How attractive is Iowa State?

cycloneworld · 10-25-2006, 08:41 AM

There has been a lot of dicussion going on about how attractive Iowa State is, what kind of coach we could get, etc.

Obviously I'm biased, but Ames is a very attractive place for a new coach. Why do I think that?

Coaching in the Big 12. We are not a bad football program. We may not be the best, Mac has built a base. We have a good basketball program with a ton of support.
Money. We will pay coaches if they succeed. See LE. They may jump ship, but I bet you anything that JP would try everything to keep a great coach. I don't think we can attract an ex-NFL coach or anything like that and pay him $2M out of the gate but we could surely get an up-and-comer to come here for more money.
Environment. Ames is a great place to raise a family and is a great community. No one mentions this because it doesn't have to do with winning or money. Why do you think LE and WM stayed in Ames after they were fired? Because they had no place to go? I doubt it.
Opportunity. The coach may see this job as a stepping stone but if that's the case, let him come here for that reason. If he gets better job offers, it must mean he is winning here...what's wrong with that? See Tim Floyd. Also, I bet you that almost all of the coordinators and mid-major coaches want to be the head coach of a BCS Conference school. Maybe the coach gets to Ames, loves it, and wants to stay.

This isn't a sh*t job like many people make it out to be. Iowa State and the City of Ames, and Iowa State fans have a lot to offer...how many schools have decent football AND basketball programs? Maybe a dozen or two?

ISUFan22 · 10-25-2006, 08:49 AM

Well, maybe if we had a nice statue of boobs...we'd look a bit sexier...

Wesley · 10-25-2006, 08:52 AM

Or a phallic symbol in front of JT?

The main problem is recruiting speed. You need coaches who can at least offer people who have 4.3/4.4 speed that you will be on TV and have chance for NFL. Making a bowl stadium is a good move.

ISUFan22 · 10-25-2006, 08:54 AM

Perhaps LE really was the smart man on campus. Things were so ugly...he had to drink us pretty.

BryceC · 10-25-2006, 09:02 AM

I'm not saying that it is a bad place to coach... I'm saying it's a TOUGH place to coach and there is a big difference. Getting good recruits here is very hard, which we've heard from every coach that has come through the gates here. Why bust your *** here year round to get the scraps from Texas and Florida, when you could go coach in Texas or Florida and get to golf year round?

JokersWild · 10-25-2006, 09:05 AM

There's plenty of up and coming coaches that want a shot at being a head coach at a BCS school. No one will wait around for a job to "open up", there aren't that many head coaching positions.

cycloneworld · 10-25-2006, 09:07 AM

Originally Posted by BryceC

I'm not saying that it is a bad place to coach... I'm saying it's a TOUGH place to coach and there is a big difference. Getting good recruits here is very hard, which we've heard from every coach that has come through the gates here. Why bust your *** here year round to get the scraps from Texas and Florida, when you could go coach in Texas or Florida and get to golf year round?

You don't think Baylor gets those scraps? They are in Texas and still can't recruit great players.

CyBobby · 10-25-2006, 09:09 AM

Originally Posted by BryceC

I'm not saying that it is a bad place to coach... I'm saying it's a TOUGH place to coach and there is a big difference. Getting good recruits here is very hard, which we've heard from every coach that has come through the gates here. Why bust your *** here year round to get the scraps from Texas and Florida, when you could go coach in Texas or Florida and get to golf year round?

Yeah Bryce you are right again. Iowa State has been known as a coaches graveyard for so long that its mission impossible to hire a good established coach.

When you go over 20 years without a bowl game coaches notice this and dont want to sacrifice a career for a shot at a D-1 job at ISU, they will just wait until a better job comes along.

No recruiting base, small stadium, small athletic budget and the biggie is lack of tradition. When prospective coaches see these things they run the other way.

I told Jamie Pollard yesterday that be careful what you do because you may end up with a Jim Finer Criner or a Jim Retiree Walden. And then see where attendance goes. From my experience attendance tanks!

BryceC · 10-25-2006, 09:17 AM

You don't think Baylor gets those scraps? They are in Texas and still can't recruit great players.

Don't look now, but Baylor is 4-4 and actually has wins in the big 12, and beat us AT HOME last year. They have a quality coach and that program is on the rise.

CyCloned · 10-25-2006, 09:18 AM

I think some people are selling ISU short on attrative. Sure it isn't as good as a lot of big name schools, but look at tow things:

Mac is making $1.1 a year. That isn't great money in the Big 12 or Big 10, but if you compare it to what some Mid-major coaches make it is darn good money. As far as asst. coaches at D-1 schools; unless you are an asst. at a big time program, half of Mac salary is a huge raise.

Everyone that is a coach at any level of the college ranks is always looking for a chance to prove he belongs at the next level. Mac left a good job as an assistant at WI to come to ISU, and the program was a train wreck at that point in time. It isn't a dream job now, but there are a lot of young guys that have talent on the current team.

ripvdub · 10-25-2006, 09:21 AM

Originally Posted by CyBobby

Yeah Bryce you are right again. Iowa State has been known as a coaches graveyard for so long that its mission impossible to hire a good established coach.

When you go over 20 years without a bowl game coaches notice this and dont want to sacrifice a career for a shot at a D-1 job at ISU, they will just wait until a better job comes along.

No recruiting base, small stadium, small athletic budget and the biggie is lack of tradition. When prospective coaches see these things they run the other way.

I told Jamie Pollard yesterday that be careful what you do because you may end up with a Jim Finer Criner or a Jim Retiree Walden. And then see where attendance goes. From my experience attendance tanks!

Why dont we just dump our football program then?!? If were never going to get anywhere, why keep flayling our legs and arms in the deep end of the pool, we should just give up and drown. Or we can sign Mac to a lifelong contract and keep running halfback draws on 3rd and long for the next 30 years.

ripvdub · 10-25-2006, 09:22 AM

nm double post

mt85 · 10-25-2006, 09:24 AM

Originally Posted by CyBobby

I told Jamie Pollard yesterday that be careful what you do because you may end up with a Jim Finer Criner or a Jim Retiree Walden. And then see where attendance goes. From my experience attendance tanks!

It is exactly this type of mentality that will never get us beyond where we are. If you don't think ISU can be a winner what is the payoff for being a fan? Without hope why not find another source of entertainment? I for one believe ISU can acheive every bit of what our neighbor to the east has accomplished.

Building a Nebraska or Iowa has to start somewhere. If you tell yourself it can't be done then you will never get it done.

BryceC · 10-25-2006, 09:24 AM

Why dont we just dump our football program then?!?

I didn't know it was so obvious I was suggesting that.

JokersWild · 10-25-2006, 09:33 AM

You can win here people!! Geesk come on. If Mac was a better coach, we would have had a couple 10 win seasons. It's not a coaches graveyard anymore. If you're any kind of coach, you can get scraps and win. Good grief.