Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard has agreed to a five year contract extension that runs through 2019. Pollard has been the AD for the Cyclones since 2005 and says he appreciates the support of new I.S.U. president Steven Leath.
Pollard says he hit it off really well with Leath and this extension is a statement about the department and his support for athletics and the direction of the program. During Pollard’s tenure Iowa State has invested more than $100-million in facility upgrades.
“We certainly had some catching up to do and we’ve attempted to do that. At the same time you have to stay proactive and stay cutting edge, and we are working as hard as we can to provide the facilities for the student athletes and coaches that will give them the ability to compete in arguably one of the toughest conferences in the country,” Pollard says.
Pollard says he is proud of how well Iowa State fares while competing in the Big 12 Conference and says the credit goes to the coaches. “A lot of A-D’s talk that they have the best coaches, but I really feel that we do. We’ve got the best coaches for who we are,” Pollard said.
“They represent our constituents, Iowans, central Iowans, exactly how people would want to be represented, they are us. That’s what makes it fun to cheer for them, not to mention the fact that they are just really good at what they do professionally.”