List of Iowa State Cyclones head football coaches

The Iowa State Cyclones football program is a college football team that represents Iowa State University in the Big 12 Conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association. The team has had 32 head coaches since organized football at the school began in 1892, and was officially sanctioned in 1894. Originally, the Iowa Agricultural College teams were known as the Cardinals. The name was changed after September 29, 1895, when under coach Glenn "Pop" Warner, the Cardinals defeated the Northwestern Wildcats, 36–0. Inspired by an extremely active tornado (then known as a "cyclone") season, the next day, the Chicago Tribune headline read: "Struck by a Cyclone." The article went on to say, "Northwestern might as well have tried to play football with an Iowa cyclone as with the Iowa team it met yesterday." Since then the Iowa State teams have been known as the Cyclones.

Iowa State has played in 1,140 games during its 120 seasons. In those seasons, four coaches have led the Cyclones to postseason bowl games: Johnny Majors, Earle Bruce, Dan McCarney, and Paul Rhoads. One coach, Clyde Williams, has won a conference championship with the Cyclones. McCarney is the all-time leader in games coached (141), years coached (11) and wins (56), while Bert German is the all-time leader in winning percentage (.833). W. F. Finney is, in terms of winning percentage, the worst coach in the history of the Iowa State football program having never won a game.

Of the 32 coaches, Bruce is the only one that has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Majors, Bruce and McCarney have each received coach of the year honors from their respective conference. The current coach is Paul Rhoads, who was hired in December 2009.

Coaches

 * Statistics correct as of February 1,2013 2012.