Kansas University assistant football coach Mark Farley is headed to the University of Northern Iowa to take over as head coach at his alma mater.
A source close to the situation confirmed Sunday that Farley, who has coached the Jayhawks’ linebackers since coming to KU from UNI with head coach Terry Allen in 1997, would be introduced as the Panthers’ coach during a press conference Tuesday.
When reached on his cellular phone, Farley was noncommittal.
“I’m not involved in that right now,” he said. “I have an idea, but I can’t comment.”
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier also is reporting in today’s edition that Farley will replace former UNI coach Mike Dunbar, who left to be Northwestern’s quarterbacks coach.
KU running backs coach Bill Salmon, who was among the five finalists, said Sunday he believed Farley would be named Northern Iowa’s head man.
“I think Mark got the job,” Salmon said when reached at his home. “I didn’t turn it down. I’m not going to say that. I won’t withdraw my name or anything. But I think it’s his job and that’s a great deal for him.”
Northern Iowa also is trying to hire a head men’s basketball coach, and has scheduled a press conference for Tuesday morning to introduce the two new coaches.
Salmon and Farley, both UNI alumni, were joined on the Panthers’ short list by Nick Quartaro, assistant coach at Iowa State; John Austin, coach at South Dakota; and Mark Hendrickson, assistant coach at Western Illinois.
It had been speculated that Farley and Quartaro were the frontrunners for the football job.
“I haven’t talked to anybody yet,” Salmon said, referring to both UNI officials and Farley. “I know it was between him and another guy.”
Salmon, Farley and Hendrickson all played for the Panthers, but none has head coaching experience. Farley was the Gateway Conference Player of the Year in 1985 and an Allen assistant at Northern Iowa for eight years.
Salmon, who spent 15 years with the Panthers, said he wouldn’t be devastated if indeed he was passed over.
“I’ve got a job,” Salmon said. “I’ve got a great job. Now if we could win some football games it would be a great place to live. Not that it isn’t already a great place, but if we win it would be a really super great place.”
Quartaro, ISU’s assistant head coach/wide receivers coach, has been with the Cyclones for three seasons. He played collegiately at Iowa with Iowa State head coach Dan McCarney.
Austin is in his third year at South Dakota and Hendrickson has been at Western Illinois since 1999.
Allen, who had to replace four coaches since the conclusion of last season and reassigned a fifth to an administrative position, has addressed the possibility of losing yet another aide.
“If one of our guys did get the job,” Allen said, “it’d be an honor for me to have a guy off the staff get to be a head coach. You want everybody to have the opportunity to advance professionally.”
