Clone.

 

 

 

ArtisticImpureBlackbird-size_restricted.

 

Just fucking with you. Solid rant! 

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MrPhlegm

MrPhlegm 3413

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I distinctly recall him not being complicit in the slush fund setup and it (partially) resulted in his firing. Any reference to anyone rotting in hell on their death day based on speculative information  is bush league. I wouldn’t even do that when Switzer or Sherrill die. 
SMU's long time history of cheating is part of why alpo got dp'ed. The worthless sack of shit cheating cocksucker Fry was a part of that. fuck him.
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G650

G650 14116

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17 minutes ago, MrPhlegm said:
13 hours ago, Dr. Beeper said:
I distinctly recall him not being complicit in the slush fund setup and it (partially) resulted in his firing. Any reference to anyone rotting in hell on their death day based on speculative information  is bush league. I wouldn’t even do that when Switzer or Sherrill die. 

SMU's long time history of cheating is part of why alpo got dp'ed. The worthless sack of shit cheating cocksucker Fry was a part of that. fuck him.

You seem mad.

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