Iowa football director of operations Paul Federici announces retirement

USA Today

16 hours ago

With the 2025 Iowa football season just under two months away, the Hawkeyes will have a new Director of Operations as 21-year tenured Paul Federici announced his retirement on Tuesday after 21 years with the program.
Federici spent the past 16 years as director of football operations, which followed a five-year tenure as director of athletic training services for the Hawkeyes.
'Paul has been an invaluable member of our program for more than 20 years,' head coach Kirk Ferentz said. 'He joined the team as an athletic trainer and rapidly became known for his skills, focus and commitment to the players. Several years later, Paul moved into the role of Director of Football Operations, which he has held for the past 16 years.'
Among his duties as Director of Operations, Federici assisted with the planning, coordination, and implementation of Iowa's daily operation and travel plans beginning with the 2009 football season.
Federici also served as a championship team operations liaison at the College Football Playoff National Championship games from 2015-19, served on the Rose Bowl Game Advisory Committee, and was the Big Ten representative on the National Football Operations Committee.
'It is incredibly challenging to manage all the details surrounding every facet of a football program — from logistics, to travel, to managing staff and player needs — and Paul has made it look effortless,' Ferentz added. 'We wish him well in retirement and thank him for making our program better.'
In a statement of his own, Federici made sure to thank everyone he encountered during his 21 seasons with the program and share his appreciation for the knowledge he gained.
"It has been an honor to contribute to the academic, athletic, and social experiences of the hundreds of players, 60+ football student managers, football staff, and extended student staff since 2004. Working with young people every day was beyond rewarding," said Federici.
"It was a special privilege to learn from John Streif, Norm Parker, Ben Hansen, Andy Piro, Ken O'Keefe, Reese Morgan, and Dr. Ned Amendola,' added Federici. "Each provided unique personal and professional perspectives for which I will always be grateful. Coach Ferentz's leadership and consistent messaging to staff and players on skills focused on lifelong success is the fundamental cause of Iowa Football's sustained athletic and academic success."
During his time on staff, the Hawkeyes won 172 games, had 18 winning seasons, shared two Big Ten Championships, won three Big Ten West Division titles, finished in the Big Ten's first division 19 times and appeared in 19 bowl games (including the 2020 Music City Bowl, which was canceled due to COVID).
Before joining the Iowa program in 2004, Federici served as an assistant athletic trainer at Vanderbilt from 1987-93, where he later became the head athletic trainer for the Commodores from 1994-99. Between 1999 and 2004, he served as the head athletic trainer for the Seattle Seahawks for five seasons.
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