Iowa football quarterback broke a record of his own, but focused on Big Ten action

IOWA CITY — Kirk Ferentz wasn’t the only one who broke a record Saturday night.

After just three games in an Iowa uniform, quarterback Mark Gronowski broke the record for most wins by a Division I quarterback in NCAA history. He’s just one away from the all-time NCAA record across all divisions.

That wasn’t on his mind after beating UMass, 47-7, Saturday night.

Gronowski, rather than worrying about himself, was one of the first players to congratulate Ferentz for his record — winningest coach in Big Ten history. Gronowski was much more focused on that moment.

Even his Hawkeye teammates didn’t know the achievement Gronowski had reached.

“I had no idea he broke a record today,” Hawkeye center Logan Jones said. “So to be able to be a part of that and have him on our team, and bring the expirence he had at SDSU and the winning mentality he had, that’s awesome.”

Gronowski sat tied with former Boise State quarterback Kellen Moore for two weeks. Moore, who played for four years, left in 2011 with a 50-3 record.

Through six years of college football, Gronowski has won two FCS national titles at South Dakota State and went undefeated over the 2023 season. He surpassed 10,600 career passing yards after a 179-yard performance against the Minutemen.

It’s not a record Gronowski takes lightly, despite his immediate humble response. Sixth year student-athletes aren’t as common anymore, and he chose to take that year instead of trying for the NFL.

“It’s not something that I was striving for,” Gronowski said. “It wasn’t a goal of mine.”

Gronowski would rather credit the 10 other athletes on the field with him, his coaches and family than taking credit for himself. More importantly, he’s already turning the page from Saturday’s win of UMass to switching to Big Ten play.

“Big Ten season is going to be tough, it’s one of the best conferences in the country,” he said. “There’s gonna be a lot of tough games throughout here, and we’ve got to just continue to be us, continue to improve every single week.”

The night was about Ferentz and the journey he’s been on for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Gronowski chose to join that legacy, and witnessed Big Ten history alongside his teammates.

He just happened to have secured his own bit of history — something he’ll enjoy for a few minutes before going back to work.

“It’s even cooler to do it on the same day that Coach Ferentz won 206,” Gronowski said. “It’s special.”

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