Leonard Raffensperger - Coaching Career

Coaching Career

Raffensperger graduated from Iowa in 1927 and took a high school coaching job in Reinbeck, Iowa. His football teams posted a 20–7–6 record in four years from 1927–1930. Waterloo East High School in Waterloo, Iowa hired Raffensperger in 1931, and he spent the next 17 seasons there, compiling a 90–41–8 record.

Iowa's football coach Eddie Anderson was granted a larger coaching staff after the 1947 season, and he used it to hire Raffensperger as the coach of his freshman team. Raffensperger served as an assistant to Anderson in this capacity for two seasons. At the conclusion of the 1949 football season, Anderson left Iowa for Holy Cross.

Iowa fans seemed to want an Iowa graduate to head the football program after Anderson's departure. Although the search was not limited to Iowa graduates, many of the top candidates had Iowa ties, including Wesley Fry. However, Raffensperger was already on staff, so he had the inside track. Raffensperger signed a three year contract to become Iowa's 18th head football coach, beginning with the 1950 season. He was the second Iowa graduate to be named as Iowa's head coach, following John G. Griffith in 1909.

In 1950, Iowa had a 3–5–1 record, upsetting Purdue and battling Notre Dame to a 14–14 tie. The following season, Iowa posted a 2–5–2 record and failed to win a Big Ten game. However, Iowa was led by fullback Bill Reichardt, who was named the Big Ten MVP in 1951.