Hayden Fry Death
Hayden passed away on December 17, 2019 at the age of 90 in Dallas, Texas, USA. Hayden's cause of death was cancer.
When did Hayden Fry die?
December 17, 2019How did Hayden Fry die? What was the cause of death?
CancerHow old was Hayden Fry when died?
90Where did Hayden Fry die? What was the location of death?
Dallas, Texas, USA
Hayden Fry Birthday and Date of Death
Hayden Fry was born on February 18, 1929 and died on December 17, 2019. Hayden was 90 years old at the time of death.
Birthday: February 18, 1929
Date of Death: December 17, 2019
Age at Death: 90
Hayden Fry - Biography
John Hayden Fry (born February 28, 1929) is a former American football player and coach. He played college football for Baylor University. He served as the head coach at Southern Methodist University (1962–1972), North Texas State University, now the University of North Texas (1973–1978), and the University of Iowa (1979–1998), compiling a career college football record of 232–178–10. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2003.
Fry brought a wide-open passing game to the Big Ten for the first time. He had his tight ends stand at the line of scrimmage at the snap, creating a unique looking offensive formation. He tried a number of trick plays, or "exotics", to keep the opposition on its toes. All this did not immediately translate into wins. Iowa had losing seasons in 1979 and 1980, and some began to wonder if Fry would suffer the same fate as the four coaches before him, who had left Iowa after failing to produce a winning season.
But the team broke through in 1981, a magical season for Hawkeye fans. Iowa began the year by upsetting sixth ranked Nebraska, a team that had defeated Iowa 57–0 the previous season. Two weeks later, Iowa defeated sixth ranked UCLA to give Fry win #100 in his career. Later that season, Iowa defeated Michigan in Ann Arbor for its first victory over the Wolverines in 19 years. A victory over Purdue in 1981 snapped a 20-game losing streak to the Boilermakers and clinched Iowa's first winning season in 19 years, as well as its first bowl appearance in 23 years. Fry had vowed to resign if he didn't take Iowa to a bowl game in four years; he had done so in three.
In the final game of the 1981 regular season, Iowa's win over Michigan State, coupled with an Ohio State upset of Michigan in Ann Arbor, gave Iowa a share of the 1981 Big Ten title. Since Iowa had last been to the Rose Bowl in 1959, the Hawkeyes got the conference's berth in the 1982 Rose Bowl. Either Michigan or Ohio State had gone to the Rose Bowl in each of the previous 13 seasons, prompting critics to nickname the Big Ten the "Big Two and Little Eight". While the Hawks lost to Washington, they had nonetheless altered the balance of the Big Ten.
Fry coached two decades at Iowa, more than twice as long as any coach before him. Fry had a 143–89–6 record at Iowa, giving him the most wins in school history until he was passed by Kirk Ferentz on September 1, 2018. The win came in Ferentz's 20th season, as he also tied Fry's tenure. He led the Hawkeyes to 14 bowl games; before his arrival they had been to two bowl games in 90 years. He also led the Hawkeyes to three Big Ten titles and three Rose Bowl appearances. Several of Fry's former assistants followed Fry's example in resurrecting other struggling football programs.
