Hayden Fry, the Texan who revived Iowa football and became a Hawkeye State institution over two decades as a Big Ten coach, has died. He was 90.

After battling cancer, Hayden Fry, 90, the former head football coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes, died Tuesday.

Fry was introduced as the Iowa football coach on Dec. 9, 1978, flashing a self-assured smile and making fans believe the swagger would return to a Hawkeye program starved for success.

Hayden Fry, who helped the University of Iowa Hawkeyes football program return to national prominence in his 20 seasons as head coach, died Tuesday after battling cancer, according to Fry’s family.

Former University of Iowa Head Football Coach Hayden Fry stands near a banner hanging on the outside of Kinnick Stadium near what ha been designated the new ANF Plaza Friday, Aug. 5, 2011 in Iowa ...

Hayden Fry, former football coach at SMU, North Texas and Iowa, is shown at his home in Mesquite, Nev., Thursday, Dec. 4, 2003. Mesquite is 90 northeast of Las Vegas.

Hayden Fry, a smooth-talking Texan who introduced Iowans to celebratory high-porch picnics and re-introduced the University of Iowa football program to success, died Tuesday. A legendary coach who ...

Iowa football coach Hayden Fry is carried off the field by players Parker Wildeman (56) and Matt Purdy (69) after the Hawkeyes defeated Minnesota 21-3 on Nov. 20, 1993.

Hayden Fry, the Texan who revived Iowa football and became a Hawkeye State institution, has died. He was 90.Fry’s family announced through the University of Iowa that the coach died Tuesday with ...

Hayden Fry, the Texan who revived Iowa football and became a Hawkeye State institution, has died. He was 90. Fry’s family announced through the University of Iowa that the coach died Tuesday ...

“Hayden Fry is a college football icon and an Iowa legend. His Hall of Fame career is well known, but personally, he will always be the man who took a chance on me at the start of my coaching ...

"Hayden Fry is a college football icon and an Iowa legend," current Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "His Hall of Fame career is well known, but personally, he will always be the man who took a ...