ISU vs BYU: Spirit Walk

Since Iowa State’s football season is officially over and ended in one of the worst ways possible, I suppose no damage can be done by starting to share the rest of the images I took while attending Iowa State football games this year. These pictures are from the Spirit Walk before Iowa State’s 4th home game. This one against BYU. I didn’t really take any pictures at the last 2 home games because one was Taco Tailgate and that took up most of my time. The last game started at 11 AM and I just didn’t get there in time to photograph anything of note really, so I just left my camera home.

You are probably wondering what I’m thinking about Matt Campbell leaving for Penn State. I can tell you I got some really bitter messages from some of my friends. Like you wouldn’t even believe how bitter some of the messages I got were. I guess I’ve just been around longer and maybe have a more historical view of Iowa State. Matt Campbell was undoubtedly the best coach in my history with the Cyclones. A person could make a valid argument for Johnny Majors or Earl Bruce, but as soon as they had a little bit of success, they bolted. Matt Campbell stuck around for 10 years and he did things that they never did. Frankly things I didn’t think were possible at Iowa State.

As successful as he was Matt Campbell wasn’t the first coach I’ve said goodbye too. When I started going to games, Jim Criner was the coach. He went 16-24-2 and was fired for violating NCAA rules. Chuck Banker took over for him at went 1-1. Jim Walden was the next coach, he was rich on personality, but short on success. He was fired after going 28-57-3, culminating with an 0-10-1 season. They tied Oklahoma State 31-31, if you were wondering. Dan McCarney followed and until Matt Campbell, he was easily the most successful coach in Cyclone history. He turned what was one of the worst college football programs in the country into a respectable program. He consistently took us to bowls. He was the first Cyclone coach to win a bowl game. Winning the Insight.com Bowl in 2000. But his teams started to tend towards mediocre and he lost games too inferior opponents in back to back seasons that would have sent us to the Big 12 Championship Game because of missed field goals. Now don’t get me wrong, Iowa State would have been absolutely crushed in those games, but it would have been nice to make one. Donors wanted him gone and after a 4-8 season, Dan McCarney was fired. He is still beloved by Cyclone Nation though, even until the end. In his final game Iowa State beat Missouri 21-16 on (it has been 20 years, I think we can tell the truth) on what was probably a blown call that cost Missouri a touchdown. Dan McCarney was carried off the field by his players after the game. It is the only time I’ve seen a player or coach carried off the field at a football game. Not a dry tear in the house. Or at the hospital. I’ll always remember that as a game that Corey Faust missed because he tripped on the way to the stadium and broke his foot. He called me crying from the hospital because he was so happy that McCarney left as a winner. McCarney went 56-85 as the Cyclone coach. Gene Chizik followed and was possibly the worst coach in my Cyclone history. He went 5-19 and next to none of his games were even close. He ended his tenure on a 10 game losing streak. But even as bad as Gene Chizik was, it should be pointed out that one of his 5 wins was against Iowa. The notorious 5 FG Game! But as bad as he was, he failed upwards and somehow Auburn came with a bag and carried him away. He won a National Championship at Auburn because he had one of the 3 best college quarterbacks I’ve ever seen, Cam Newton. (Tommy Frazier and Vince Young are the other two, if you were wondering.) Although Chizik couldn’t coach, he could recruit. He was followed by Paul Rhoads. A local boy and a man who bled cardinal and gold. If there is somebody I ever wished would have made it at Iowa State it was him. His “So proud to be you coach…” speech is still one of the great moments in Cyclone history. Rhoads was the opposite of Chizik. He could coach but he couldn’t recruit. Things started out pretty well for him when he had Chizik’s players. He went 7-6 in his first year and took 3 of his first 4 teams to bowls. But that would be his only winning season and as the talent pool dropped, he became more and more unsuccessful. He was fired after an infamous game against Kansas State where all he had to do was take a knee and Iowa State wins, but he ran the ball. Iowa State fumbled and well… Kansas State won it. Iowa State was up 35-14 at the half and lost 38-35. It was maybe the most horrific Iowa State losses I’ve ever seen in person, with these eyes. Trust me, I’ve seen a ton of terrible things. Just a long list of games where I never feel any lead is safe for Iowa State. Paul Rhoads went 32-55.

Then entered Matt Campbell. The no nonsense coach that preached trusting the process and set a new standard for Iowa State football. Before Matt Campbell, Iowa State was excited to have a 6 win season and play in a bowl game. The day I knew Matt Campbell would be special was after his 2nd team won their 6th game he was asked about being bowl eligible and he gave the greatest quote in modern Iowa State athletics history:

“This isn’t about 6-6, bullshit programs care about 6-6.”

And he was write and he took us to new heights. He only had 2 losing seasons. This should have been our 8th bowl trip in 10 years. He took us to 2 Big 12 Championship Games including one we really should have won. He took us to our first double digit season team. He beat Oklahoma twice. He owned Kansas State. He won 3 of the last 4 against Iowa. He will leave Iowa State as the last coach since Earl Bruce with a winning record. And it wasn’t a barely a winning record. 72-55. He left with a winning conference record, the first Cyclone coach to do that in the modern era of football.

So does it suck he that he left? Hell yeah it sucks! But he left us in a much better place than he found us. And I am grateful for that and while I wish we weren’t having to start this next chapter in Cyclone history this soon, I am excited for our future with Jimmy Rogers. He seems like he has all the tools to be successful at Iowa State in the current era of college sports. His introduction to Cyclone Nation at Iowa State’s most recent defeat of Iowa in men’s basketball has already made him a legend.

Just by uttering 4 simple words:

“Beat the f*cking Hawks!”

So as always, I remain a loyal son. Forever true. I move on from Campbell and I’m optimistic that we will move forward.

Here are pictures from the Spirit walk before our game with BYU: