Norm Parker Retiring

Long time football coach Norm Parker is retiring after the Insight Bowl. He has been the Defensive Cordinator for 13 years at Iowa but has been coaching since the 1960's. He has had complications from diabetes for a while and last year had to get his foot amputated. This leaves the question of who will replace him? I think a good fit would be Mike Stoops, who got fired from Arizona this year. He played football at Iowa along with his brother Bob Stoops, who is the head coach at Oklahoma. I liked Mike Stoops' fire when he coached at Arizona. His crazy sideline antics that left him with his face reder than his hair most of the time may be a cause of concern for some people, but I think that the Iowa defense needs that fire and enthusiasm, something they've been lacking since Parker has been on restricted duties as defensive cordinator. He knows the west really well having coached in the PAC-10, and that could open up some new recruiting pipelines. I also wouldn't mind Dan McCarney, even though he was the head coach at Iowa State. He has a good defensive mind and has been around the program before as an assistent. My secret wish is somehow landing Paul Rhodes. I know he's the head coach at Iowa State and is starting something good, but he would make an awesome defensive cordinator. He has a strong passion for the game, really connects with the players, and has a great defensive mind. Iowa State finished the year giving up about 16 points per game. He has previous experience as a defensive cordinator at Auburn and Texas and I would love to see what he could bring to Iowa.