Earle Bruce Returns to Coaching at Northern Iowa

Earle Bruce, fired as Ohio State’s football coach in November despite having won 75% of his games, has been named coach at Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.

Bruce, who has coached at Iowa State, said his ties in Iowa and with Eldon Miller, Northern Iowa basketball coach, brought him back to the state.

“If this job were anywhere else but Iowa, I wouldn’t be here,” he said.

Bruce and Miller were together at Ohio State for seven years until Miller was fired two years ago and became Northern Iowa’s coach.

Bruce spent nine seasons at Ohio State, leading the Buckeyes to an 81-26-1 record. He was dismissed by Ohio State president Edward Jennings a week before the Buckeyes’ final game last fall. Bruce filed suit and was awarded a $471,000 settlement.

At Northern Iowa, Bruce signed a four-year contract at $64,000 a year.