347:. He told his team, a two touchdown underdog, before the game, "You are unique. In addition to being ridiculed for last season, you have the nation's toughest schedule. Now you have a chance to show people all over America what desire and determination can prove. It may be that you are the chosen children." The Hawkeyes shocked the country, and most of its fans, by pulling a 21–10 upset. Iowa fans sported "Chosen Children" badges, and Commings' contract was extended to three years. The Hawks also defeated
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Finally, his enthusiasm for the job was evident. Commings stated that the Iowa job was the only college job he would ever want, and he offered to work with a one-year contract if necessary. If he did not deliver on his promise to win at Iowa, he could be let go after just one year. Commings said, "All I want is the job. If they had told me I had to pick corn in the off-season to get the job, I'd have done it." Iowa athletic director
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1978 was Bob
Commings, Jr. He performed well, but the team did not. After winning the opening game, the 1978 Hawkeyes lost their next eight games and ended the year with a 2–9 record. Commings, who had one year left on his contract, said that he thought the school had a "moral and legal" obligation to allow him to coach in 1979.
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that he considered the
Hawkeye coaching position as his dream job made his firing especially painful. But while he delivered several shocking wins, the overall record was poor. Commings was the tenth man to coach Iowa for at least five years, and his record of 17–38 was the poorest among the ten. Commings was replaced by
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had Iowa State change into special jerseys emblazoned with the phrase "Beat Iowa" across the chest above the numbers. Iowa defeated the
Cyclones, 12–10, in a defensive struggle. Although Commings was not a big fan of the rivalry, that win probably earned him another year after a disappointing season
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Whether it was 4–7 or 5–6, the fact remained that Iowa had posted its 16th consecutive non-winning season, which was now the longest streak in the nation. The feeling among fans seemed to be that
Commings, in his fifth year, needed to deliver a winning season in 1978. Iowa's starting quarterback in
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Commings let it be known that he wanted the job badly, and he even came to Iowa to campaign for it. At one of these rallies, Commings told reporters, "I feel I can win at Iowa. Obviously, it's going to take football players, but I don't feel anybody has a better rapport with the high school players
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Bob
Commings had accepted the Iowa football head coaching job with glee. Later, he admitted, "It's a tougher job than I figured. No one outside of coaching has a concept of what it takes. I guess the answer still is that it takes time. There are so many things involved." His Iowa ties and the fact
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In five seasons from 1969–1973, Commings' teams had a combined 43–6–2 record. His 1970 Massillon team had an undefeated 10–0 record, outscoring their opponents 412–29 and winning a state poll championship. His 1971 team lost two games by one point each but outscored their other eight opponents
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in 34 years. The first meeting between the two schools after such a long suspension in the series was met with great anticipation across the state. Seemingly, the only person unexcited about the game was Coach
Commings, who said, "I'd rather be playing Utah." Before the game, Iowa State coach
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Commings appealed to Iowa fans, because he had a
Hawkeye background as a player and assistant coach during the Rose Bowl years. Though he had never coached at the college level, he had had tremendous success coaching high school football in Ohio, a state known as a hotbed for football talent.
275:, it was Bob Commings at the end of the year that was voted as Iowa's 1957 MVP. In his three years at Iowa, Commings helped the Hawkeyes to a 21–5–1 record, and Iowa finished the year ranked in the top ten of the AP poll in each of his three years as a Hawkeye player.
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Commings turned down an offer from the university to take another job within the athletic department. He remained in Iowa City for several months as a representative of an insurance agency. During the 1979 season, he was a color commentator for Iowa football games.
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287–18. His 1972 team took a 10–0 record to the first Ohio state playoffs before losing. His 1973 team was unbeaten before dropping its season finale to archrival Canton McKinley. The 21–0 loss to the
Bulldogs was his worst loss in five years at Massillon.
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Unfortunately, Iowa was riding a school-record 11 game losing streak, and Iowa's first four games in 1974 were against teams ranked in the top 20 of the AP Poll. After a road loss at
Michigan, Commings coached his first home game in Iowa City against #12
412:. He coached there for 12 seasons, compiling a 76–44–1 record. Bob Commings was diagnosed with cancer in 1991 and turned his football team over to his son, Bob Commings, Jr. He died within six months, survived by his wife, Sharon, and another son, Don.
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Iowa had another 3–8 record in 1975, but three of the losses were by four points or less. The
Hawkeyes were competitive again, and Commings' contract was extended through 1979. In 1976, the Hawkeyes, nicknamed the "Wild Bunch", stunned
359:, the number 11 ranked team in the nation, in Happy Valley for Iowa's first non-conference road win in 11 years. Iowa finished the 1976 season with a 5–6 record, agonizingly close to a winning record.
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by signing him to a one-year contract for the 1974 season. He was the third Iowa graduate to take the reins as Iowa's head football coach, joining
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As a senior in 1957, Commings helped Iowa to a 7–1–1 record and a number six ranking in the final AP Poll. He was good friends with fellow lineman
256:, serving for two years before returning to Iowa. He played his junior season in 1956 on the offensive and defensive lines. That Iowa team won the
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than me. We have always had a very sophisticated football program at Massillon. My coaching staff (nine men) is larger than at most colleges."
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Commings was an assistant coach at Iowa for two seasons in 1958 and 1959 before leaving to become a high school coach in Ohio. He coached
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was in the midst of an extended slump, having not had a winning season since 1961. The school had just fired their previous coach,
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was forced to forfeit their win against Iowa due to an ineligible player and list Iowa's record that season as 5–6.
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237:. Commings spent his first two years at Iowa, lettering as a sophomore in 1953. That season, Coach
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to snap a nine game conference losing streak in 1974 and ended the year with a 3–8 record.
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took Bob Commings up on his challenge, making him the 23rd head coach in the history of
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25 Years With The Fighting Hawkeyes, 1964-1988, by Al Grady, Page 53 (ASIN: B0006ES3GS)
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In 24 seasons as a high school coach in Ohio, Commings had a 169–66–7 record.
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disagreed, and Bob Commings was relieved of his duties after the 1978 season.
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209:. He was also a high school football coach for 24 years in the state of Ohio.
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But coaching was always in his blood. In 1980, Commings took a job at
241:'s Hawkeyes finished the year ranked ninth in the nation in the final
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in 1977. Iowa had a record of 4–7, although some sources note that
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233:. After graduating from high school in 1952, he enrolled at the
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The 1977 season was highlighted by Iowa's first game with
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1958 Iowa Hawkeyes football—FWAA national champions
264:for the Hawkeyes, helping Iowa to a 35–19 victory.
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1128:Players of American football from Youngstown, Ohio
229:and played high school football at Youngstown's
201:(December 24, 1932 – February 20, 1992) was a
16:American football player and coach (1932–1992)
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252:raging abroad, Commings signed up with the
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1133:Coaches of American football from Ohio
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1123:High school football coaches in Ohio
730:Iowa Hawkeyes head football coaches
260:title, and Commings started in the
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683:Commings Had Passion For Football
1118:Iowa Hawkeyes football players
1113:Iowa Hawkeyes football coaches
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213:Early life and playing career
117:Massillon Washington HS (OH)
688:September 30, 2007, at the
396:Return to high school ranks
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162:Accomplishments and honors
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205:player and coach at the
157:169–66–7 (high school)
903:Leonard Raffensperger
337:Leonard Raffensperger
285:Struthers High School
279:Early coaching career
221:at the height of the
217:Commings was born on
759:Ben "Sport" Donnelly
419:Head coaching record
303:Iowa coaching career
147:Head coaching record
27:Biographical details
1075:Assistant coaches:
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406:GlenOak High School
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461:Big Ten Conference
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258:Big Ten Conference
235:University of Iowa
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339:in 1950–1951.
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1082:Bob Commings
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1067:Head coach:
1021:Randy Duncan
959:Kirk Ferentz
943:Bob Commings
942:
879:Slip Madigan
839:Howard Jones
831:Jesse Hawley
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410:Canton, Ohio
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382:Bump Elliott
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349:Northwestern
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335:in 1909 and
325:Bump Elliott
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254:Marine Corps
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199:Bob Commings
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174:Second-team
57:(1992-02-20)
22:Bob Commings
18:
1108:1992 deaths
1103:1932 births
1077:Jerry Burns
1056:John Nocera
953:(1979–1998)
945:(1974–1978)
937:(1971–1973)
929:(1966–1970)
921:(1961–1965)
919:Jerry Burns
913:(1952–1960)
905:(1950–1951)
897:(1946–1949)
881:(1943–1944)
873:(1939–1942)
865:(1937–1938)
857:(1932–1936)
855:Ossie Solem
849:(1924–1931)
841:(1916–1923)
833:(1910–1915)
817:(1906–1908)
809:(1903–1905)
801:(1898–1902)
799:Alden Knipe
745:(1889–1891)
466:(1974–1978)
369:Earle Bruce
269:Alex Karras
176:All-Big Ten
98:(assistant)
1097:Categories
1061:Don Norton
951:Hayden Fry
887:Clem Crowe
616:References
442:Conference
390:Hayden Fry
364:Iowa State
357:Penn State
250:Korean War
38:1932-12-24
1051:Tom Moore
1046:Curt Merz
1041:Bob Jeter
1036:Ray Jauch
927:Ray Nagel
863:Irl Tubbs
445:Standing
307:In 1974,
248:With the
133:1980–1991
123:1974–1978
113:1969–1973
103:1962–1968
92:1958–1959
961:(1999– )
775:No coach
743:No coach
686:Archived
439:Overall
424:College
243:AP Poll
152:Overall
889:(1945)
825:(1909)
793:(1897)
785:(1896)
777:(1895)
769:(1894)
761:(1893)
753:(1892)
603:Total:
167:Awards
47:, U.S.
607:18–37
595:13–27
592:18–37
588:Iowa:
557:T–6th
534:T–7th
511:T–7th
488:T–7th
436:Team
433:Year
570:Iowa
565:1978
547:Iowa
542:1977
524:Iowa
519:1976
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496:1975
478:Iowa
473:1974
374:UCLA
345:UCLA
227:Ohio
180:1957
127:Iowa
96:Iowa
73:Iowa
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32:Born
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