Matt Campbell future return to Ames

[acoustimac]

Here’s what will be telling. When Coach Mac left he remained and still is all in on supporting Iowa State. That has endeared him to fans of all ages. If we become an after thought or stepping stone to Campbell’s career without that same level of return affection…how he’s received might be different.

 

[MeanDean]

If I remember who he is (not the Soup Magnate?) it'll be good for me. 85 ain't a good age for the males in my family tree.

 

[Sigmapolis]

I'll celebrate the players forever, but Campbell branded himself a mercenary.

It's not like Earle Bruce or Johnny Majors ever came back to a warm reception.

It's not like Hoiberg has been back and been celebrated, either, and my feelings about him are decidedly ambiguous. He just didn't love Iowa State the same way as McCarney or Johnny.

We're a means to an end... which is fine... but expect professional coolness and not passion back.

Bringing Campbell back is going to feel like one of those awkward "reunions" with an ex-coworker.

Campbell is in an even worse position because at least Hoiberg didn't leave for another college job (and I had/have some sympathy for him wanting to pursue his NBA dreams and just how much $25 million was for a coach at that point) and gut the roster to take with him when he skipped town late at night.

Campbell... great run, buddy, but you don't work here anymore, and I can't stop you from taking most of our best "clients" with you, "it's just business," but I don't have to like you for doing it.

 

[cyjones75]

Its the year 2040 and ISU is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Fiesta Bowl team/win. CMC after having a solid but not spectacular career at PSU is introduced to the crowd on the jumbotron.

Considering CMC left ISU in a nearly historic shambles having taken nearly 20 of its players with him including its QB and future QB, what is his reception?

 

[cyjones75]

Whether we welcome CMC, ask any wife whose husband left her and took all the money and kids!

 

[JRE1975]

He should be cheered as the historical figure he is for the changes he made to improve the perception of football at Iowa State. Including a future Hall of Fame nod.

I can be mad at how the transition has gone down, but still be thankful for what he did for Iowa State football.

Future coaches have a better chance at success because of what he did.

 

[CtownCyclone]

I don’t think we can compare any other situation to this one just due to the nuance. Larry didn’t gut the team and **** on the school In interviews moving forward. The way I see it, and I could be alone is that Matt burned the bridges with the school.

Larry also didn't want to leave. Bruce fired him. And we got Wayne Morgan as the next coach. So fan wise, everybody loves Larry.

 

[RagingCloner]

Here’s what will be telling. When Coach Mac left he remained and still is all in on supporting Iowa State. That has endeared him to fans of all ages. If we become an after thought or stepping stone to Campbell’s career without that same level of return affection…how he’s received might be different.

This is not even close to the same situation

Comparing apples and oranges here

 

[iowastatefan1929]

Never he should be banned from the entire state of Iowa by order of legislature, lets kick em where it hurts, no more recruiting Iowa ever again, and no migrating to Iowa in the event of end of the world climate change where Iowa is the only habitable place. He is going to be sorry for ever leaving this state.

 

[Clonefan94]

I honestly don't care. CMC is gone I'm over it. I think what would piss me off though, is that if in 2040, CMC is still the best coach we've ever had. With ISU's past, it's certainly possible, but I'm hoping by that time, he's at least the 2nd best coach we ever had. Then at that point, it would be a pretty easy welcome.

 

[acoustimac]

This is not even close to the same situation

Comparing apples and oranges here

I think that’s exactly what I pointed out

 

[DGC]

Winning heals all wounds in sports. The hate towards Campbell will subside if the football team is successful.

 

[CYdTracked]

You would have to assume Campbell actually would come back for that too. If he's still a successful coach and he wanted to come back for that you'd have to plan it on a bye week for him as he would probably still be coaching.

Time heals wounds so never say never. I am appreciative of what he did at ISU but what happens next may form my view going forward. I'm still a bit chapped about Fred leaving for the Bulls job but how things are going now I have my doubts that Fred would have taken the program to the same heights TJ is so I'm kind of neutral on him now. He also played here, CMC did not so I still have fond memories of him as a player and Fred also didn't gut our team when he left. If I recall he supposedly even recommended Prohm for the job and encouraged players to stay at ISU. Granted he left for the NBA and not another NCAA job like CMC so it's not apples to apples comparison either. Larry, Mac, and Rhoads for instance all were fired so you can't really compare them in this scenario either.

 

[CYdTracked]

Winning heals all wounds in sports. The hate towards Campbell will subside if the football team is successful.

Or it grows in intensity if we have some rough seasons and Penn State has greater success with the players he took with him. And that's also a big shadow for coach Rogers too as all the blame won't be aimed at Campbell as much as it will be on him if that happens. If Rogers keeps the momentum going then fans will likely forget and forgive, and then say if it were not for Matt we'd never had been able to keep this going. Kind of like when everyone was ready to move on from Mac in the days, we had a couple rough years with Chizik but Rhoads and Campbell built on what Mac started and that just added to Mac's legacy IMO.

Kind of like when Larry was fired, Morgan had a tough act to follow and when things started to go south before he was fired much of the blame went towards Morgan and not Larry even though Larry had not left a great roster before he got fired. I'm as guilty of that myself as I was not happy with firing Larry and I never got onboard with Morgan as a coach as even though he had some early success the signs were there from the start that it was not going to be sustained because Wayne was not a good head coach and his teams lacked discipline on the court. I know people that still hate McDermott too even though he's proved he can have success after ISU.

 

[Erik4Cy]

Winning heals all wounds in sports. The hate towards Campbell will subside if the football team is successful.

There is definitely truth in that.

If ISU regresses back to 3-9ish bottom feeder seasons like in the 1990s, he will be remembered much less fondly.

IMO If Campbell is still coaching there is no way he comes back to Ames unless it's to recruit a top player from Ames High.

He would need to be retired to be honored on the field at Jack Trice.

If Rogers or another HC after Rogers (if he doesn't work out) is just as successful or more, that definitely helps Campbell to be more positively thought of in the minds of Cyclone Nation.

 

[SelfMade]

I want him to come sooner than that. let him come to Ames with his Penn State team in the Playoffs with ISU hosting. that would be awesome.

 

[t-noah]

Too early?

I will always be happy for Matt Campbell. What he did here at ISU was game-changing (pun intended). He transformed and injected hope, a winning tradition, and a strong team culture into Cyclone football. He will be remembered as our best ever FB coach, up until now.

However, what he did, by leaving and how he did it will also be strongly remembered. And not in a good way. I cannot fault him for leaving, he gave us 10 great years. How he left, and what it did to the team, a team looking to have a strong chance to win the B12 in 2026, is another story.

I will leave it at that. Hopefully Iowa State football will regenerate, rise form the ashes, so to speak, and continue its trend toward winning, upper-half-of-conference and better, football. If this happens and we dont' skip too many beats, Coach Campbell will be remebered more fondly than he is right now. I believe and hope that will be the case.

 

[BryceC]

Here’s what will be telling. When Coach Mac left he remained and still is all in on supporting Iowa State. That has endeared him to fans of all ages. If we become an after thought or stepping stone to Campbell’s career without that same level of return affection…how he’s received might be different.

Campbell has many years left as a HC. He’ll be busy. Mac wasn’t in the same boat there.

 

[BryceC]

It depends on what happens here. If the ISU program somehow craters and we start winning like 2 games a year, it's not going to be a warm welcome. If Rogers has us winning 9-10 games/year, we'll 'forget' about CMC leaving pretty quickly, and thus it'll be a warmer welcome.

Exactly. If we sucked after Hoiberg we’d probably feel different. He’d get an ovation if he came to Ames as the huskers coach in Hilton now I bet.

 

[Clonefan32]

Exactly. If we sucked after Hoiberg we’d probably feel different. He’d get an ovation if he came to Ames as the huskers coach in Hilton now I bet.

That's kind of an interesting point. If Fred came back in the middle of the Prohm fiasco he's probably getting boo'd. If he came back now, I'm sure he'd be cheered. Winning helps everyone move on.