Bob Commings was a college football player and coach at the University of Iowa.
22 Facts About Bob Commings
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Bob Commings was a high school football coach for 24 years in the state of Ohio.
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Bob Commings grew up in Ohio and played high school football at Youngstown's East High School.
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Bob Commings spent his first two years at Iowa, lettering as a sophomore in 1953.
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Bob Commings played his junior season in 1956 on the offensive and defensive lines.
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Bob Commings was good friends with fellow lineman Alex Karras, who later had success as a professional athlete and actor.
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Bob Commings was an assistant coach at Iowa for two seasons in 1958 and 1959 before leaving to become a high school coach in Ohio.
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Bob Commings then took over at Massillon Washington High School in Massillon, Ohio.
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Bob Commings let it be known that he wanted the job badly, and he even came to Iowa to campaign for it.
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Bob Commings appealed to Iowa fans, because he had a Hawkeye background as a player and assistant coach during the Rose Bowl years.
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Bob Commings stated that the Iowa job was the only college job he would ever want, and he offered to work with a one-year contract if necessary.
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Iowa fans sported "Chosen Children" badges, and Bob Commings' contract was extended to three years.
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The Hawkeyes were competitive again, and Bob Commings' contract was extended through 1979.
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Bob Commings, who had one year left on his contract, said that he thought the school had a "moral and legal" obligation to allow him to coach in 1979.
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Bump Elliott disagreed, and Bob Commings was relieved of his duties after the 1978 season.
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Bob Commings had accepted the Iowa football head coaching job with glee.
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Bob Commings was replaced by Hayden Fry, who would coach the Hawkeyes for 20 years and have the most wins of any coach in Iowa football history, until Kirk Ferentz surpassed that mark.
18.
Bob Commings turned down an offer from the university to take another job within the athletic department.
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Bob Commings remained in Iowa City for several months as a representative of an insurance agency.
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In 1980, Bob Commings took a job at GlenOak High School in Canton, Ohio.
21.
Bob Commings was diagnosed with cancer in 1991 and turned his football team over to his son, Bob Commings, Jr.
22.
Bob Commings died within six months, survived by his wife, Sharon, and another son, Don.