In four years as Iowa's head baseball coach, Jack Dahm has established the Hawkeyes as Big Ten contenders and is ready to lead the Iowa baseball program to new heights with his commitment to excellence.

Since taking over the Iowa baseball team in July of 2003, Dahm has sparked resurgence in the Hawkeye program, having success Hawkeye fans hadn't seen in years.

In Dahm's 14 years as a head coach, he has had 23 first team all-conference performers, seven freshmen All-Americans and two All-Americans. In his four years at Iowa, Dahm has coached 19 all-Big Ten selections, including seven first teamers. Iowa had only four first team selections in the previous 14 years before his arrival in Iowa City.

Last season, Iowa took another step forward by recording its best record in 14 years with a 31-23 mark. The Hawkeyes placed fourth in the Big Ten Conference at 17-13, and earned their second trip to the conference tournament in the last three years. This after going just once the previous 15 years.

During the season, Iowa defeated five teams (Nebraska, Fresno State, Ohio State, Minnesota and Michigan) that reached the NCAA Tournament. The Hawkeyes also posted a 12-game winning streak, which is the second-longest in school history. Included in the streak was a school-record 10-game Big Ten winning streak.

Other highlights from a year ago include winning the Stetson Tournament with victories over national powers Notre Dame and Nebraska and posting four-game series sweeps over North Dakota State and Northwestern and a three-game sweep over Indiana. Last year marked the first time in Iowa's history that it collected three sweeps of three games or more in a single-season.

Five Hawkeyes were named all-Big Ten, including Travis Sweet and Jason White earning first team accolades. Nick Erdman and Caleb Curry were recognized on the second team, while Justin Toole earned third team laurels. Sweet, White and Toole earned all-Mideast Regional honors. Additionally, Sweet, White and Dusty Napoleon, along with recruit Zach Kenyon, were drafted.

In the classroom, Iowa is in the 90th-percentile in the NCAAs Academic Progress Report, placing them in the top 30 baseball programs, academically. Catcher Ben Geelan was named to the ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VII team. In the Big Ten, seven Hawkeyes earned academic all-league honors.

In 2006, the Hawkeyes continued to build the program, on and off the field, and finished with a 23-33 mark. On the field highlights included capturing the Austin Peay Tournament and the Louisiana Cajun Classic. Off the field, the Hawkeyes continued to shine in the classroom with 10 players named Academic all-Big Ten, giving them 26 recipients the first three years under Dahm.

Individually, closer Tim Gudex earned first-team all-Big Ten honors for the second consecutive year, while starting pitcher Austin Seward was named to the second team.

After the season, a pair of Hawkeyes signed professional baseball contracts. Gudex was signed by the Texas Rangers, while Nate Price was signed by the Chicago Cubs.

In his second season, Dahm led the Hawkeyes to their best season since 1990. Iowa posted a 28-29 mark and a 19-13 league record - the second most conference wins in the history of the program. Dahm's squad finished third in the league (just one game out of first place), and advanced to the Big Ten Tournament.

The Hawkeyes won five four-game series' during Big Ten play, including road series' at Big Ten champion Illinois and Michigan, along with homestands against Minnesota, Penn State and Indiana.

The team's success was a reflection of the individual awards the Hawkeye earned, as Iowa had five players named all-Big Ten. Gudex was named to the first team, Price was on the second team, while catcher Kris Welker, Jason White and Andy Lytle were all third team honorees. Gudex was also a second team all-Mideast region pick by American Baseball Coaches Association.

Four of Dahm's players signed professional contracts after the 2005 season. Lytle (25th round - Cleveland Indians) and Welker (41st round - Chicago White Sox) were both selected in the MLB Draft, while Nate Yoho (Milwaukee Brewers) and Jesse Brownell (Colorado Rockies) signed free agent contracts.

Twenty-seven of Dahm's players have been selected in the MLB draft, while four have gone on to play in the major leagues.

In the classroom, Dahm's teams have had success as well. During his Iowa tenure, the head coach has seen 33 players named academic all-Big Ten, including a team-record ten players in 2006. That is the best four-year total in the history of the program.

In his first year, Dahm helped guide both Nathan Johnson and Yoho to All-Big Ten honors. Johnson was named to the first team, while Yoho earned his way onto the second team.

On the recruiting front, Dahm and his staff gained praise nationally for their first class. It was ranked in the top-50 by Jerry Ford, the National Director of Perfect Game U.S.A., and No. 44 by Collegiate Baseball, who also named it the top class in the Big Ten. Dahm and the Hawkeyes made their mark on the in-state recruiting trail when they inked six of the top eight high school prospects in Iowa, which included the top four pitching prospects.

In year two, another highly touted class was penned by Dahm and assistants Ryan Brownlee and Nick Zumsande. The class featured two of the top players in the Midwest - Kevin Hoef and Wes Freie.

Since his arrival in 2003, Coach Dahm has not only been building a foundation on the field, but off as well.

"In order to build a consistent program we must have a solid foundation and that starts with quality student-athletes who are willing to make personal sacrifices, on and off the field," said Dahm. "We must also develop a level of trust and belief in each other and in the program. If we can build that foundation the success on the field will take care of itself."

Players have been busy giving back to the community by helping raise money for breast cancer and helping the Iowa Children's Museum at the Crystal Ball dinner. The Hawkeyes are also involved with the UI's Dance Marathon, Iowa Children's Miracle Network, University of Iowa Children's Hospital and Iowa City Neighborhood Centers.

Dahm was also instrumental in starting the annual Corridor Classic with intrastate rival Northern Iowa. The Corridor Classic, which is held at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids, has helped raise over $250,000 for the American Diabetes Association in its four years. It is one of the biggest ADA fundraisers in Iowa history.

Other new and exciting events have been added to the schedule. Last season, the Hawkeyes battled the Triple-A Iowa Cubs at Principal Park in Des Moines for the second time in three years. In 2005, Iowa played on national television for the first time when they faced Nebraska on CSTV.

Dahm also created the annual Lead-Off Dinner in February, which serves to kick-off the season and get fans excited about Iowa baseball. Former Chicago Cub and Hall of Famer Ferguson Jenkins will speak at this year's dinner. The Lead-Off Dinner has also featured baseball legend Tommy Lasorda, Cubs General Manager Jim Hendry, former Florida Marlins manager Joe Girardi, along with Iowa Cubs owner and Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael Gartner.

Before coming to Iowa City, Dahm spent 18 years as a member of the Creighton Bluejays baseball program. He left the Bluejays as the winningest coach in school history, having compiled 283 wins against 276 losses in 10 seasons as a head coach.

Dahm arrived at Creighton in 1986 to play under Hendry and spent four years as a student-athlete (1986-89). In 1990, Dahm accepted a position as a graduate assistant under Hendry and spent four years helping build Creighton into a Missouri Valley Conference power.

In 1991, Dahm was promoted to a full-time assistant as he helped the Bluejays reach the College World Series. That Creighton squad ended the season as the second-highest hitting club in the nation, batting .355. The team's 60 triples, in 1991, led the nation and remain a school record.

In October of 1993, Dahm was hired as Creighton's head coach, becoming the youngest head coach in Division I at the age of 25. For the next ten years, five of Dahm's teams would finish in the top three of the Missouri Valley Conference.

In 1999, Dahm earned the first of two Missouri Valley Conference Coach of the Year honors as the Bluejays advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in the Dahm era. Creighton posted 38 wins that season before being eliminated from the South Bend Regional.

In 2000, Dahm guided the Bluejays to their second consecutive NCAA Regional appearance at the Arizona State regional in Tempe, AZ, after finishing with a 38-23 record. During the season, Dahm led Creighton into the national spotlight as they peaked at No. 15 in the Collegiate Baseball poll and were ranked in the top 25 of the Baseball Weekly/ESPN Coaches' Poll and Baseball America.

Dahm earned his second coach of the year honor in 2002 when the Bluejays finished the season 30-24 against one of the nation's toughest schedules. Victories over nationally ranked Nebraska, Notre Dame and Wichita State were overshadowed by the team's best-ever season in the Missouri Valley Conference. Despite having a lineup top-heavy with underclassmen, Creighton finished second in MVC play with a 21-10 record.

Dahm entered Creighton as a highly recruited infielder in 1985. As a player, Dahm shared the dugout with former Major Leaguers Mike Heathcott, Dax Jones, Scott Servais, Dan Smith and Scott Stahoviak. He graduated from Creighton with a bachelor's degree in business management in 1989.

Dahm played a large role in the planning, designing and fund raising for the $3.5 million Creighton Sports Complex. The Kitty Gaughan Pavilion baseball facility is one of the finest indoor baseball complexes in the country.

Dahm's teams at Creighton not only had success on the field, but in the classroom as well. During his tenure, players were named to 32 spots on the Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athlete teams, 10 Verizon Academic all-District honors and three Verizon Academic all-Americans.

Dahm has also been active in the advancement of college baseball by being a member of many national committees. He was a ten-year member on the College World Series Board of Directors and served on the American Baseball Coaches Association Change of Season Committee. He was also a part of the NCAA Division I Regional Advisory Committee and was an onsite director of the NCAA Yes Baseball Clinic for 11 years.

The 40-year old Dahm and his wife, Lynn, have been married for 14 years. The couple has three children - sons Casey and Tyler and daughter Lyndsey. He was born January 19, 1967 in Skokie, Illinois.