Hayden Fry, the Texan who revived Iowa football and became a Hawkeye State institution, has died. He was 90.
Fry's family said the coach died Tuesday after a long battle with cancer.
"We are proud to know that our father's life had a positive influence on so many people, the players, the coaches, and the fans who played for, worked with, and supported his long and successful coaching career," the family said in a statement. "His legend will live forever with the people he touched and inspired, and the programs he led to greater heights."
Fry took over the Hawkeyes in 1979. The team had slogged through 17 consecutive years without a winning season. Fry changed everything from the uniforms to the team logo. He coached at Iowa for 20 seasons, winning 238 games and three Big Ten championships.
Fry started his coaching career at Odessa (Texas) High School in the 1950s. His first college head coaching job was at SMU, and then he did a six-year stint at North Texas, where he went 40-23-3.
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