Who did Kirk Ferentz dethrone as Big Ten football wins leader?

Sep 14, 2025 - 15:30

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Who did Kirk Ferentz dethrone as Big Ten football wins leader?

Iowa football (2-1) bounced back into form on Saturday night with a 47-7 trashing of UMass (0-3) from Kinnick Stadium. In the process, the victory gave 27th-year Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz the long-awaited sole possession of most wins by a Big Ten head coach while coaching a Big Ten school.

With the sure-fire college football Hall of Famer capturing the impressive record on Saturday, who did the Hawkeyes' legend pass on the conference's all-time wins list?

1. Kirk Ferentz (Iowa) - 206 wins

Sep 13, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz enters Kinnick Stadium before the game against the Massachusetts Minutemen. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Ferentz, who took over head coaching duties following the retirement of Hayden Fry before the 1999 season, has led the Hawkeyes' program to two Big Ten regular-season championships, 22 bowl game invites and 10 bowl game victories.

Under Ferentz's direction, Iowa has had 94 players selected in the NFL draft.

2. Woody Hayes (Ohio State) - 205 wins

Woody Hayes coached the Buckeyes from 1951-78, where he led Ohio State to three consensus national championships and two other non-consensus national titles, 13 Big Ten championships, and eight Rose Bowl appearances.

3. Amos Alonzo Stagg (Chicago) - 199 wins

Amos Stagg coached the Maroons from 1892-32, where he led the program to seven Western Conference (later known as the Big Ten) championships and two national championships. Stagg is heralded as one of the founding fathers of modern college football through his plethora of offensive and defensive tactics.

4. Bo Schembechler (Michigan) - 194 wins

Jan 1, 1986; Tempe, AZ, USA; FILE PHOTO; Michigan Wolverines head coach Bo Schembechler (left) confers with quarterback Jim Harbaugh (4) during the 1986 Sunkist Fiesta Bowl against the Nebraska Cornhuskers at Sun Devil Stadium. The Wolverines defeated the Cornhuskers 27-23. Mandatory Credit: The Arizona Republic-USA TODAY Sports

Bo Schembechler, who is revered as one of the Wolverines' most cherished head coaches during his tenure from 1969-89, led Michigan to 13 shared or outright Big Ten championships, nine Rose Bowl appearances, and a 5-4-1 record against Woody Hayes and the hated Ohio State Buckeyes.

5. Joe Paterno (Penn State) - 162 wins

Oct 2, 2010; Iowa City, IA, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Kirk Ferentz greets Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Joe Paterno before the game at Kinnick Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-USA TODAY Sports

Despite coaching the Nittany Lions from 1966-2011 to the tune of 409 wins, only 162 victories came as a Big Ten head coach as Penn State joined the conference in 1990. Joe Paterno would lead Penn State to three conference titles, and two Rose Bowl appearances.

With Ferentz now alone atop the conference's all-time wins list, Ferentz can finally put any stress surrounding the milestone behind him and focus on coaching the Hawkeyes this season.

The rest of the top 10 Big Ten wins leaders features fellow Hawkeye legend Hayden Fry at No. 6 with 143 wins, Henry Williams of Minnesota with 136, Robert Zuppke of Illinois with 131, Lloyd Carr of Michigan with 122 and Barry Alvarez of Wisconsin with 118.

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This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Who did Kirk Ferentz dethrone as Big Ten football wins leader?