Let’s be honest: asking how old Kirk Ferentz is feels a bit like asking how old the prairie is. The man has been coaching the Iowa Hawkeyes for so long that he might have been there when the stadium was just a pasture and a dream. As of 2025, Kirk Ferentz is 69 years old, born on August 1, 1955. That puts him right in the sweet spot between “wise elder statesman” and “guy who yells at clouds, but the clouds are linebackers.”
The Methuselah of the Big Ten
Ferentz has been the head coach at Iowa since 1999. To put that in perspective, when he started, the internet was still making dial-up noises, and your phone had a curly cord. He has now coached more seasons at one school than some of his players have been alive. If you do the math, Coach Ferentz is older than the combined ages of his starting offensive line, plus about three backup kickers.
He is the longest-tenured active coach in the FBS, which is a fancy way of saying “the last dinosaur standing.” Nick Saban retired, Bill Snyder retired—Ferentz just keeps chugging along like a tractor that refuses to die. The man is so old that his first recruit might now be retired and collecting Social Security.
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How He Stays Young (or at Least Doesn’t Crumble)
You know how some people swear by kale smoothies or CrossFit? Kirk Ferentz swears by khaki pants and a turtleneck that looks like it was issued by the state of Iowa. His secret to aging gracefully is simple: never smile when winning, never frown when losing. His face has the same expression in a Rose Bowl victory as it does when his punter shanks one—pure, stoic midwestern rock.
He also has the energy of a man who has mastered the art of the catnap. I’m convinced Ferentz can fall asleep on the 50-yard line during a timeout, wake up for the next play call, and no one would notice. He has been coaching so long that he runs practices using a whistle from 1985 and a playbook written on a napkin from a Cracker Barrel.
Kirk Ferentz becomes Big Ten’s all-time winningest coach as Iowa
The Age of Wisdom vs. The Age of Confusion
At 69, Ferentz is old enough to be the grandfather of most of his players, which leads to some hilarious moments. He will call a timeout, walk onto the field, and look at a lineman like, “You need to set your feet, son, or you’ll be doing chores.” And the players listen—because he has been in more huddles than they have taken breaths.
But here’s the surprising fact: he is actually younger than you think for how long he’s been around. He started his head coaching career in 1990 at Maine, blew up, then landed at Iowa. If he were a car, he’d be a 1969 Chevy—a classic, still running, but you wouldn’t drive it past 9 PM without a mechanic on speed dial. He has seen the game change from three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust to pass-happy spread offenses, and his response was basically, “Cool, let me run the ball anyway.”
The Record-Breaking Fossil
In 2023, Ferentz became the winningest coach in Iowa history, surpassing Hayden Fry. That’s like beating the mayor of your town in a popularity contest—it was hard-earned and took decades. He now has more wins than your uncle has excuses for why his lawnmower won’t start. At his current pace, he could coach until he’s 80, and honestly, would anyone be shocked?
Photos: Iowa football head coach Kirk Ferentz through the years at 70
People joke that he’s been around so long that the original Kinnick Stadium sod is now a fossil fuel. But his age is also his superpower. He has seen every trick, every ref’s bias, and every weather pattern from early November snow to October sleet. He’s less a coach and more a weather-wizard-football-messiah in a windbreaker.
The Curse of the Turtleneck
Rumors swirl that Coach Ferentz is actually immortal, and the turtleneck is a magical artifact that preserves his life force. Why else would he still be standing after 25 years of Big Ten slugfests? He has survived scandals, controversies, and an entire decade where Iowa’s offense was about as exciting as watching paint dry in the dark. And he’s still there, arms crossed, looking like he just bit into a lemon.
Iowa’s Kirk Ferentz Heads List Of Longest-Tenured FBS Coaches
But let’s give credit where it’s due: being 69 and still barking at 20-year-olds is exhausting. Ferentz does it with a level of stubborn adherence to tradition that would make a mule jealous. He is the human equivalent of a cornfield—steady, predictable, and absolutely terrifying if you’re an opposing running back.
Final Verdict: Old, But Not Dusty
So, how old is Kirk Ferentz? 69 years young in human years, but about 900 in “college football dad lore” years. He is older than the internet, older than most of your favorite NFL quarterbacks, and somehow still outlasting flash-in-the-pan coaches who change jobs like socks. He will probably retire when the sun burns out, or when Iowa finally passes the ball for 300 yards in a game—whichever comes first.
Until then, enjoy the ride. Watch his face turn a shade of crimson that was invented in 1975. Listen to his post-game press conferences where he says “execute” and “we just gotta be better” exactly 47 times. And remember: Kirk Ferentz has been old for so long that he makes the Coliseum look like a new build. He’s our favorite geriatric Hawkeye, and he’s not going anywhere—except maybe to an early-bird special at the local diner after practice.
