UPDATE: Sanderson talks about decision to leave for Penn State
April 17, 2009
Cael
Sanderson had an answer for why he was leaving Iowa State for Penn
State.
He
just didn’t know if it was a good one.
The
29-year-old head coach addressed his team Friday afternoon, then
spoke with a couple recruits, and then spoke the media, telling of
his stunning move to leave Ames.
An
offer Sanderson said he wouldn’t have previously considered turned
into an opportunity he couldn’t resist.
“A
lot of the reasons for staying at Iowa State were more emotional,
“Sanderson said. “This is a place that, where you can
get it done here, you know. I haven’t been able to quite do that
yet. I believed we were right on the edge, and so that makes it
even more difficult to – to leave, but I don’t know; it’s a tough
decision.
“I
don’t know how long – I haven’t slept in a few days here. And it
feels like it’s the right thing to do, but only time will
tell.”
The
latest story of a coach leaving Iowa State is probably the most
confusing.
<font size="3" face=
“Calibri”>Training in Ames, Sanderson developed the most impressive
resume of any collegiate wrestler ever, winning all 159 matches,
four NCAA titles and then an Olympic Gold Medal in 2004.
<font size="3" face=
“Calibri”>After he was promoted to head coach in the spring of
2006, Sanderson experience immediate success, as the Cyclone won a
Big 12 title and placed second in his rookie year.
Iowa
State placed third-place at the NCAA Tournament in March and was
supposed to bring back a team with 10 returning starters, including
Cael’s younger brother, Cyler.
<font size="3" face=
“Calibri”>“That didn’t make it any easier,” Cael said. “And being
with these guys; I was an assistant when they were recruited here,
but they’re great friends of mine. We’ve been though a lot
together, and I expect those guys to win the nationals next
year.”
Cael
said he never thought of leaving his job, but the offer became more
intriguing after time and consideration.
He
said he sees leaving for Penn State as the best opportunity for his
family.
He
thought that Cyler would like “to go with us” – a group he expects
to include head assistants Casey Cunningham and Cody Sanderson –
Cael’s oldest brother.
<font size="3" face=
“Calibri”>Cael’s main reason for leaving, he said, was the
recruiting base in Pennsylvania, a state which routinely produces
many of the top prospects in the country.
“The
resources there are, you know, unbelievable,” Sanderson said. “So
it’s a lot of weighing things, and it was back and forth my mind,
and I really didn’t have a wrong answer. I could stay here where –
I love Iowa State, and that’s never going to change.”
<font size="3" face=
“Calibri”>Wrestlers were stunned by the decision.
“You
here a little bit here and there. I knew coming in, and then I
don’t know, I just really wanted to here for myself,” said two-time
All-American heavyweight David Zabriskie. “I don’t know I’m not too
happy about it.”
<font size="3" face=
“Calibri”>Zabriskie said he was planning on staying for his senior
season.
“He
just said that it was a move that he wanted to make for his family,
so that’s for him to take, take it as it is. He didn’t really
satisfy what I was expecting for an answer, but I didn’t know what
I was expecting for an answer,” he said.
<font size="3" face=
“Calibri”>Misinformation circulated about Cael’s new contract,
which was rumored to be a five-year, $2.5 million dollar
deal.
When
asked if that number was close to his new salary, Sanderson seemed
almost surprised and said “no.”
<font size="3" face=
“Calibri”>Sanderson said the change was never about money, and that
athletic director Jaime Pollard asked him several times if there
was anything more that he could do.
“It
wasn’t ever about a counter offer. I didn’t ask for anything, and
the decision wasn’t based on what they were offering me, versus
what Iowa State offers me,” Cael said. “I told Jaime that I wasn’t
really, not really motivated by money. I’m motivated by opportunity
and he’s been very good for me. Very understanding, and it’s hard
to leave after you’ve gotten as much support as you
have.”
