Kirk Ferentz becomes all-time winningest Big Ten football coach

In a career full of records and milestones, Iowa head football coach Kirk Ferentz crossed off arguably his most impressive box on Saturday night.

With Iowa's 47-7 win over UMass, Ferentz collected win No. 206 as the Hawkeyes' head coach. That 206th win vaulted Ferentz into a category all by his lonesome.

Thanks to win No. 206, Ferentz leapt past legendary Ohio State head coach Woody Hayes to become the all-time winningest Big Ten coach in the conference's storied history. Ferentz's 206 total wins are the most in the league's history by any head coach while coaching a Big Ten team.

It brings Ferentz's overall record at Iowa to 206-125 across his 27 seasons at the helm of the Hawkeyes. Including his stint as Maine's head coach, Ferentz owns an overall head coaching record of 218-146 in 29 seasons.

In addition to Hayes, Ferentz sits on top of a list of head coaches that features Amos Alonzo Stagg (199), Bo Schembechler (194), Joe Paterno (162), Hayden Fry (143), Henry Williams (136), Robert Zuppke (131), Lloyd Carr (122) and Barry Alvarez (118).

Ferentz has enjoyed a remarkable career in Iowa City. Though it started slow, once Ferentz and Iowa got it rolling, the Hawkeyes have been one of the Big Ten's best models of consistency through the years.

Ferentz picked up his first win at Iowa with a 24-0 shutout of Northern Illinois on Sept. 18, 1999. Then, Ferentz and Iowa had to wait until Oct. 7, 2000, for he and the Hawkeyes' first Big Ten win together. Iowa beat Michigan State, 21-16, on Oct. 7, 2000, to capture Ferentz's first Big Ten victory.

A 42-21 win over Minnesota on Nov. 16, 2002, earned Iowa a share of the 2002 Big Ten championship. The Hawkeyes would grab a share of the 2004 Big Ten championship with their 30-7 victory over Wisconsin on Nov. 20, 2004.

Ferentz and Iowa's 33-7 win over Northern Illinois on Sept. 1, 2018, moved Ferentz past Fry and made Ferentz Iowa's all-time wins leader.

In addition to Iowa's largest team goals, there are several individual milestones within striking distance that could continue to motivate Ferentz.

Ferentz has 128 Big Ten wins, which ranks third all-time. Ferentz trails only Ohio State's Hayes (153) and Michigan's Schembechler (143).

Ferentz is also tied with Paterno for the most bowl wins as a member of the Big Ten conference with 10.

This article originally appeared on Hawkeyes Wire: Kirk Ferentz becomes all-time winningest Big Ten football coach