Hawkeyes need better coaches

To the editor:

To paraphrase Charles Dickens: It was the best times, it was the worst of times.

I have lived for 40 years in the great Pacific Northwest in Portland. I graduated from The University of Iowa in 1966 and my love for Iowa athletics, especially football has never waned.

I am approximately 110 miles from Eugene, Ore., and The University of Oregon, the epicenter of football happiness. They are experiencing the best of times. The University of Iowa is in the worst of all football scenarios. We have an athletics director who 'gets it,” but is at the mercy of a head football coach who is overpaid, making bad coaching and staffing decisions. The offensive staff needs to be overhauled, with Brian Ferentz staying.

If the best of times are going to be in Iowa's future, let's learn from a state comparable to Iowa, Oregon. Get great coaches who recruit nationwide to develop excellent student athletes who can succeed.

This malaise must end.

Gus R. Siegrist

Portland, Ore.