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Football coaches, players and programs in general are creatures of habit and routine. It’s why Kirk Ferentz is taking no chances when it comes to arriving at Kinnick Stadium on time this Saturday.
In an effort to avoid traffic and stick to a precise itinerary, football teams typically use a police escort to and from the stadium on game day. When players mistake law enforcement vehicles for other modes of transportation, the situation can get dicey in a hurry.
To avoid any confusion between a 45 foot charter bus and a law enforcement vehicle, Kirk Ferentz has asked the local police department to “clearly mark and label those vehicles participating in the police escort” on Saturday.
As a leader of young men and not just football players, Ferentz offered the services of several suspended football players last weekend to help the Iowa City Police Department with this task. The players spent four hours Friday night and eight hours Saturday, painting a large portion of Iowa City’s police car fleet.
KF: Iowa’s four suspended players for Week 1 did four hours of community service on Friday and eight more on Saturday. They were not at game.
— Rob Howe (@RobHoweHN) September 4, 2018
Even though there were some misspellings, Ferentz said their suspensions have now been lifted.
“It was good to see those guys again, It’s been a couple of weeks since they’ve visited us,” Officer Graves told WRNL.
The paint by numbers routine is not the first time Ferentz has taken drastic measures to prove a point with a player in hot water. Ferentz once made sure former star Micah Hyde didn’t see game action for the next six days after the defensive back lost a foot race with a member of the local law enforcement.
Hyde, considered a Hawkeye hero by many fans, is seen differently by his former head coach.
“He’s no hero. I prefer players who weren’t captured,” Ferentz told the media.
The Hawkeyes are set to arrive at Kinnick Stadium (named after former Cyclone Nile Kinnick) around 2 pm this Saturday.
Senior defensive tackle Brady Reiff can’t wait to get back on the field after missing last week’s game due to transportation issues.
“Can’t wait. I’m uber excited to get back there in the driver’s seat,” Reiff said.