Some fans were consoled by the fact that the new coach had Iowa ties. Ferentz was Fry's offensive line coach from 1981 to 1989, the best years of Hayden's tenure at Iowa. Ferentz left Iowa to become the head coach at Maine and was later hired to work as an assistant for the Cleveland Browns and head coach Bill Belichick. Ferentz made the move with the Browns to Baltimore and was an assistant coach for the Baltimore Ravens when Bowlsby called him to Iowa City. The fact that Ferentz had Coach Fry's seal of approval quieted many Hawk fans, though several still loudly bemoaned not hiring Stoops.