1979 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
| 1979 Iowa Hawkeyes football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 5–6 (4–4 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Bill Snyder (1st season) |
| Defensive coordinator | Bill Brashier (1st season) |
| MVP | Dennis Mosley |
| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Kinnick Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 4 Ohio State $ | 8 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 11 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Purdue | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 18 Michigan | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 19 Indiana | 5 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minnesota | 3 | – | 5 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 6 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan State | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 3 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 1 | – | 6 | – | 1 | 2 | – | 8 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 0 | – | 9 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1979 Iowa Hawkeyes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Iowa as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1979 Big Ten football season. In their first year under head coach Hayden Fry, the Hawkeyes compiled a 5–6 record (4–4 in conference games), finished in fifth place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 239 to 216. Fry was hired as the head coach in December 1978 after spending the previous six years at North Texas State. Fry in 1979 hired Bill Snyder as his offensive coordinator and Barry Alvarez as his linebackers coach and recruited 18-year-old Bob Stoops to play defensive back at Iowa; all four are now in the College Football Hall of Fame and rank among the greatest coaches in modern college football history.
Tailback Dennis Mosley won the Big Ten rushing title and set Iowa single-season records with 1,267 rushing yards, 16 touchdowns, and 96 points scored. He was selected as the team's most valuable player and received second-team All-America honors. Mosley, linebacker Leven Weiss and center Jay Hilgenberg also received first-team All-Big Ten honors. The team had a strong recruiting class that included linebacker Andre Tippett, defensive tackle Mark Bortz, punter Reggie Roby, and Bob Stoops.
The team played its home games at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa.