Matt Campbell has taken 20th-ranked Iowa State to new levels during his time as head coach, and he is close to becoming the program’s winningest coach.
If the Cyclones (2-0) win against Arkansas State (2-1) in Ames, Iowa, on Saturday, Campbell will have 56 wins, tying him with Dan McCarney for the record.
At 44 years old, Campbell has coached 103 games, and his winning percentage of .534 is the best among ISU coaches who have been there more than five years. McCarney coached 141 games from 1995 to 2006.
“What Coach Mac did here for the longevity of his career, what he took over when he came in to Iowa State, obviously what he was able to build here, laid the foundation for everybody following him to really have a chance to have true success,” Campbell said.
When McCarney arrived, the program had only two winning seasons in 14 years and was 0-10-1 in 1994. By his sixth season in 2000, the Cyclones went 9-3 and ranked in the Top 25 for the first time since 1981. That season also ended a 22-year bowl drought with a trip to the first of three straight bowl games.
The program struggled for two years under Gene Chizik before Paul Rhoads led the Cyclones to bowls in three of his first four seasons.
Campbell has had Iowa State ranked in six of his nine seasons, taken the team to bowl games in all but two years, and led the Cyclones to the Big 12 championship game in 2020.
“You’re just grateful that you’re able to have been at one place for as long as we’ve been able to be here,” he said. “I would say any success we’ve had is because we’ve had great coaches and obviously great players along the way.”
