Dan McCarney in ISU Hall of Fame??
- Thread starter iahawks
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I thought it was strange when I first saw it as well. But he is the winningest coach in ISU history (not hard) took us to 5 bowl games and had us in our first ever top-10 ranking. All of those things, and him probably getting towards the end of his career, are the reasons I see him being inducted. McCarney is still very well liked here at ISU so it does not surprise me, but I can see how it would surprise Hawkeye fans.
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You'd have to understand the sweltering hellhole that was Iowa State football when Dan got here to truly appreciate how much he did for us. I don't really blame people who didn't live through that for not understanding.
I actually really like McCarney still. Think he is a good coach and wouldn't have minded at all if Iowa would have re-added him back to their staff at some point.
No I understood it. I grew up with Iowa football in the 80s and those ISU teams were real, real, real bad. McCarney turned the program around and gave it a pulse.
If it wasn't for his success, I may never have started watching college football. My parents were never football fans, just watched Hilton Magic growing up. I think the first season I actually paid attention was that top 10 season. I have only one football memory before Seneca vs. FSU (9th grade), and that was ISU ending the 15 year streak (4th or 5th grade).
I lived through it and only sorta understand. I'm like the poster above in that I don't think it is deserved but I'm not freaking out about it either.
He's not Bill Snyder, who could have walked into any job in the country and they would have won big. Still, not just anyone could have done what he did at ISU. He was/is such a great motivator, which makes him a great assistant coach and it made him a great person to have as a head coach when ISU needed someone to energize the fanbase.
Very Well Deserved. He brought us Seneca Wallace, Troy Davis, Lane Danielson, etc. etc. etc.
Some of the best ISU football ever, and winning-est coach ever. And, he's a saint/likable.
If anything, he's a victim of his own success, raising the bar to actually play for bowl games.
Some of the best ISU football ever, and winning-est coach ever. And, he's a saint/likable.
If anything, he's a victim of his own success, raising the bar to actually play for bowl games.
He didn't recruit him, but we may never had seen the 2,000 yard per season Troy Davis without Dan. Troy played (or more accurately, didn't) his first year under Walden.