Jamie has been exactly what we needed during this stretch. I can't blame anyone for wanting to get out of the college sports disaster-- especially when you've been at it this long.
Pollard announces his retirement
- Thread starter Cybone
- Start date
That is an interesting situation if that happens. You would like for the next AD to make the hire if Bill does retire but the timing would not line up unless they name the new AD before BB season is over and whoever that is and Pollard both could go through the process as the transition takes place.
Not to derail this thread with another topic but the WBB program is going to be an interesting story to follow this winter. The team is pretty much an unknown commodity right now with all the foreign players that were brought in along with the transfers so either Bill found some incredible under the radar talent that turns into one of his best coaching jobs or it will be a rough season and the voices calling for him to retire are going to get even louder.
If you're a person who either wants Fennelly out, or is concerned that he makes a big public stink over choosing his successor whenever it it is that he goes, I have to think today is good news for you.
He's always been one of the most vocal advocates for Iowa State Athletics even in times when things didn't look so bright. I realize that's the job, but it also felt very sincere. The Pollard legacy at ISU will be one of always moving forward even in difficult circumstances and getting more done with less. I'm glad he helped move us past the days of a billboard on I-380 being a big deal.
Congratulations to to him on a well-earned retirement.
Congratulations to to him on a well-earned retirement.
Gene Smith significantly improved football facilities but created quite a financial mess while doing so, and then bailed. BVDV did himself no favors on the personality/communications side, but he had a terrible situation to correct. BVDV at least righted the ship enough so a guy like Pollard would give ISU a serious look.
Congrats to Pollard on a job well done, a good part of that during some very trying times.
Somehow, I think he'll be remembered more fondly than Bruce Van de Velde.
Pollard has done a fantastic job as AD at ISU, his coaching hires overall have been very successful more often than not. He got Cy Town off the planning board and its starting to take shape, enlarged JTS and has overseen the growth of ISU athletics to highs its never reached before.
But it's strange that he is retiring without Cy Town being totally completed, guy is only 61 years old and people in his position stay on the job well into their 70s. There is no doubt he did not like the direction the funding in athletics was going, very well could be the new president wanted to be more hands on with the athletic department and that did not sit well with Pollard.
But it's strange that he is retiring without Cy Town being totally completed, guy is only 61 years old and people in his position stay on the job well into their 70s. There is no doubt he did not like the direction the funding in athletics was going, very well could be the new president wanted to be more hands on with the athletic department and that did not sit well with Pollard.
Things I liked about JP: Keeping us in the XII during both missiles crisis, Hoiberg Hire, Dresser/Metcalf hires, Matt Campbell, Paul Rhodes both hiring and firing, TJ hire, adding women's wrestling, JTS renovations, new softball/soccer field by Towers, Money Management (prior to NIL), standing up to the bigger XII brands, and most importantly program stability in a world of volatility
Things I dislike or still question about JP: Cael Sanderson leaving, Chizik hire, Prohm (even though that was more Leath), Kevin Jackson's long leash, Booze/fans slobs, I-State logo, the gymnastics program fiasco, CyTown (still don't understand the pro forma projections on how this will work, but blindly hopeful), Jimmy Rogers hiring process, and navigating NIL.
History will be very kind and there is no doubt he has elevated Iowa State
Things I dislike or still question about JP: Cael Sanderson leaving, Chizik hire, Prohm (even though that was more Leath), Kevin Jackson's long leash, Booze/fans slobs, I-State logo, the gymnastics program fiasco, CyTown (still don't understand the pro forma projections on how this will work, but blindly hopeful), Jimmy Rogers hiring process, and navigating NIL.
History will be very kind and there is no doubt he has elevated Iowa State
I'm old enough to have lived through the dark times, when the AD leadership was lacking and there really wasn't much cohesion between the university President and athletics. Jamie navigated things exceptionally well, created stability, and worked to build things from disfunction to stability and beyond. He's not perfect, but his "batting average" for hires and decisions is extremely high in my eyes.
He will be tough one to replace, not only for Iowa State but for the conference as well. I'm hopeful he gets to help pick his successor, and that person ends up taking us to new heights that Jamie created the vision for.
His "Why not Iowa State?" approach got us out of the malaise of garbage of the late 80's and 90's. In my opinion, JP deserves a statue somewhere in the greater Hilton/Trice area.
He will be tough one to replace, not only for Iowa State but for the conference as well. I'm hopeful he gets to help pick his successor, and that person ends up taking us to new heights that Jamie created the vision for.
His "Why not Iowa State?" approach got us out of the malaise of garbage of the late 80's and 90's. In my opinion, JP deserves a statue somewhere in the greater Hilton/Trice area.
Can you name any lasting/memorable accomplishments Bruce had while at ISU because I honestly can't think of anything ISU fans can point to and credit him for. The AD budget and revenues did improve but nothing else really stands out from his tenure. His only major sport hire was when he fired Larry and then got turned down by several targets and had to settle with promoting Wayne Morgan. FB and BB programs were having success before he arrived and then eventually became stagnant over time to the point that Pollard was the one in charge by the time some coaching changes were made.
Bruce was terrible with PR and the fans and personally I didn't care for him because he came off as a smug a-hole that was in over his head for the job. We saw how that played out too with some blunders he made after ISU too. I have shared this story here before about an in-person interaction one of my friends had with him at a soccer game where my friend was unknowingly sitting a few rows behind Bruce's family. Bruce shows up later to sit with them and his wife says something to him and points back at my friend so Bruce asks him to come down and talk to him. Bruce then accuses him of talking bad about him in front of his family which my friend said none of the conversations he was having with the people he came to the game with involved anything about Bruce. They went back and forth a bit and my friend told Bruce he must be paranoid because most fans don't like him which he acted surprised "why do you think fans hate me?" So my friend starts listing out examples like the Larry mess that was pretty recent, getting rid of the baseball program, and a few other things that were hot topics around that time that were unpopular things Bruce did. After hearing about that I definitely was convinced Bruce was not the right person for the job.
By far the best AD of ISU in my lifetime. He accomplished a lot and moved athletics into a different stratosphere here. Hope he enjoys retirement!
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