They stood at midfield, arms and fingers interlaced, waiting for the silver coin to land in their favor.

They are the chosen ones, the ones the team feels it can turn to in times of turmoil and share joy with in times of jubilation.

Captains Austen Arnaud, Michael O’Connell, Alexander Robinson and Rashawn Parker all took very different paths to get here, but their mission is the same.

You have Arnaud, whose hometown hero story has been written and talked about more times than you can count; Robinson, who gained his teammates’ respect for his work ethic and desire to improve his skills; Michael O’Connell, who went to high school in the town where people loathe the very colors he now dons; and Rashawn Parker, who is trying to make the most of a second chance.

Rashawn Parker

Parker fights his way through the defense, making his way to the ball carrier. 

Fighting is something Rashawn Parker is used to doing.

It was almost a year ago that Parker’s college football career nearly came to an end in a 31-10 victory over Army. 

“It was a play away from me and I was chasing from the backside,” Parker said. “The wingback came up, my foot got caught on the grass, and I hit my knee and blew out my knee, pretty much.”

As soon as he went down, Parker knew there was something seriously wrong with his knee. He described the pain as excruciating, and he was hardly able to walk. This began a long rehab process that kept Parker off the field and not as involved with the team as he would have liked. 

Luckily for Parker, the NCAA granted him a medical hardship, allowing him to compete for one more season as a Cyclone.

“It was tough just not being able to be out there with my teammates and watching every day at practice,” Parker said. “Then just going back to the game and being on the sidelines, and I was just trying to be a coach on the sideline and be a leader for the guys. 

During the rehab process, Parker had plenty of support and prayers from his friends and family. 

ISU defensive end coach Curtis Bray sympathized with Parker and made sure he didn’t rush back from the injury.

“I knew what he was going through because I’ve been there myself,” Bray said. “You’re going to have good days and you’re going to have days where you just don’t feel it. I understand that and that’s the toughest part.”

As tough as that was for Parker, there are events  in his past that have taught him some valuable life lessons.

A week before the opening game of his senior season at Ponca City High School in Ponca City, Okla., Parker learned that his grandmother — one of the biggest influences of his life — had passed away.

“That was one of the most trying times for me in my life,” Parker said. “To me, you have more serious problems in life than you do in football. Football is tough, and it teaches you a lot about life, but life is a lot harder than this game is.”

After much debate, Parker decided to play that game and dedicated it, as well as the rest of his senior season, to his grandmother and her memory.

Parker was productive early in his Cyclone career in 2006, earning a starting spot. He made 31 straight starts before sustaining his knee injury last season.

With his second chance came the title of captain, a title that is earned through dedication and gaining the respect of the teammates and coaches.

One of the most important attributes a captain for the Cyclones must possess is being able to show his leadership qualities consistently.

“The hardest part of being a leader is just being vocal,” Parker said. “When you feel tired, you can’t give in to it; you got to step up and be a leader and carry the group.”

Parker’s leadership is evident, not just on the field, but in the video room as well. 

Bray said that if younger guys have questions, they can go to Parker for advice and answers when Bray isn’t available.

 “He knows the defense and knows what they’re going to get and what the tempo is going to be like, and kind of prepares them for games that way,” Bray said.

Bray said it is Parker’s effort and experience that makes him an effective and productive right end. 

With this being his final season and Parker unsure of his plans once his playing days are over, this season is about leaving the college game the right way.

“I just want to go out this year and have fun and make some memories and find some closure with the game,” Parker said. “I want to be a great teammate and great leader and make plays for this team, but the biggest thing is I just want to have fun and enjoy this last semester of football.”

Alexander Robinson

The ball changes possession and Arnaud stands in the shotgun, flanked by Robinson. 

Get the call from the sideline, read the defense, make your scans based on a run or a pass play. Where are the linebackers?

Are the linebackers leaning or are they back on their heels? Are they keyed in on something with their eyes?

Which way are the safeties rotating? Are the corners peaking in the backfield?

There are times when players have to take what the defense gives them, but Robinson always wants more.

“A lot of it comes from my dad,” Robinson said. “The most important thing he taught me is to never be satisfied, especially with sports — always getting better and always improving, just never being satisfied with what you’ve done.”

Robinson’s competitive drive has been evident since childhood.

Sean McMenomy, the head football coach at De La Salle High School in Minneapolis, where Robinson starred as both a running back and cornerback, has known Robinson since sixth grade and recalls memories of his early track stardom.

“He was this little kid with huge glasses that ran past everybody,”McMenomy said.

Once he was on the football team at De La Salle, it didn’t take long for him to stand out among his teammates.

“He is the best leader that De La Salle has ever had,” McMenomy said. “He loves to play the game, and he always understood what was best for the team. He would do things on his own to make himself better, and he was always pushing other people to get better.”

McMenomy recalls his teammates just being drawn to him. He also credits his competitive nature and his overall warm personality to his family and the way he was raised.

“He played every play like it was his last,” McMenomy said. “He was a great role model and a guy that you wish you could have 22 of on the team. He makes us so proud and is an inspiration to both the students and faculty here.”

The only time McMenomy really saw Robinson upset was after a loss.

Things were no different for A-Rob when he started his ISU career in 2007. He came in and made an impact right away, totaling 465 yards on 118 carries.

Robinson continued to improve and had a very productive year in 2009.

He finished third in the Big 12 and 25th nationally for rushing yards, averaging 99.6 yards a game. 

Combine his skill on the field with his heady demeanor off the field and you get a person and a football player whom coaches and teammates respect.

“[My favorite part] is just knowing that you have the respect of your teammates,” Robinson said. “It’s an honor to know that they look up to you like that and think you have the qualities that a captain embodies.”

Michael O’Connell

With the Cyclones on defense now, free safety Michael O’Connell takes his place in the defensive backfield.

Make sure everyone knows the personnel, give the down and distance, identify the formation, make the checks on any motions, decide which reads need to be made.

As the “quarterback of the defense,” O’Connell’s job as a safety is to get a feel for what the defense is doing. 

For a guy who has had to earn his keep every step of the way, he is just now learning what being a captain is all about.

“It’s good [being a captain],” O’Connell said following the team’s loss to Iowa. “Especially in times like right now, coming off the loss to Iowa. As leaders, we’ve talked about the upperclassmen driving this football team and it starts with the captains.

O’Connell has gotten used to being one of the guys coach Paul Rhoads goes to when a decision needs to be made and other team matters. 

He hails from Iowa City-Regina High School, an environment that naturally has a tradition of sending players to play for Iowa.

“I can’t even remember the number of guys that I graduated with that went to Iowa,” O’Connell said. “There was a large amount of kids from my high school that ended up Hawkeyes, and everyone I grew up around is a Cyclone fan.

O’Connell was wooed to Iowa State by Dan McCarney and his staff, and he really felt like Ames was the right place to play college football. Having played sports growing up with fellow Cyclones Ben Lamaak and Arnaud didn’t hurt either.

He started as a walk on, which was no easy task, as he had to dress for practice in Jack Trice Stadium’s visitor’s locker room.

“It was tough,” O’Connell said. “Just coming in here and having to push a little bit harder than everyone else and having to earn my way into the normal locker room was hard. It’s been a long journey to get to where I’m at.”

As tough as the process was, O’Connell credits his support system for being able to help him through the entire process. 

“I couldn’t do it without my teammates,” O’Connell said. “Those are ultimately the guys I’m working for every single day, and those are the guys that pushed me for five years to get me where I’m at now.” 

Austen Arnaud

With the ball back on offense, Arnaud takes his place under center.

Survey the defense from left to right; what coverage are they in?

How deep are the safeties and corners?

Where are the linebackers?

Arnaud has been making these decisions for a long time as quarterback of the Cyclones, and it’s second nature to him now. 

Out of the four captains, Arnaud is the only one who has been voted captain twice, something he is very proud of.

“[Being named a captain twice is] very special to me,” Arnaud said. “More special to me than anything else I’ve ever done in my life.”

That honor is special to Arnaud because of how people perceive him compared to other quarterbacks around college football.

“You have quarterbacks who are kind of on their own at other schools, and everyone knows he’s the guy, but he’s not necessarily the captain,” Arnaud said. “I’m very proud of myself that my teammates elected me a second time. That’s one of the most important things to me.”

Arnaud has the numbers to back up his words and actions.

He is Iowa State’s all-time leader in completion percentage at .598, is second in ISU history in passing yards with 5,658, and sits at fourth on the all-time list with 31 career touchdown passes.

While these captains took different paths to get to the center of the field at Jack Trice, one common theme is that they have formed a brotherhood, not just among themselves, but among the entire team.

Arnaud, Parker, O’Connell and Robinson have gone through two coaching changes and bought into a new system each time, something they say has undoubtedly brought them closer together.

“The obvious word is leadership,” Rhoads said when asked what his captains bring to the team. “They bring that with their work ethic and knowledge. They aren’t afraid to speak their knowledge to their peers, good and bad. That’s a quality in a trait that’s not easily found into today’s generation.”