Kirk Ferentz has accomplished so much throughout his tenure at the helm of Iowa football.
The Iowa Hawkeyes‘ longtime coach has directed Iowa to 196 wins overall and 122 Big Ten victories. Each of those figures rank third all-time among Big Ten coaches.
Ferentz is one of just seven Big Ten coaches ever to guide a team to 10 wins or more in three straight seasons. Under Ferentz’s direction, Iowa has earned 21 bowl invitations, including 13 January bowl games. Ferentz’s 10 bowl wins is tied with former Penn State head coach Joe Paterno for the most bowl wins in league history.
Iowa has been very successful of late, too. The Hawkeyes have earned 25 conference victories over the last four seasons, matching the program’s highest four-year conference win total in program history (1982-85 and 2002-05).
When the 2024 college football season arrives, Ferentz will be entering his 26th season directing the Hawkeyes. As a commemoration of Ferentz’s 25 years at the helm of the Hawkeyes, Ferentz and Iowa football received quite the gift.
Ferentz and Iowa football received the “25 Years of Captain Kirk” Herky statue. Designed by artist Yuchen Liu and sponsored by Think Iowa City, the statue was unveiled on Wednesday outside of the Hawkeyes’ Hansen Football Performance Center.
The enlarged figurine of Iowa’s Herky mascot is adorned with iconic pictures from Ferentz’s 25 years guiding Iowa football. The “25 Years of Captain Kirk” statue is part of the third Herky on Parade, a traveling area public art exhibit through Johnson County from May to August that features 100 different Herky The Hawkeye statues.
Following the conclusion of the parade in August, certain Herky The Hawk Statues from this year’s class will be auctioned off to benefit a fund to send area kids to camps per the Herky on Parade website.
Here’s a look at the “25 Years of Captain Kirk” Herky statue and a number of the other Herky The Hawkeye statues in the third Herky on Parade.