I apologize for the lengthy post and hope that I don't bore all of you to death with this, but after reading this thread, I hopefully can give some perspective on where things stand with the collective moving forward.
CNG is celebrating its first birthday this month. I am fortunate enough to be part of the ISU wrestling radio team with the great Joe Sinclair and the legend Nate Carr. As part of my radio duties, I get to walk around pretty much everywhere at the different venues. A year ago, at nationals in Tulsa, I was shocked at how many athletes from different universities were openly trying to cut deals for themselves with different programs right at the BOK Center. Literally walking up to coaches and saying that they have this much eligibility left and your team needs a guy at this weight etc. etc. It was slimy to say the least.
At the time I thought that somebody, certainly not me, but somebody else, should really start a collective for ISU wrestling to deal with the portal and all it entails. But what really put things in motion was when David Carr was offered a 6-figure deal to transfer and he wasn't even in the portal, that I decided to take the leap and the CNG was formed. BTW, I will always hold David Carr in the highest regard because he is a man of incredible character that quite frankly, gave us the "home team" discount to stay a Cyclone and honestly, he left a lot of money on the table to stay in Ames.
It was great to see that sometimes nice guys do finish first, and David Carr is the nicest of guys.
The CNG was modeled after the We Will collective and The Swarm collective at the University of Iowa. We had every belief that when we filed all of our applications for nonprofit status that the Cardinal and Gold collective would be approved, but unfortunately the IRS published a memo about 10 days after we filed that took aim at these NIL collectives. We consulted with our tax attorney and CPA and were in communication with the IRS frequently, and were told that we had a very good case and we had every reason to believe that our collective would be designated as a 501(c)3.
Month after month rolled by and we did not hear any decision as to our tax-exempt status. We were told we should know by September, then November, then December, but that there was no reason to think it wouldn't be granted. We were finally informed in January, 2024, that our application had been denied. At that time, we could have appealed the decision, but it was decided that it wasn't worth the time or expense to try and fight the IRS, so from that point on and moving forward the CNG is a for-profit entity. The CRTC is the non-profit arm of ISU wrestling.
A year ago, we held our first Cardinal and Gold golf outing at Emerald Hills in Arnolds Park with 5 foursomes and 1 hole sponsor. Next week our golf outing has 36 foursomes with a waiting list of teams and people calling still as recently as yesterday trying to get in, and we have 25-hole sponsors. Enthusiasm for ISU wrestling and what these coaches have built is high and continuing to grow.
The CNG had a war chest built up this spring through both very generous corporate donors and also individuals who have stepped up to the plate through their monthly donations, to where we could finally be in the game with the best portal guys out there. So, what happened?
Quite honestly it was a combination of things, some are a really good problem to have, and the others show how unpleasant and dishonest college athletics has become. With success comes an increase in the market value of our athletes and what is required to keep these young men in Ames increased. That's a good problem to have and we all want that success on the wrestling mat to continue.
The unpleasant part of college athletics comes into play when our guys who have no intention of transferring are approached by various Big Ten teams with huge dollar offers to go to their schools. It's pretty much common knowledge which athletes were approached and which schools are doing this stuff.
The other thing that comes into play with the portal is when certain athletes hit the portal that would be great fits in Ames put out that they are "do not contact." In other words, teams have been working the back channels and already cut deals with these guys before they have announced they intend to transfer. It's very frustrating and this coaching staff won't operate that way, no matter what rumors are out there flying around.
To give you all some updates on what has been going on with the CNG and the team, a few weeks ago we received some very good news that I can't post publicly just yet, but somehow there are a bunch of people that already know about it and have posted things about it on this message board. They must have spoken to the right person at the Tailgate Tour or something is my guess.
There are still some i's to dot and some t's to cross, but when it is finally public, you will all be very happy about this addition for ISU wrestling.
A week ago, we had a big-time verbal commitment to fill a hole in our lineup. I guess that a man's word and his handshake don't mean the same anymore because that doesn't look to be happening right now. Yesterday we had another 2x All-American decide that he would rather go somewhere else, than visit the Big 12 champions today with his dad.
I will admit that I was pretty upset yesterday and into this morning, but this is one thing I truly admire and respect about Coach Kevin Dresser, I texted him at 5:00 am this morning whining about how mad I was that this kid and his dad didn't give us a shot and even visit like they said they would. Coach will have none of joining my pity party and simply told me that, "the windshield is always bigger than the rearview mirror!" I need to remember that. This staff is always moving forward.
That is what gives me confidence in what we are doing. From the head man on down the line there are just some amazing people involved that are doing all they can to make ISU wrestling a success. People have been so great in stepping up and donating their skills and experience and expertise to help the CNG and our athletes.
Alli St. John is a tireless worker and a bulldog in getting things done. She's a superstar. And David Carr is going to do David Carr things in his new position, he's a champion on and off the mat. Alli and I had a meeting yesterday with a couple of great ISU wrestling supporters in Bob Shirk and Doug Pyle who have volunteered to bring much needed information and knowledge to our athletes with the CNG. We have people that truly care about these young men both on and off the mat. These guys are more than just what you can do for us on the wrestling mat to this coaching staff and program.
I see numerous posts about ISU wrestling just needs a "whale" to take care of all our problems. And I see people that say ISU wrestling doesn't have anyone like that. My answer is that there are people out there with both the financial resources and the love for ISU wrestling that we have had very productive meetings with, but we are really early in the process, so give us some slack on getting things done on that front. I'm confident in the direction we are going in regards to this type of donor(s).
And to the people that have stepped up and accepted David Carr's challenge, whether it's $50 or $100, or $25 a month, I offer you my sincerest thanks. We are chipping away at getting to the goal David set and I have no doubt that he will reach it. When he does, that is a game changer.
I have known Kevin Dresser for over 40 years, and I want all of you to know that he is as authentic and genuine and goal driven now as he was when we were running around Iowa City together, so that is why I can say with complete confidence that I believe in him, and I believe in the culture he has created in this program. There have been some total studs that wanted to come to ISU because of the product on the mat and the excitement there is to wrestle in Hilton, that Coach Dresser has turned down because the culture in this room is more important than a shiny red sports car. ; )
Thanks for reading this far down and please don't hesitate to reach out to me with any questions you may have, and I will do my best to answer them.
Ryan
