Hayden Fry: Iowa football legend Hayden Fry dies, leaves behind Texas-sized …

Hawk CentralHayden Fry brought a Texas-sized personality and a keen desire to win to the Iowa football program.

Fry won 143 football games and the hearts of thousands of Iowa football fans in his 20 seasons, retiring in 1998 while fighting cancer.

One of the most cherished and admired sports figures in Iowa history, Fry died Tuesday, the University of Iowa announced.

Fry was introduced as the Iowa football coach on Dec. 9, 1978, flashing a self-assured smile and making fans believe the swagger would return to a Hawkeye program starved for success.

“Fans saw greatness,” said current Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, who joined Fry’s staff in 1981.