Podcast: Chris Doyle expects to coach at Iowa for 'long time'

Good news, Hawkeye fans: The rock behind Iowa’s “Break the Rock” developmental football program plans to stick around for a long time.

Strength and conditioning coach Chris Doyle, entering his 18th season in that role under head coach Kirk Ferentz, said during Wednesday night’s Hawk Central radio program that he wanted to stick around Iowa City as long as circumstances allow it.

“I’m young (age 47). I’ve got another … long time. Not even thinking about it,” Doyle said. “I’ve got a long time. I don’t ever want to not work.”

During an exclusive interview, Doyle spoke in detail about the Hawkeyes’ training regimen that has produced 53 NFL draft picks (including seven first-rounders) in the past 14 years, the unique connection that first brought he and Ferentz together and how his son, Donovan, was such a bookworm that he parlayed smarts and brawn into a spot on Harvard’s wrestling team.

At the end of the 26-minute segment, college football’s highest-paid strength coach – with a base salary of $515,000 last season – emphasized how much he loves being a Hawkeye.

“The fact of the matter is, it’s the best strength and conditioning job in football – college or pro,” Doyle said. “It’s supported from the top down. The head football coach sees it as important. And we get awesome kids that come here because they want to be part of that.

“Sometimes I’ve got to pinch myself. I’m really, really lucky to be in an area of the country where the right people and the (geography) lend itself to hard-nosed, good guys that enjoy going to work. To me, that’s what it’s about, and I just consider myself lucky.”

You can catch the whole Doyle interview and weekly Hawk Central podcast below. The show airs every Wednesday night from 6-7 p.m. on KXNO-AM (1460) in Des Moines.