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Iowa State University Athletics
Aug. 11 Practice Report: Two for One
08.11.2009 | Football
AMES, Iowa ? Wally Burnham remembers his days as an Alabama football player under the legendary Paul “Bear” Bryant. The Iowa State defensive coordinator especially remembers the August two-a-day practices that went on for three weeks in the hot Alabama sun.
“It was not uncommon at all,” Burnham said. “It was a different time. We didn't even get water during practice.”
Most players from the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s can tell you about continuous two-a-day practices during the month of August in pre-season practice.
But that was nothing. Iowa State head athletics trainer Mark Coberly remembers the 1983 pre-season when the Cyclones would do three practices a day.
“We would practice in the morning in shorts and pads,” Coberly said. “In the afternoon it would be helmets and shorts only. During the evening we would practice in full pads. (Former ISU athletics trainer) Frank Randall had a 2,000-gallon water truck that was driven to each practice site.”
It is different today. The NCAA mandates a limit of 29 pre-season practices within a mandated period. The rule does allow coaches some discretion in how to distribute preparation time.
Iowa State worked through two practices for the first time Tuesday. ISU head coach Paul Rhoads likes having days with a pair of practices.
“The repetition is very helpful,” Rhoads said. “You can see things in the morning practice, review them and come back and work it out in the afternoon practice. I wish we had more of these than we do.”
The Iowa State morning practice was in full pads and included short-yardage drills and emphasis was on the red zone running game. ISU's afternoon session was conducted in shells (shorts, helmet and shoulder pads) while the team changed gears and worked on the red zone passing game two-minute drill situations.
Click the links in the photo above for a photo album (aerial photos from practice) and a post-practice video interview with Rhoads and runningbacks coach Ken Pope.
Jaylen Raynor 4_25_26 interview
Saturday, April 25
Zaimir Hawk 4_25_26 interview
Saturday, April 25
Tyler Roehl 2_25_26 interview
Saturday, April 25
Jesse Bobbit 4_25_26 interview
Saturday, April 25
