By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – It's easy sometimes to forget that the Iowa football team has two coordinators, and that is exactly how Phil Parker likes it.

He has been with Kirk Ferentz since the beginning in 1999, a loyal, no-nonsense football purist who has poured his heart, soul and body into the game.

For those who aren’t aware, Phil Parker was Michigan State’s answer to former Iowa defensive back Bob Sanders in the mid-1980s.

Parker was a vicious, hard-hitting and fundamentally sound safety, who terrorized receivers and running backs with his physicality.

He earned first-team all-Big Ten honors in 1983, 1984 and 1985 and was named defensive most valuable player for the Spartans as a sophomore and senior.

Parker made the transition to coaching shortly after finishing college and has worked for just three different employers, starting as a graduate assistant at Michigan State in 1987.

He then spent 11 seasons coaching defensive backs for Toledo before accepting Ferentz’s challenge to help rebuild the Iowa program almost two decades ago.

Parker’s track record has loyalty and consistency written all over it.

He had to have had chances to leave Toledo for other jobs, and the same with Iowa. But Parker has stayed put, much to the benefit of his family because of the stability and to the Iowa football program.

The 54-year old Parker will forever be a Spartan, but there is also a lot of Hawkeye spirit in him by now. He has spent almost five times longer in Iowa City than in East Lansing, Mich., quietly going about his business as a coach, coordinator and mentor to his players.

Parker’s impact has been huge this season, the latest example being Saturday’s 17-10 victory over Minnesota at Kinnick Stadium.

His defense held the Gophers to just 281 yards, and his latest rising star, junior cornerback Josh Jackson, performed at a Desmond King-like level once again.

Jackson’s sudden rise from special team’s contributor and nickel back to now one of the conference’s top cornerbacks says a lot about him, but Parker deserves some credit because he also coaches the defensive backs.

Jackson is the latest in a long and distinguished list of defensive backs who have thrived under Parker at Iowa. The list in addition to Sanders includes the aforementioned Desmond King, who won the Jim Thorpe Award in 2015 as the nation’s top collegiate defensive back. King is now a rookie with the Los Angeles Chargers.

Others on the list include Micah Hyde, Amari Spievey, B.J. Lowery, Shaun Prater, Tyler Sash and Jovon Johnson, all of whom made first-team all-Big Ten.

But there are so many more defensive back who have excelled under Parker, from Derek Pagel to Antwan Allen to Brett Greenwood to Marcus Paschal and now Jackson.

Junior Brandon Snyder also has blossomed under Parker, although, he is currently injured and not expected to play against Ohio State on Saturday.

Snyder came to Iowa as a preferred walk-on and then steadily climbed the depth chart, earning a starting position at free safety as a third-year sophomore last season. He struggled early last season, but stayed the course and is now a force when healthy.

Snyder made a stunning comeback against Illinois on Oct. 21 after suffering a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in April. He has missed the last two games because of undisclosed physical ailments, but should be a key piece to the defense when or if he returns this season, but for sure next season.

Snyder’s father, Tim Snyder, was part of the inspiration for this column. He reached out to me on Twitter in order to praise Parker, saying he doesn’t get enough credit for developing great college and NFL defensive backs. Snyder also said that Parker’s attention to detail, both physically and mentally, is unmatched.

Tim Snyder is obviously biased, but he didn’t have to endorse Parker on Twitter. He went out of his way to praise him, which says a lot about Parker’s impact on Brandon Snyder.

Parker seems quiet by nature and won’t blow you away with his charisma during a press conference.

But behind that persona is a fire that burns, a disciplinarian who demands a lot from his players, but also gives a lot in return.

“He can be short-tempered at times, definitely,” said Iowa senior linebacker Ben Niemann. “It’s just if you’re not doing your job he’s going to get on you.”

Parker is the perfect complement to Iowa offensive coordinator Brian Ferentz, who is outspoken, sometimes, to a fault as we saw on Saturday when Brian Ferentz unleashed a profanity-laced tirade in the Kinnick Stadium press box at halftime of the Minnesota game.

Brian Ferentz’s first season as the Iowa offensive coordinator under his father has been rocky to say the least. But imagine how it would be without Parker’s defense holding up its end of the deal.

Iowa has allowed 17 or fewer points in four of the five conference games this season.

“The least amount of points that we can give up, that’s the goal,” Niemann said. “The lower the amount, the better chance we have to win. We definitely take pride in that.”

The defense also has struggled at times this season, probably the lowest point being the 44-41 overtime victory at Iowa State on Sept. 9 when Iowa surrendered 467 yards.

Penn State also shredded Iowa for 579 yards, but much of that was due to the incomprable skills of Penn State running back Saquon Barkley.

Iowa has improved steadily on defense since then, and has to keep improving with the mighty Buckeyes up next on the schedule, and flying high after defeating previously undefeated Penn State on Saturday.

After Parker, the leader on defense is Josey Jewell, who has gone from being barely recruited coming out of high school to one of the top linebackers in the history of the Iowa program.

Parker doesn’t coach Jewell’s position, but Parker sets the standard and the tone on a daily basis.

And his work with defensive backs, particularly Jackson, continues to amaze.

Phil Parker wasn't related to former Iowa defensive coordinator Norm Parker, who passed away in 2014. Their coaching styles and their  personalities also are different.

But what they share is a standard of excellence and the respect of their players and fellow coaches.

Norm Parker never had the desire to be a head coach, and Phil Parker also seems content working more behind the scenes as a coordinator.

Iowa fans should feel very fortunate about that.