Iowa State University Athletics
Veteran ISU Athletics Administrator Frank Nogel Steps Into New Department Role; Ryan McGuire Named Cyclones New Senior Associate A.D. For External Operations
05.31.2022 | Athletics
AMES, Iowa – Longtime Iowa State Athletics administrator Frank Nogel will transition into a new part-time role for two years as Special Assistant to Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard as part of the University's early retirement program and Ryan McGuire will assume Nogel's duties as ISU's Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Operations on July 1, Pollard announced today.
"Frank Nogel has been an integral part of our athletics leadership team for more than two decades, and his loyalty and commitment to Iowa State has been second to none," Pollard said. "Cyclone Athletics has produced record-breaking fund-raising and ticket sales under his direction, and while we will certainly miss having him serve in a leadership role for our department, we look forward to his continued involvement with our program over the next two years."Â
Under Nogel's leadership, all-time fundraising and season ticket sales records have been set multiple times, and annually those two areas generate more than $50 million. He and his team have also created and launched several popular outreach events, including Cy's House of Trivia, the Cyclone Tailgate Tour and Cyclones Unplugged.
Nogel, who is completing his 23rd year at his alma mater, has led successful capital campaigns that have resulted in more than $290 million of new or renovated facilities, the two most-recently completed projects being the Stark Performance Center and Albaugh Family Plaza, both of which came on-line in August 2021. Additional projects that he led fundraising efforts for include the Bergstrom Indoor Training Facility, French Academic Center, major renovations to Jack Trice Stadium, Sukup Basketball Complex, Cyclone Sports Complex, Bergstrom Football Complex, south end zone renovations (including the Sukup End Zone Club) and the McKee Indoor Tennis Complex. Nogel also played a key role in securing a $15 million naming rights sponsorship for the football field (MidAmerican Energy Field at Jack Trice Stadium).Â
Prior to joining the ISU staff, he spent five years as Vice President of Marketing and Operations for the Arena Football League's Iowa Barnstormers in his hometown of Des Moines. Nogel also worked for the Greater Des Moines Grand Prix and began his career in athletics administration at Drake University.Â
McGuire has assisted Nogel in the department's record-setting fund-raising efforts for more than a decade and served in his current position as ISU's Associate Athletics Director for Major Gifts since 2016. Prior to that, he worked as ISU's Assistant Athletics Director for Major Gifts from 2011-16 and as Assistant Athletics Director for Special Events and Letterwinners Club from 2009-11. McGuire first joined the Cyclone staff as Director of Special Events and Letterwinners Club in 2006.
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"Ryan (McGuire) has been a member of our athletics department staff for more than 15 years and had worked very closely with Frank (Nogel) for much of that time," Pollard said. "He has done an outstanding job with all of his responsibilities and is the perfect person to fill this important role leading our department given his familiarity with so many of our loyal donors. I am confident Ryan will be a great contributor to our future senior leadership discussions."
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Before joining the Iowa State staff, he served as Athletics Director, Sport Management Instructor and Assistant Baseball Coach at North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC) from 2001-06. He oversaw and provided leadership to a 13-sport program with a $340,000 annual budget. On his watch, the athletics department created the NIACC Athletics Hall of Fame, developed a corporate partner program to generate new revenues and introduced six new men's and women's sport programs over a four-year period—men's and women's soccer, cross country and track & field.Â
A 1997 graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, McGuire earned his master's degree in Exercise and Sport Science (Sport Management) from Iowa State in 2000. He began his professional career as Assistant Director of Sports and Operations for the Iowa Games in May 2000 before moving North on I-35 and into the Athletics Director's chair at NIACC a year later.
