Mark Farley - 2007 Eddie Robinson Award Recipient

Farley Named UNI Interim Director of Athletics

UNI head coach Mark Farley, once known as the "walk on from Waukon", took over the Panther football program in 2001 that was not broken but simply needed a few tweaks here and there. After 2007, it's clear that Farley has made his adjustments and returned Panther football to his rightful home among the FCS elite.

The Panthers' 2007 season will go down in the books as one of the finest ever. UNI became the first team in the 23-year history of the Gateway Football Conference to post a perfect 11-0 regular season. UNI also became the first Gateway team to record a perfect 6-0 mark in road games. The Panthers attained the No. 1 ranking in the Sports Network poll and held the top spot for the final six weeks of the regular season.

As a result of the Panthers' success in 2007, fans came out in droves to the UNI-Dome. UNI set a single-season average attendance record by drawing 16,118 fans per game. Also, for the first time in school history UNI sold out three straight games in the Dome beginning with a Homecoming crowd of 17,074 vs. Southern Illinois, followed by Youngstown State with 16,528 and Indiana State with 16,624.

When the year was done the accolades rolled in with Farley earning National Coach of the Year honors in winning the Eddie Robinson Award, an honor given to the top FCS coach by The Sports Network. Farley was also named the 2007 Bruce Craddock Gateway Coach of the Year.

Now in his eighth year as the Panther mentor, Farley never has felt more at home. Through his leadership, the Panthers have returned to the glory days when they won seven straight conference titles and made seven consecutive FCS playoff appearances in the decade of the `90s. In Farley's seven years at the helm, UNI has won at least a share of four Gateway Conference titles. UNI has also advanced to the quarterfinals (2003, 2007), semifinals (2001) and the national title game (2005) in each of those four seasons. Six of Farley's seven Panther team have finished the season ranked in the top 25, including four in the top five.

In 2006, Farley guided the Panthers to another top-25 ranking and a second-place finish in the ultra-competitive Gateway Football Conference. UNI's offense finished the year ranked No. 4 in the nation and senior defensive back Dre Dokes led the nation with seven interceptions.

Head Coach Mark Farley

Farley's 2005 Panthers made school history by reaching the first NCAA FCS national championship game in the program's history. The Panthers reached the final by edging out No. 15 Eastern Washington (38-35), No. 1-ranked New Hampshire (24-21) and No. 4 Texas State (40-37) in overtime.

UNI's 2005 Gateway Conference title run is one that will stick in the memory banks of all Panther fans. UNI dropped to 2-2 in the Gateway and 4-3 overall after a disappointing 38-3 loss to Illinois State. "We talked after that game that our goal was to go from worst to first - and not just first in the Gateway Conference," Farley said.

The Panthers then pulled off the unthinkable as they knocked off three-ranked opponents in three weeks to capture a share of the Gateway Conference title.

UNI scored a 21-7 home win over No. 11-ranked Youngstown State. UNI followed it up with an amazing 23-20 double-overtime win at No. 6 Western Kentucky. Western Kentucky was set to win the game on the final play, but UNI's Everette Pedescleaux blocked the field goal and the Panthers eventually won the game on a 20-yard touchdown strike from Eric Sanders to Justin Surrency.

The Panthers concluded their conference run with a dramatic, come-from-behind thriller with No. 4-ranked Southern Illinois in a raucous UNI-Dome in front of 15,536 fans. The Panthers trailed 24-10 entering the fourth quarter but responded with 15 points in the final 15 minutes to score a 25-24 win. UNI scored the go-ahead touchdown on a 4th-and-2 when Sanders hooked up with Jamie Goodwin for a 35-yard score. UNI then held the Salukis when senior linebacker Darin Heideman nabbed SIU running back Arkee Whitlock short of the first down marker and the celebration was on.

"I think it's the most quality team you could put together," Farley said. "When I say a team, it was 56 guys who stepped up, put together a run and beat many teams, and we had to do it on the road. It's hard to put together a team like this without any superstars, but with guys who were always there for you and believed in each other. It's a special group."

Farley earned Northwest Region Coach of the Year honors from Don Hansen's Football Gazette, and he finished 15th in the Eddie Robinson Award balloting.

"This is home to me," he said at the time of his selection as UNI's head coach. "Through football, I've been presented with great opportunities in my life and this is by far the best experience. I am so excited for this opportunity."

Mark Farley

In his first season, Farley led the Panthers back to the FCS elite. UNI finished 11-3 overall in 2001, placed first in the Gateway Football Conference with a 6-1 mark, and advanced to the FCS national semifinals for the fifth time in school history. It was the Panthers' first conference title and playoff appearance since 1996.

During the season, UNI defeated five ranked FCS opponents and FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) opponent Ball State, which went on to defeat Motor City Bowl-bound Toledo later in the year. The Panthers finished the season ranked fourth in both The Sports Network and ESPN/USA Today final FCS polls.

The conference and the nation took notice. Farley was named the league's Bruce Craddock Coach of the Year and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region 4 Coach of the Year. He placed third in the Eddie Robinson Award balloting. He received 16 first-place votes, the most of any candidate. He still sits atop the Gateway Conference with the best record for rookie coaches.

The following year did not live up to pre-season expectations following the success of 2001 as the Panthers finished 5-6 overall. Injuries, graduation and inexperience on defense took a toll.

The Panthers re-grouped in 2003 to claim a share of the conference title when it won a hard-fought, come-from-behind contest against previously undefeated and No. 2-ranked Southern Illinois in the final regular season game. UNI went on to defeat No. 24-ranked Montana State in the UNI-Dome in the first round of the playoffs, then was sent on the road to No. 3 and eventual national champion Delaware, where it fell 37-7 on a cold and snowy afternoon to finish 10-3 overall. The Panthers were ranked fifth in The Sports Network/CSTV final Top 25.

Throughout the season, UNI defeated four ranked teams and appeared on television five times. Farley again was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award.

UNI Head Coach Mark Farley

When all was said and done in 2004, the Panthers were judged on their first five games, and not their final six. Despite six consecutive victories by an average margin of 23.7 points, UNI couldn't overcome a 1-4 start to begin the year. As a result, the Panthers were passed over for the FCS playoffs but finished on a high with a 7-4 record, including a 5-2 mark in the always tough Gateway to place third behind post-season selections Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky. Their strong finish earned them a No. 25 ranking in both The Sports Network and ESPN/USA Today final polls.

Farley grew up not far from Cedar Falls, and the UNI-Dome, in a small community called Waukon. He was a three-sport standout at Waukon High School. He played quarterback his junior year and tailback his senior year, while also seeing time at strong safety. He was a forward on the basketball team (all-conference two years) and a pitcher and short stop for the baseball team (all-conference three years). Despite his success, he wasn't highly recruited and he took a year off before pursuing his college degree.

His job as a truck driver brought him through Cedar Falls each Monday. He would drop into the UNI-Dome to check out the Panther football team. In the fall of 1982, he walked on to the team, redshirting that first season. He received the Special Team Award his second year, then became a starting inside linebacker three years. He earned honorable mention all-America honors twice, was named Gateway Conference co-Defensive Player of the Year, was selected a team co-captain, and was named a two-time academic all-American. He led the team in tackles three consecutive years.

During Farley's three years as a starter, UNI compiled a 27-7-1 record and advanced to the 1985 FCS semifinals.

"When I came (for the interview), I wanted to stop back (in the Dome)," Farley said. "I came to the doors and I stood on that balcony on the concourse. I just wanted to get that energy from the Dome, because there's still something about this place. I looked at the banners and remembered the players that were here. We can be proud of this university in football."

Farley went straight from a player to a graduate assistant for two years under Coach Darrell Mudra and then was elevated to a full-time assistant. Between 1987-96, he was the position coach for such former UNI stars as Bryce Paup, James Jones, William Freeney and Andre Allen. Paup and Jones went on to play in the NFL, of course, while Allen and Freeney played in the Arena League and CFL. Four times Farley's players were named league Defensive Players of the Year.

In total, he coached five UNI all-Americans and 22 all-conference selections the first time around on staff. He also was the punt return specialist. That segment had a NCAA average ranking of sixth from 1989-1993, with two second-place statistical rankings. He also served as the team's Strength and Speed Coordinator. He was a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist and a Certified Level 1 Coach of the U.S. Weightlifting Federation. He designed and coordinated the reconstruction of UNI's strength facility and implemented individualized computer weight training programs.

With the success of individual players, the Panther program grew into a national power under Mudra and then, Terry Allen. As previously mentioned, UNI won seven consecutive Gateway titles, made seven straight FCS playoff appearances between 1990-1996, eight total, including advancing to two semifinal games. The Dome was packed with several sellouts.

In an interview following Farley's hiring, Mudra, a former head coach at Florida State, now retired and living in Florida, said, "I had three helpers who went on to become NFL head coaches. Farley is as good as any coaching prospect I worked with. I just feel like (UNI) couldn't have hired a better guy. He's a perfect fit for that situation. I think he's bright - real bright. Probably the most important thing is, he's really involved in football. If you cut his head open, nothing would come out but footballs. He's real intense."

Jones, a 1991 NFL third-round pick by the Cleveland Browns, said of Farley in a post-hire interview, "He makes athletes get the most out of themselves. One thing all of us under him did was work hard. That's the way he coached it, and that's what he expected out of you. He was just one of those coaches you wanted to go out there and play your hardest for. He'll probably still have (that) energy when he's 65. That's just Coach Farley."

When Terry Allen left the Panthers in 1997 to become head coach at the University of Kansas, Farley was one of UNI's assistants to follow. Farley was the Jayhawks' inside and outside linebacker coach. In Lawrence, he coached two all-Big 12 players, one all-American and five Players of the Week. He produced the KU all-time sack leader for season and career and recruited the 1999 Big 12 Newcomer of the Year. He was rated one of the top recruiters in the Midwest by MoKan Recruiting Service. He also assisted with the punt return and block specialists. His players blocked or returned a punt for a touchdown against 11 of the league teams at least once.

Having worked under, or played for, three of the best football minds in Mudra, Earle Bruce and Allen, there's little doubt Farley knows football. However, it is also his passion, not only for the game, but for the University of Northern Iowa, that has helped carry the Panthers back to the top of FCS football.

"This program is not broken," Farley said upon his appointment. "(The previous staff did) a good job...We just want to take it a step higher, raise the bar to our expectations at the University of Northern Iowa. We want to win the Gateway - we WILL win the Gateway ... people are scared to come in (the UNI-Dome). We want to fill this place. You don't know how exciting it was as a player and as a coach with 16,000 people, keys ringing all the time on kickoffs. That's neat. I love it when the opposing team stands at that doorway down there and that is all happening.

"I want our players to feel that because that is a special feeling, and that is why we're here and that's what we're after to achieve, because if you win the Gateway, you can win the national championship. That's how tough this conference is."

Farley also is a players' coach, a coach willing to listen to his players, but who also sets high standards for his team. He set the tone in his first meeting with the squad.

"The first thing that we talked about was this program," he said. "This program is the most important thing. It was here before we were here, and it will be here after we leave. Right now, we represent this program and this university. We represent the community, we represent the state, and we will do everything that we can to put UNI football at the level we're proud of and always have been at this university. This place is important to alumni, just as it is to me."

Farley vs. All Opponents As a Head Coach

		W	L	T	Pct.
Appalachian State	0	1	0	.000
Ball State		1	0	0	1.000
Cal Poly			2	0	0	1.000
Delaware		0	2	0	.000
Drake			3	0	0	1.000
Eastern Illinois		1	0	0	1.000
Eastern Washington	1	0	0	1.000
Illinois State		4	3	0	.571
Indiana State		6	1	0	.857
Iowa			0	1	0	.000
Iowa State		1	4	0	.250
Maine			1	0	0	1.000
Minnesota-Duluth	1	0	0	1.000
Minnesota State, Mankato	2	0	0	1.000
Missouri State		6	1	0	.857
Montana			0	1	0	.000
Montana State		1	0	0	1.000
New Hampshire		2	0	0	1.000
North Dakota		0	1	0	.000
Northern Arizona		2	0	0	1.000
Northern Michigan	1	0	0	1.000
Northwestern State	1	0	0	1.000
Oklahoma State		0	1	0	.000
South Dakota State	2	0	0	1.000
Southern Illinois		4	3	0	.571
Southern Utah		1	0	0	.000
Stephen F. Austin		2	1	0	.667
Texas State		1	0	0	1.000
Wayne State (Mich.)	2	0	0	1.000
Western Illinois		5	2	0	.714
Western Kentucky	3	3	0	.500
Youngstown State	7	0	0	1.000
Totals			63	25	0	.680

The Farley File

Awards & Honors