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Longtime Iowa assistant coach makes huge decision about future

ns_headshot_2024-clearby:Nick Schultz•02/16/22•

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Photo by Jeffrey Brown/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Iowa is now in the market for a new quarterbacks coach.

The Hawkeyes announced Wednesday Ken O’Keefe is stepping down from his role, but will remain with the program in an off-field role. O’Keefe just wrapped up the fifth year of his second stint with the Hawkeyes after a trip to the NFL. He previously served as Iowa’s offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach from 1999-2011.

“My entire family and I are incredibly grateful to coach Ferentz, the players — especially the quarterbacks I have been privileged to work with — the staff, the University of Iowa, and the great Hawkeye football fans for all of their support these many years,” O’Keefe said in a statement. “When you love what you do, and where you do it, when you love being around the staff and working with tremendous men like I do day-in and day-out, it is hard to walk away. But I am confident that the time is right for me to step off the field and embrace a new opportunity.”

More on Ken O’Keefe, Iowa

O’Keefe, 68, started coaching in 1974 at New Haven. He also worked as a head coach at Allegheny College and Fordham before Kirk Ferentz brought him to Iowa. From 2012-15, he worked for the Miami Dolphins as wide receivers coach and spent 2016 as a senior analyst.

All told, he has 45 years of coaching experience — including nearly 20 at Iowa.

“Ken has been an important part of our football program for almost two decades,” Ferentz said in a statement. “He was one of the key components of building our program’s foundation 23 years ago and has been a friend for far longer than that. Ken hired me to be on his staff at Worcester Academy in 1978, and it has been a professional and personal honor to work alongside him all of these years.”

During O’Keefe’s time in Iowa City, he played a role in mentoring three of the top five Hawkeyes passers of all-time. Nathan Stanley, Drew Tate and Ricky Stanzi all played quarterback under O’Keefe and rank No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, on Iowa’s all-time passing list.

“This Hawkeye program is in great shape heading into the future,” O’Keefe stated. “I look forward to helping out behind the scenes while also getting to spend some long overdue time with my wife, Joanne, and our family.”

Iowa went 10-4 in 2021, which ended with a 20-17 loss to Kentucky in the Citrus Bowl on New Year’s Day.