One of Iowa's newest football teams, coming off of a championship berth, is now starting a search for a new head coach following the abrupt resignation of Mook Zimmerman.

Mook Zimmerman served as the head coach of the Iowa Woo of the Arena League for its inaugural season. If you're unfamiliar, the Iowa Woo (originally known as the Waterloo Woo) is one of six teams that is a part of an indoor arena football league that began play last summer. Cities include Waterloo, Duluth (MN)Kansas City (MO)the Ozarks (Springfield, MO), and set to begin play this year, teams in Eau Claire, WI and Hot Springs, AR.

Full Disclosure: the Arena League is NOT the same as the Arena Football League. The Arena Football League began in 1986, folded in 2019. The Arena League is a brand new football league.

Zimmerman announced his resignation as the Iowa Woo's head coach yesterday. Zimmerman led the Woo to a 1-7 record in his first and only season. Because the Arena League was only a four-team league last year, the Woo made the playoffs and somehow beat first-seeded Kansas City (7-1) at St. Pius X High School in Kansas City, MO. The Woo would then meet and ultimately fall to the Duluth Harbor Monsters in ArenaMania, the league's first championship game.

Had the Iowa Woo won the league's championship, I would've argued they had to be the worst championship team ever if for no other reason than their record would've been 3-7. It's funny how these small leagues must operate.

Zimmerman said the resignation was "one of the hardest decisions" he's ever made, but it's due to him accepting a job outside of football. The 36-year-old will be heading back to the east coast to be closer to his children, per KWWL.

This had to be one of the hardest decisions I've made, in my existence on this Earth. I took an opportunity, that I put in for months, months, months back, that was closer to my son [....] [The Woo] made me a part of their family, immediately, after coming to Iowa [....] everything was great in Waterloo. The people was absolutely great, the fanbase, the community, was awesome. - Mook Zimmerman, per KWWL

Team co-owners Jeff Holmes and Julia Stone expressed sadness about Zimmerman's departure, but hope to find a new coach in the coming weeks.

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Not only does the Woo need a new coach, they also need a new General Manager, who announced she'd be leaving the team too. Holmes noted that turnover in the league was to be expected and chalked up the recent confluence of events to "bad luck:"

I hate to say we just had some bad luck, in kind of a perfect storm type of situation, but that really is honestly the case. The Woo is here and strong, and we'll be around for the foreseeable future for sure - Jeff Holmes, per KWWL

Holmes recently purchased the Arena League itself. In addition, he plans to upgrade the Hippodrome, the Woo's home arena, and install air conditioning, noting that one of the biggest complaints from fans was how hot the venue got during games.

The season opener for the Iowa Woo is set for May 30th, 2025, an ArenaMania rematch against the Duluth Harbor Monsters. As of now, official tryouts have yet to be scheduled, pending hiring a new coach.

Read more about Mook Zimmerman resigning as head coach of the Iowa Woo on KWWL's website.

Views from the Hawkeyes/Badgers Football Game on 10-14-23

The Iowa Hawkeyes took on the Wisconsin Badgers on October 14th, 2023 in Madison, WI, and won by a score of 15-6 against a heavily favored home team.

Gallery Credit: Steve Pulaski

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