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03.08.2000 | Football
AMES, Iowa - Iowa State secondary coach Paul Rhoads has accepted the position of defensive coordinator at Pittsburgh. Rhoads, who has been at Iowa State since 1995, will replace another former Cyclone coach at Pittsburgh, Larry Coyer, who left the Panthers to coach in the National Football League.
"When you hire good people, you know that there is a chance that other programs will show an interest in your staff and that good career opportunities will come their way," Iowa State head coach Dan McCarney said. "We will miss Paul. He did a great job for us here and we wish him well at Pitt. We will move to name a replacement as soon as possible."
Rhoads, an Ankeny native, coached a Cyclone pass defense that improved dramatically over the past several seasons. Iowa State's pass efficiency rating improved from 95th to 29th nationally from 1998 to 1999, despite the early loss of its starting cornerbacks.
"The hardest part of leaving Iowa State will be leaving the people here who mean so much to us," Rhoads said. "I've had the good fortune to work with Dan McCarney and I've learned a great deal here. It's difficult to leave a place when we are improving each year and things are in place for long term success."