What memory of Iowa State football does Paul Rhoads have from boyhood?
As a boy growing up 20 miles from Jack Trice Stadium, Paul Rhoads remembers sitting on one of the end zone hills with his dad studying Iowa State football games. Now at the age of 42, Rhoads will be studying Iowa State games from the sidelines. The son of a Hall of Fame high school football coach, Rhoads will make his head coaching debut Thursday night when his Iowa State Cyclones host North Dakota State. “I have always aspired to be a head football coach and I dreamed of it being in my home state,” Rhoads said. “But getting this chance exceeds those dreams. Let’s just say I’m awfully grateful to get the chance to coach here.” After playing for his dad, Cecil, in nearby Ankeny and playing defensive back at Missouri Western State, Rhoads began his climb up the college coaching ladder with stops at Utah State, Ohio State, Pacific, Iowa State, Pittsburgh and Auburn. At Pitt and Auburn, Rhoads earned a national reputation as a hard-nosed defensive coordinator. His defenses consistently ran
