Iowa Football: Top 10 head coaches in program history
9. Jerry Burns: 1961-1965
Career Record: 16-27-2
The most successful coach during the “Dark Period” of Iowa football comes in at number nine on the list. Jerry Burns played his college football at rival Big 10 school Michigan and played quarterback under Fritz Crisler and Bennie Oosterbaan. Immediately after college, Burns became an assistant at Hawaii and had one-year stints at Whittier College and St. Mary’s of Redford High School in Detroit. Burns was hired by Forest Evashevski as an assistant prior to the 1954 season.
Burns served as an assistant for seven seasons under Evashevski and was a part of an Iowa staff that won two Rose Bowls and a national championship in 1958. Following the fallout from the Evashevski-Brechler feud, which saw Evashevski become athletic director, Burns was hired to replace his old boss as head coach in 1961. Iowa had high expectations for the 1961 season, but ultimately slipped to a mediocre 5-4 record.
The results ultimately got worse for Burns, which despite talent on the team, could never get them to gel. The breaking point came in 1965, where Iowa had high expectations in front of them, yet finished with a dismal 1-9 record and Burns was asked not to return for 1966. Many attribute Burns’ lack of success to Evashevski “handcuffing” the program as it was long thought he wanted to return to the sidelines.
Following his days at Iowa, Burns spent two years as an assistant to Vince Lombardi with the Green Bay Packers and won two Super Bowls. He was then Bud Grant’s offensive coordinator for 18 years up with the Minnesota Vikings until Grant’s retirement following the 1985 season, in which Burns was named head coach. He led the Vikings to three playoff appearances in six seasons before retiring after the 1991 season.