Campbell Embraces Iowa State Tradition

AMES, Iowa – Iowa State head football coach Matt Campbell has made it a priority to embrace the traditions of Cyclone football. That's why former players and coaches are always welcome back with open arms when they return to Ames.

Campbell's first coaches' clinic is this weekend and one of the first calls he made was to former Iowa State head coach Dan McCarney, who led the Cyclones from 1995-2006.

Campbell asked McCarney to be a keynote speaker at the clinic, hoping he could reconnect with his former players and the state's high school coaches he had so much impact on during his tenure.

To Campbell's delight, he accepted.

“When I first came here I found out early on what Coach Mac meant to Iowa State,” Campbell said. “The traditions he set and the foundation he laid out is what Iowa State football is all about. When I made that phone call I was so glad I did. It was a long conversation and I didn't want to get off the phone with him. For me, this is what makes Iowa State special. The people. Obviously, Coach McCarney is the one responsible for building a foundation here and we are honored to have him a part of our program.”

McCarney was a trendsetter at Iowa State. Taking over a winless program when he arrived for the 1995 season, McCarney molded the Cyclones into a winner. With 56 career wins, he's the winningest coach in Iowa State football history.

Five times he led the Cyclones to a bowl game, including the first bowl victory in school history with a win over Pittsburgh in the 2000 Insight.com Bowl.

McCarney, who will enter Iowa State's Athletics Hall of Fame in September, has a ton of fond memories of Iowa State and jumped at the chance to return to the school he coached at for 12 years.

“It's great to be back,” McCarney said. “Some of the best years of my life were right here in Ames, Iowa. This is a special place for me and I can't thank Coach Campbell enough for inviting me to be a part of his program.”

Iowa State Director of Player Personnel Doug Phillips coordinates the Cyclone Football Coaches Clinic. Phillips wanted Campbell's first coaches' clinic to be special, and he knew bringing back McCarney would certainly help.

“When you have someone who has built relationships like Coach McCarney did with the players, the community and high school coaches, getting him back is special,” Phillips said. “For our staff being new, we want to know the traditions. To hear his stories will be beneficial to us. It will also be exciting to see him reconnect with his former players and coaches. I always believe there is a time and place for someone who dedicated a part of their life to an institution to be welcomed back. For us, we are grateful he is willing to come back and share his experiences.”

The events surrounding the 2016 Cyclone Gridiron Club Spring Game (April 16) is another perfect example of Campbell's willingness to foster relationships with former players. The program will host a dinner on Friday night (April 15) and a breakfast Saturday morning (April 16) for former players to reminisce about their time at Iowa State.

During the spring game, Campbell selected a group of Cyclone legends to serve as honorary coaches at the game. Former NFL Cyclones Seneca Wallace, Sage Rosenfels, Keith Sims, Dennis Gibson, Matt Blair, Tom Randall, A.J. Klein and Carter Bykowski are all scheduled to be in attendance next Saturday at the spring game.

Iowa State University Athletics

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