By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – The start of spring practice this past Wednesday moved Kirk Ferentz a step closer to matching Hayden Fry as the longest tenured head football coach at Iowa. 

This is Ferentz’s 20^th spring practice at Iowa in preparation for his 20^th season as head coach this coming fall.

Fry coached the Hawkeyes for 20 seasons before retiring just days after the 1998 season.

Ferentz already has matched Fry as Iowa’s all-time winningest football coach with 143 careers victories. Ferentz achieved that milestone with Iowa’s 27-20 victory over Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl this past December.

Fry became a legend at Iowa by leading one of the greatest resurgences in the history of college football. But he also was suffering from prostate cancer when he retired, unbeknownst to everybody outside or Fry’s inner circle, and was nearly 70 years old.

Fry also faced another rebuilding job in the wake of a 3-8 season in 1998 that ended with a 49-7 loss at Minnesota.

So Fry had to retire, and it was time for him to step aside.

His legacy was firmly intact and he faced another challenge away from football that had far more serious consequences than winning or losing a game.

Thankfully, Fry still is with us nearly two decades later. He turned 89 last month and currently lives in his home state of Texas after spending much of his retirement in Mesquite, Nev.

Ferentz, meanwhile, is 62-years old and shows no signs of slowing down or any desire to do so.

Ferentz is nearly a decade younger than Fry when he retired and Ferentz's team is coming off an 8-5 season that was highlighted by a stunning 55-24 victory over Ohio State at Kinnick Stadium in early November and capped by a resounding 56-14 demolition of Nebraska on Black Friday in Lincoln, Neb., and by the victory in the Pinstripe Bowl, which ended Iowa’s five-game losing streak in bowl games.

Ferentz also has a potential star at quarterback to build around in junior Nate Stanley, whereas Fry had major concerns at quarterback heading into his final season, and those concerns were justified, considering how much the offense struggled in 1998.

What I’m basically saying is that the Iowa program appears to be in much better condition heading into year 20 under Ferentz than it was at the same stage under Fry.

That isn’t meant to be critical of Fry because most of his problems at the end were beyond his control and because his record speaks for itself and because I greatly admire and respect the man.

Fry was more than just a football coach. He was a marketing genius and was ahead of his time with civil rights as he broke the color barrier in the Southwest Conference.

But even a living legend like Fry eventually succumbs to time and that’s what happened after 20 seasons at Iowa.

The same thing will eventually happen to Ferentz, but it’s hard to envision right now when it'll happen and under what circumstances.

Ferentz's job is more secure than a bear in hibernation, thanks partly to a very gracious contract, but also to winning 28 games over the past three seasons.

Ferentz isn’t just hanging on and collecting a paycheck. This will be his 29th season at Iowa overall, with nine spent as Fry's offensive line coach from 1981 to 1989. The team, the school, the fans and the community, obviously, mean a great deal to Ferentz or he probably would've left a long time ago.

Fry didn’t hang on either, considering Iowa won nine and seven games, respectively, in seasons 18 and 19 under Fry.

But with Ferentz appearing to be in good health and still energized, it makes you wonder how and when his historical run will end.

It is realistic to think that Ferentz could win another 30 to 40 games if he coaches four or five more seasons and averages eight wins per season.

It is widely assumed that Ferentz hopes to eventually hand the program over to his son and current offensive coordinator, Brian Ferentz.

And while that could be the case, a lot of winning still would have to occur for a family succession plan to be approved.

Kirk Ferentz is a master at living in the moment and that has helped him survive and thrive at Iowa. He doesn’t dwell on the past or get ahead of himself. He instead embraces the grind and appreciates the journey as much or more than the destination.

Motivation shouldn’t be a problem for Ferentz at this stage, because while his program has certainly been a model of stability, it hasn’t had the same success as border rival Wisconsin. The Badgers took Iowa’s blueprint for success and made it even better with former Fry assistant Barry Alvarez the main architect.

Wisconsin shows no signs of slowing down, either.

Ferentz showed signs early on at Iowa that maybe he was in over his head as the head coach. But he stayed the course and was eventually rewarded for his patience, persistence and perseverance, and for his ability to coach.

The same coach who lost 18 of his first 20 games at Iowa is now on the verge of matching his beloved predecessor in longevity and will soon pass him in victories.

Kirk Ferentz already could write an incredible book about his time at Iowa. But for now, there is no end in sight, so those chapters will have to wait.