Former Iowa Coach's Plane Hit by Lightning

Iowa Coach Steve Alford knew that leaving the University of Iowa would always be a difficult decision. The former Indiana player and pupil of Bob Knight has been a popular guy during his tenure with the Hawkeyes. So when he decided earlier this week to leave the university in order to take the vacant job at the University of New Mexico, there were many eyebrows raised and folks wondered what he was thinking.

Alford couldn't have ever guessed at what would happen on his flight from Iowa City to Albuquerque, though. When the coach and his family boarded a private, chartered jet to make flight to New Mexico, they received quite a shock. Less than 20 minutes after departing from the Eastern Iowa Airport, the coach's plane was struck by lightning, leaving the family worried and scared. Fortunately, the damage to the plane was not substantial and there were no injuries of note.

Those on the plane included Alford, his wife and three children, two pilots, and a couple of officials from the University of New Mexico. The jolt that the plane received was described as a "bang" by some of the folks onboard. For a coach making what amounted to a very stormy decision, it was fitting that his plane left the state of Iowa on a stormy night. According to reports, none of the passengers on board were aware of what the problem was until the pilots informed them that the plane had been struck by lightning. According to those pilots, the strike was a routine result of a storm-filled night in Iowa.

Upon making it to New Mexico safely, Alford was promptly introduced as the new head basketball coach at the University of New Mexico on Friday. Some have criticized the coach for taking a position that seems to be a down-step from his former post with the Iowa Hawkeyes. At New Mexico, he takes on a Lobo program that has been down in recent years. The administration was able to fork out some first-rate cash for the coach, though, as they inked Alford to a six-year contract that will pay him just under $1,000,000 annually.

Iowa struggled this season under Alford's tutelage, but the coach had seen unprecedented success at the school. Last season, he led the Hawkeyes to a Big Ten tournament championship and a three seed in the NCAA tournament. In New Mexico, the coach will take over a program whose only claim to fame is their famed arena, "The Pit".