Evashevski selected his assistant, Jerry Burns, to succeed him as coach of the Hawkeyes. Iowa began the 1961 season ranked #1 in the AP poll but staggered to a disappointing 5–4 record. A defeat of Notre Dame on the final game of the season gave Iowa a winning record for the year; it would be Iowa's last winning season for the next 20 years. Iowa stumbled to a 4–5 record in 1962, though for the only time in school history, Iowa defeated both Michigan and Ohio State in the same season.