Quad City Times, IA
11-28-06
Iowa State hires Chizik as football coach
By Jim Sullivan
AMES — Five minutes before Gene Chizik walked into Hilton Coliseum, smoke
poured from the tunnel set up at a corner of the arena.
It seemed like the perfect metaphor for the 19 days that followed Dan
McCarney’s resignation.
The air cleared after Chizik strolled through that smoky inflatable tunnel,
introduced with great fanfare, emerging to a pep rally that included cheerleaders
and members of the marching band and made his first official appearance as
Iowa State’s new football coach.
The former assistant coach and defensive coordinator at Texas on Monday
agreed to a 6-year contract worth $6.75 million in guaranteed compensation.
Incentives could increase the total to $10 million.
ISU has also agreed to provide $1.5 million plus incentives for his assistant
coaches, a figure that ranks third in the Big 12 conference for assistants.
“That allows Gene to go out and get the best people,” said Pollard.
Chizik, according to a news release issued by Iowa State, began his term with
the Cyclones immediately. He will not be part of the Texas staff when it competes
in a to be announced bowl game.
The 44-year-old Chizik, a graduate of Florida and a man who worked for highly
successful programs at Auburn and Texas, is in charge. As Pollard and ISU
president Gregory Geoffroy watched, Chizik marched to the podium.
“Right now, I’m thrilled to be at Iowa State University,” Chizik said before a crowd
estimated at roughly 2,500. “My plan is to stay at Iowa State University and do
the best job I can coaching these young men and doing exactly what Jamie and
Dr. Geoffroy hired me to do.”
So ends an interim period marked by wild speculation. San Diego’s Jim
Harbaugh, one of the early frontrunners to replace McCarney, did not get the job.
Neither did Brian Kelly, the Central Michigan coach. ESPN.com had reported that
Kelly landed the Iowa State job.
Now, it’s clear.
“As a player, you hate to see 20 different names pop up,” said ISU quarterback
Bret Meyer, who attended Monday’s news conference. “I’m definitely glad it’s
over. I’m glad we got coach Chizik.”
Pollard listed several reasons why Iowa State wanted Chizik to be the coach.
He has connections to Florida and Texas, two high-profile states in the recruiting
wars.
He worked for some of college football’s most successful programs. He served
as the defensive coordinator when Auburn went undefeated under Tommy
Tuberville in 2004. He was part of Mack Brown’s staff when Texas won the
national championship a year ago.
To Pollard, though, Chizik earned high grades during the interviews when he
talked about his definition of a coach.
“None of that mattered as much to me as sitting down across the table from
(Chizik) and fully grasping that he understands what it meant to be a head
football coach at this level,” said Pollard. “It’s a tough job. It’s a CEO job. He gets
it.
“Everybody I spoke to around the country said that separates him from the other
coaching candidates. He’s been around individuals who know how to do it. That
came across loud and clear in the interview process.”
Chizik said the level of commitment the members of the ISU search committee
(Geoffroy, Pollard and senior associate athletic director David Harris) showed to
football made an impression on him. So did their commitment to landing him.
“They made me feel special — very special,” said Chizik. “I want to come to a
place that’s not only committed to a cause, that’s committed to championships
and doing whatever it takes for winning. I’m also indebted to people who very
much are committed to me and believe in me and what I can do. That goes a
very long ways. I was very much impressed by the way they did it.”
Just what Chizik will do in several other areas remains unclear.
He declined to reveal what his style will be offensively and defensively at Iowa
State. That will be determined after he evaluates the Cyclones McCarney left
behind, he said.
He has some names in mind for his coaching staff, but none of them have been
contacted. A few of those likely prospective staffers can be found at Texas.
“I can assure you that we will bring in men of integrity who are phenomenal
football coaches,” said Chizik. “They will be men who are going to be mentors
and role models for these young men. That’s what the mission is. However long it
takes, we’ll see. But I’ll take my time.”
Chizik said he will call McCarney and seek some advice on ISU football.
“He’s a man of wisdom, and I’m going to use every bit of the resources I can.
That wisdom can help me do the job to the best of my ability.”
Lee Sullivan is a sports writer for the Waterloo-Cedar Falls (Iowa) Courier.
Gene Chizik
Age: 44
Hometown: Clearwater, Fla.
Education: Clearwater (Fla.) High School, 1980; BA in education, Florida, 1985;
MA in guidance and counseling, Clemson, 1991.
Coaching career: 1986-88, defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach,
Seminole High School, St. Petersburg, Fla.; 1988-89, graduate assistant and
outside linebackers coach, Clemson; 1990-91, defensive ends coach, Middle
Tennessee State; 1992-94, linebackers coach, Stephen F. Austin; 1995-97,
secondary coach, Stephen F. Austin; 1996-97, defensive coordinator, Stephen F.
Austin; 1998-2001, defensive coordinator, Central Florida; 1998, inside
linebackers coach, Central Florida; 1999-2001, secondary coach, Central Florida;
2002-04, defensive coordinator and secondary coach, Auburn; 2005-06,
assistant head coach, linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator, Texas;
2007, head coach, Iowa State.