These three coaches have been around a long time, and each one has done impressive work at his respective school.

Mark Dantonio at Michigan State, Kirk Ferentz at Iowa, and Pat Fitzgerald at Northwestern are some of the longest-tenured coaches around. Of the three, Dantonio was most recently hired by the Spartans ahead of the 2007 season. Ferentz has been at Iowa since 1999 and Fitzgerald joined the Wildcats in 2006.

Together, these coaches have combined for over 350 wins with their current programs. When discussing the staying power of these head coaches, BTN analyst Stanley Jackson pointed out that it will not be easy for the future successors of these men. Each coach has elevated the expectations that will follow within their program:

“Going forward…they made it a lot more difficult for the next coach that follows,” explained Jackson. “They are not going to have as long of an opportunity to get it right or win games.”

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Rick Pizzo joined the conversation and pointed out that what makes these three coaches particularly special is how well they embody the spirit of their school and program:

“I would argue those three guys,” said Pizzo, “Along with Paul Chryst at Wisconsin and Jim Harbaugh at Michigan…they embody exactly what the school – not just the program – exactly what the school is about, and I think that pays big-time dividends.”

Check out the entire discussion below, courtesy of BTN: