Distributed 2015
A Magical Decade
1 Betsy Saina captures the 2012 NCAA Cross Country Championship.
2006-15
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2 The amazing legacy of Johnny Orr was permanently recognized with this statue in 2011. 3 The 2011 volleyball team wins in Minneapolis to advance to the NCAA Elite Eight.
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4 More than 6,000 wildly enthusiastic fans enjoyed ESPN GameDay in Ames. 5 Fred Hoiberg celebrates backto-back Big 12 Championships.
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Alison Lacey’s jumper nets an NCAA Elite Eight trip in 2009. 6
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7 Jake Varner enjoying Olympic Gold in London. 8 NCAA champ, Olympian, and summa cum laude grad Lisa Koll is one of the best scholar-athletes in Iowa State history. 9 Fans poured onto the field to celebrate a victory vs. the nation’s No. 2 team in 2011. 10 The closed in end zone at Jack Trice has transformed the stadium.
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A.D. Message
Jamie Pollard
Dear Cyclone fans, It is hard to believe that it has been more than 10 years since Cyclone Nation welcomed my family and me to Iowa State University. As my first decade with the Cyclones comes to a close, our staff and I felt it was an appropriate time to stop and reflect on the outstanding accomplishments that our student-athletes, coaches and each of you have helped us achieve.
u Click for video
“Our mission is simple. We need to achieve academic excellence, become more competitive both nationally and in our conference and build and operate facilities that are comparable with the other Big 12 Conference institutions.” Taking the Next Big Step, the 2006 strategic plan for Iowa State Athletics
When we began the journey together our department was underfunded, understaffed and in desperate need of multiple facility improvements. At that time, we identified three simple goals (see the quote at the left) that served as the road map for all of our decisions during the past 10 years. In the following pages you will have the chance to reflect on several significant milestones that have taken place... •
Student-athletes graduating at a higher rate than the student body and routinely registering stellar grade-point averages;
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The Cyclones finishing in the Top 50 of the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup five of the last six seasons;
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ISU placing in the upper half of the Big 12 all-sports standings for the first time ever (2014);
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Iowa State winning the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series in back-to-back years (something that had never been achieved previously);
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The dynamic impact resulting from investments of more than $150 million in facility improvements.
We have also compiled several other “then and now” comparisons on the next page which further demonstrate how far we have come. The good news is that we are no longer underfunded or understaffed and we also now have some of the finest facilities in the nation. We are clearly positioned to take another big step – both academically and competitively. I hope the last decade has been as rewarding to you as it has been to our family and our staff. It is truly an honor to work for one of the most-loyal fan bases in the nation and we are 100% committed to making the next decade more successful than the one just completed. Thanks for your support. There has never been a better time to be a Cyclone!
JAMIE POLLARD Director of Athletics @IASTATEAD
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Comparison
Then vs. now
Then Category Now
NONE
Graduation Rates
1995-04
Years athletes graduated at a higher rate than undergrads
123rd
Directors’ Cup
4
Big 12 Championships
2003-04
1996-05
22,430 2004
8,104
National finish
3
2005-14
45th
2014-15
8
Regular season
2006-14
Football
41,232
Season ticket sales
Basketball
2014
2004-05
Season ticket sales
11,880
2,017
Junior Cyclone Club
4,768
2004
$27.0 2004
$3.9 2004
$3.0 2004
Members
2014-15
2014
Athletics Budget
$60.1
Cyclone Club
$10.9
(in millions)
Fundraising for athletics (in millions)
State Support
For Iowa State Athletics (in millions)
Season ticket sales have skyrocketed in the last decade at ISU.
The Cyclones celebrate a Big 12 championship in Kansas City.
2014
2014
NONE 2014
Tailgating is a ritual for Cyclone fans on Saturdays throughout the fall.
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Academics
CoSIDA Academic All-Americans Iowa State was the only school in the nation that had both a women’s (Hallie Christofferson) and men’s (Melvin Ejim) basketball player earn CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-America honors in 2013-14. Christina Hillman, a NCAA Champion in the shot put in 2013, then became the 26th Cyclone to earn First-Team Academic AllAmerica honors last spring. Hallie Christofferson
Christina Hillman
Melvin Ejim
THE ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT benchmarks itself in many ways, but none are more important than how its studentathletes perform in the classroom.
Big 12 Scholar-Athletes of the Year Three seasons ago, the Big 12 Conference began naming a ScholarAthlete of the Year in every leaguesponsored sport. The Cyclones have had more honorees than any school since the program was initiated. Here are Iowa State’s scholar-athletes since the creation of the award: 2014-15 Caitlin Brown, gymnastics Kyven Gadson, wrestling 2013-14 Melvin Ejim, basketball Christina Hillman, track & field Michelle Shealy, gymnastics Prima Thammaraks, golf 2012-13 Melvin Ejim, basketball Max Mayfield, wrestling Meaghan Nelson, track & field Meaghan Nelson, cross country Elizabeth Stranahan, gymnastics Jamie Straube, volleyball
Honorees by school
12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 2
From the first time a coach walks into a recruit’s home to the day we celebrate graduation, our department fully supports the academic pursuits of its student-athletes. Annually, we track GPAs and graduation rates of our student-athletes and then compare them to the undergraduate student body. Our goal is for athletes to record higher rates than the student body every year. It is an ambitious goal. In 15 of the last 20 semesters, student-athletes have posted a higher GPA than undergrads. As for graduation rates, student-athletes posted a better mark than undergraduates three times (2006, 2009 and 2013) in the last decade. That had never occurred previously since record-keeping began. The school’s all-time best graduation rate for student-athletes (78%) came in 2008-09. Whatever the measure, the Iowa State Athletic Department’s No. 1 initiative remains graduating its student-athletes and the record is pretty strong.
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Competitiveness
LOCALLY
REGIONALLY
NATIONALLY
The Cyclones annually challenge their in-state rivals in a multi-sport competition called the Cy-Hawk Series. The series began in 2004 and the winner had alternated every season from ‘06-13.
In the early years of the Big 12, Iowa State frequently found itself in the cellar of the league’s all-sports standings. In the last half dozen seasons, the Cyclones have steadily improved.
The top measure of athletics success nationally is the Directors’ Cup. It is an annual all-sports ranking based upon NCAA championship finishes.
That trend, however, was interrupted last year as Iowa State built an 11-0 lead with wins in football, soccer, volleyball and men’s and women’s cross country on the way to a 15-11 triumph and the first back-to-back championships in series history.
The school’s fifth-place finish in 2014 was the first time ISU finished in the upper half of the conference.
In 2004, Iowa State finished 123rd nationally in the Directors’ Cup. Our stated goal of making the “Top 50” seemed far-fetched to some at that time.
In 2005, only five ISU sports placed in the top half of the Big 12. The Cyclones doubled that number in 2015.
However, the Cyclones have steadily improved and reached its “Top 50” goal in five of the last six seasons.
Did you know the Cyclones won TWICE as many Big 12 regular-season championships in the last 10 years than it won in the decade prior?
Kristen Hahn
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Kyven Gadson
8 2006-15
WXC 2011-12-13-14 GYM 2006 WR 2007-08-09
Crystal Nelson
4 1996-05 MBB 2000-01 WBB 2000 GYM 2000
Competitiveness
It’s a Cyclone State, again! Since its inception in 2004, the Cy-Hawk Series winner has alternated between the schools every season. That all changed in 2014-15 when an 11-0 start in the fall season sparked Iowa State to a 15-11 win in the series, with the series-clinching points earned in a 5-4 softball triumph in Iowa City.
Cy-Hawk Series
Big 12 standings
directors’ cup
ANNUAL GOAL—Win the annual all-sports competition between Iowa State University and the University of Iowa.
ANNUAL GOAL—Finish in the upper division of the Big 12 Conference composite allsports standings.
ANNUAL GOAL—Finish in the Top 50 of the Learfield Sports Directors’ Cup (national allsports standings).
Year............ Winner........... Score 2006*.............ISU.................13-8 2007................UI..................13-8 2008*.............ISU.................18-9 2009................UI..................21-4 2010*.............ISU............... 16-11 2011................UI................ 15-11 2012*.............ISU................17-11 2013................UI..................17-9 2014*.............ISU............... 14-11 2015*.............ISU............... 15-11
Year.............Finish............ Teams 2006............. 12th................. 12 2007............. 11th................. 12 2008............. 12th................. 12 2009............. 12th................. 12 2010.............. 8th.................. 12 2011.............. 9th.................. 12 2012.............. 9th.................. 10 2013.............. 7th.................. 10 2014*............ 5th.................. 10 2015.............. 7th.................. 10
Year....................................Finish 2006.....................................97th 2007.................................... 73rd 2008.....................................58th 2009.....................................58th 2010*...................................34th 2011.....................................60th 2012*...................................46th 2013*...................................41st 2014*...................................38th 2015*...................................45th
* Goal met six times
* Goal met once
* Goal met five times
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Facilities
Since 2006
ATHLETICS DEPARTMENT FACILITY PROJECTS 2006
Hilton Videoboard & Ring Beam.....................$2,500,000 2007
Hixson-Lied Academic Center.......................$10,075,000 2008
Stadium Suites & Concourse...................... $19,500,000 2009
Stadium East Concourse............................. $12,000,000 Sukup Basketball Complex.............................$8,000,000 u
Click for video
2011
Stadium Videoboard & Sound........................$5,000,000 “Johnny’s” / Volleyball Offices........................$1,000,000 2012
Cyclone Sports Complex.............................. $13,000,000 Bergstrom Football Complex....................... $20,600,000 Golf Performance Center................................$2,500,000 2015
Stadium South End Zone............................. $60,000,000
2010
Hilton Flood Rebuild........................................$2,000,000
Hixson-Lied Academic Center
Total.............................................................$156,175,000
Sukup Basketball Complex
Cyclone Sports Complex (soccer, track & field and softball)
Golf Performance Center
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(since 2006)
Facilities
Continued
Jack Trice Stadium South End Zone Project
Bergstrom Football Complex
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LONG-RANGE
TREND
Finances
Iowa State’s Athletics Budget
(millions)
$65.0 $60.0 $55.0
60.1
58.2
million
FY13
FY14
62.2 million
million
$50.0
50.6 million
$45.0 $40.0 39.7
$35.0 $30.0 $25.0
28.3
34.1
32.0
million
FY06
FY07
35.5
million
40.3
42.4 million
million
million
million
million
$20.0 FY05
FY08
FY09
FY10
FY11
FY12
FY15
Athletics budgets & championships both trend upwards during Big 12 era The upward trend of Iowa State’s athletics budget (see chart above) is mirrored by the school’s competitive improvement. When the Big 12 began play in 1995, Iowa State had a $12.8 million budget. In its first decade in the Big 12, ISU more than doubled its operational funds. The budget doubled again in the following nine years.
Competitively, Iowa State has also upped its game. In the first 10 seasons of conference play, ISU won four championships. In the last nine years, (2006-15) it doubled its championship total. The Cyclones’ 100% growth in championships won is tops in the league (see chart below).
Big 12 Championships Won School 1996-05 2006-15 Change Iowa State 4 8 100% Baylor 14 26 86% Oklahoma 14 24 71% Oklahoma State 19 28 47% Texas Tech 5 7 40% Kansas 9 12 33% Texas 65 48 (26%) Kansas State 7 5 (29%)
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Finances Continued
Breakdown of Revenues In the last decade, the athletics department’s operating budget has increased roughly 120%. A breakdown of the revenue sources underlines the importance of the school’s membership in the Big 12.
The Big 12 accounted for 42% of the athletics department’s revenues in 2015. These are the major sources.
Conference revenues make up 42% of total revenues today, an increase of 16% from 2005. Without that Big 12 revenue, many of our accomplishments in the past decade would not have been possible. It is also worth noting that Iowa State was able to eliminate its dependence upon state support in 2011, making it one of the few programs nationally that can make that claim. $15.3 million
Revenue Sources Tickets & Fundraising Big 12 Conference State Support Sponsorships Student Fees
2005 2015 Change 49% 49% none 26% 42% +16% 12% 0% (12%) 7% 6% (1%) 6% 3% (3%)
$7.1 million
TV
Bowls
$3.0 million
$0.6 million
NCAA Basketball
Big 12 Tournament
Breakdown of Expenditures The cost of doing business is always on the climb. It’s a given. In the case of the Iowa State Athletics Department, the largest expenditures (salaries and operations) has remained fairly flat on a percentage basis in the last 10 years. However, the biggest increase is in the area of facility improvement (i.e., debt service).
2005 Expenditures Scholarships 16%
2015 Expenditures
Debt Service 5%
Operations 40%
Salaries 37%
Maintenance 2%
Scholarships 10%
Debt Service 11% Salaries 36% Operations 39%
Maintenance 4%
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Vision
For 2020
Academic Success
Cyclone student-athletes have recorded a higher GPA than undergraduates in 75 percent of the (15-of-20) semesters in the last decade.
Academic Success GOAL: Maximize student-athlete grade-point averages (GPAs). One of the key academic benchmarks that our department tracks is the grade-point average of student-athletes compared to the rate of Iowa State undergraduates. Despite the significant demands of college athletics, our student-athletes had a better GPA than undergrads in 75% of the semesters (15-of-20) in the last decade. Our goal is to accomplish this every semester. Here are some other key academic metrics from 2014-15... • 52% of ISU student-athletes were named Scholar-Athletes (GPA above 3.0) in the fall of 2014 • 31 student-athletes earned 4.0 GPAs in the fall of 2014
• 51% of ISU student-athletes were named Scholar-Athletes (GPA above 3.0) in the spring of 2015 • 26 student-athletes earned 4.0 GPAs in the spring of 2015
• 14 ISU teams had a cumulative GPA above 3.0 in 2014-15
Graduation
of student-athletes There have been three years in the last decade when student-athletes had a higher graduation rate than the student body at Iowa State.
Graduation GOAL: Graduate athletes at a higher rate than the student body. Graduation day, more than any other on the calendar, is a time for celebration in the athletics department. Giving our student-athletes the resources and support to earn their degrees is at the top of our priority list. Three times in the last decade our student-athletes graduated at a higher rate than undergrads. It had never happened previously. There are many measures of academic performance available to us and one that continues to be a source of pride is our exhausted eligibility graduation rate. That metric tracks graduation rates for student-athletes, who finish their playing eligibility at Iowa State. • 92% of ISU student-athletes, who exhausted their eligibility in 2014-15, graduated
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Vision
For 2020
Cy-Hawk Champions GOAL: Be the premiere athletics department in the state. On a yearly basis, we compete against the University of Iowa—the only other Power 5 conference school in the state—in a multi-sport series. In the 10year history of the event, Iowa State has won six times. We want to improve on that 60% winning rate in future seasons.
Big 12 Championships GOAL: Win multiple conference team championships annually. ISU has won one Big 12 regular-season championship in eight of the last 10 seasons. The Cyclones, however, never won more than one in those years. The eight titles (from 2006-15) are twice as many as the school won in the prior decade, a significant improvement. Iowa State also won Big 12 Men’s Basketball Tournament Championships the last two seasons. In the future, however, we are focused on winning multiple league championships in a given year.
NCAA Championships GOAL: Win a national team championship. Seventeen Cyclone individuals have won NCAA championships in the last 10 years. That’s a strong record. Team-wise, Iowa State has won 18 national titles in its entire school history. The last one was by men’s cross country in 1994. A year ago, the women’s cross country team was the NCAA runner-up. The question is, “Who will win the 19th team title?” That’s our goal.
Cy-Hawk Series Champions
Iowa State has won 60% of the annual all-sport showdowns vs. Iowa in the last 10 years of the annual competition.
Big 12
Championships The Cyclones have won eight Big 12 championships in the last decade (one each year except for 2009 and 2010).
National
Championships ISU has won 18 national team championships, but the last one (men’s cross country) was 21 years ago.
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2020 vision
Closing thoughts from the Director of Athletics u Click for video