Paul Rhoads will be the grand marshal for Veishea 2009.

Veishea parade co-chairwoman Laura Kleinschmidt, senior in biology, said Rhoads deserves the honor because he is an excellent leader.

“The reason we chose Rhoads was because he really stepped up to the challenge of taking the head football coach position,” Kleinschmidt said. “We have a great fan base at ISU, and he’s a great leader who we would like to honor.”

When choosing a grand marshal, Kleinschmidt said the parade committee looks for someone with connections to Iowa State and the state of Iowa who has done noteworthy things.

Rhoads, a native of Ankeny, signed on as the head football coach last December.