Sam Epley is part of one of the most important groups of people the Cyclone football team can have: the managers.

When people hear the name Sam Epley, not much comes into mind, unless you’ve met him before or are on the Cyclone football team. Epley is just one of a handful of student equipment managers.

Raised on a dairy farm in Waverly, Iowa, Epley played sports and managed teams throughout high school. That experience and having a motivated personality got him the job as a student equipment manager.

“I want to be a college football coach, and I saw an opportunity to gain experience on the student job board to be a football manager,” Epley said. “I contacted John Sedgwick, the director of equipment operations here at Iowa State, and that was just the beginning to my managing career.”

Being a manager takes time and dedication. The managers take about 30 to 40 hours a week out of their schedule to put into their job.

“Practice usually starts around 2 [p.m.] and goes till 6 p.m.,” Epley said.

For practice, managers do everything from cleaning shoes, helmets and clothes to helping out at certain positions with coaches.

“All the managers stay after and clean up, so we are usually there for another hour or so after,” Epley said.

During game days, the managers have the job of catching punts and setting up all the supplies needed to write down play calls on every play.

“Game days are the most fun but also the most intense,” Epley said. “We, as managers, have to do all the little things to make sure our team can make the big plays. It’s great to be a part of a team like the Cyclones, because they are led by a great leader, Paul Rhoads, and he leads everyone.

“Motivation and desire are attributes needed to be a manager. Sometimes you get stuck with not the greatest task in the world as a manager, but knowing that you are helping a team succeed is motivation enough to do whatever task.”

Epley said the life of a manager is not about being selfish and wanting things to go your way. It’s about making a sacrifice to help bring victory to your college team.

“It’s the small things that lead to bigger things, which then lead to great things,” Epley said.