The coaching graveyard myth comes from the time around Mac's hiring. While I am not saying we are as attractive to coaches as the tradition rich schools, see these points:
When Mac got here, the facilities were horrible. HORRIBLE!
- Dungeon pit lockerooms. For you ISU students/recent grads, think Lumpy's / Underwhere, without the cheap (free) booze and sexy staff.
- Stone age weight/physical training equipment
- No indoor practice facility.
- No artificial playing surface practice facility.
- The worst playing surfaces in the Big 8 (remember the "Ghost of Jack Trice" tackles??
- Poor administration facilites
- No real support from administration.
- Very little support from fanbase.
- Antiquated press box (also coaching box)
- Belief that it was impossible to recruit against Iowa for in-state prospects.
- Belief that no coach could have any success here.
Now, we have some competitive (not the best, but not shameful) facilities and support
- Modern lockerooms that are getting remodeled.
- State of the art training equipment.
- TWO indoor practice fields.
- BOTH kinds of artificial surface practicing surfaces.
- One of the best playing fields (Nationally recoginized!)
- Administration is now supporting the program
- Fanbase (donors, ticket sales, etc) much improved
- New, much improved press box
- Proven track record that ISU can compete with top notch in-state recruits (not happening this year though)
- Coach has had success.
Now a huge part of these changes is McCarney himself of course, but on a deeper level these changes came about due to Gene Smith's vision to improve the program. Most of these changes (facility related) occured or were in the works
before 2000 bowl season.
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