Des Moines Register: Ferentz, Hawkeyes can relate to Minnesota coach's health concern

per the DM Register:

“To me, it’s a little bit like when Randy Walker went to Northwestern,” Ferentz said. “Pretty much his staff went with him. There’s some real advantages to that.

“Every stop they’ve made they’ve been well coached, and you can see that in their football team right now.”

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/ar...nesota-coach-s-health-concerns?nclick_check=1

Go Gophers!!

IOWA CITY, Ia. – The members of a football coaching staff must offer more than strategy.

It was true when former Iowa defensive coordinator Norm Parker battled diabetes. And it was true two weeks ago when Minnesota coach Jerry Kill suffered an epileptic seizure during a game against Western Illinois..

Parker was part of coach Kirk Ferentz’s original Iowa staff in 1999. He earned national recognition as a defensive guru, and the respect of his players as he endured multiple amputations and hospital stays.

Parker retired after the 2011 season.

“We’ve been down a similar path, maybe,” Ferentz said of Kill’s situation. “There’s a bond that goes beyond just what you do.

“There has to be, because you spend so many hours together.”

With Parker on board, the Hawkeyes remained a close-knit staff and continued to earn bowl bids.

“I think most of us probably spend a lot more time together than we do with our wives or our families, which is probably true in a lot of professions, but this might go a couple notches beyond,” Ferentz said. “And you go through the highs and lows.”