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Poll: 46 percent of Iowa fans approve of Kirk Ferentz's job
Almost a third of Iowa fans don't have a very high opinion of Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz, at least according to a new poll.
Public Policy Polling surveyed 1,219 Iowans and asked their favorabilty ratings of local politicians and influential figures. When Iowa fans were asked if they approved of the job Ferentz was doing, 30 percent said they disapproved while 24 percent said they were unsure. The other 46 percent approved of his job.
Iowa lost three games in a row to end 2014 and finish 7-6. The Hawkeyes haven't had double-digit wins since 2009, though they've gone to a bowl in 12 of the last 14 seasons. Last year, according to the Cedar Rapids Gazette, he had a 60 percent approval rating while 13 percent didn't approve.
Iowa basketball coach Fran McCaffrey had a 65 percent approval rating.
Iowa State coach Paul Rhoads also did better than Ferentz. He had a 48 percent approval rating and only 12 percent of Iowa State fans didn't approve of his job performance. However, for those of you who don't do math, it means 39 percent weren't sure about Rhoads' job performance.
The most popular coach, despite his team's 2015 NCAA tournament loss, was Iowa State basketball coach Fred Hoiberg. He has a 74 percent approval rating.
As the Gazette points out, Ferentz has a higher approval rating than Iowa Sen. Jon Ernst (R), who was elected in November (as well as Gov. Terry Branstad). Ernst had a 40 percent approval rating. While we can consider that a win for the coach, we're also thinking it's more of an indictment of the many layers of ridiculousness of American politics.
Unfortunately, there's no data available to figure out if any of the people who were contacted by the polling company also emailed Iowa athletic director Gary Barta about Ferentz. Earlier this year, the Gazette published emails from fans after the team's loss to Nebraska. While some supported Ferentz, the majority did not.
For more Iowa news, visit HawkeyeReport.com.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
