Scott Roberts has a simple message for anyone who gets the answering machine at his new office – Roll Tide.

That’s because Roberts, the former ISU sprints, hurdles and multi-events coach for the women’s track team, has moved on from losing his job at Iowa State to become the new assistant coach at the University of Alabama. Alabama has finished in the top 25 nationally in outdoor track 17 times since 1982, winning two SEC Championships in that period. The Crimson Tide finished ninth in conference in 2007, taking 17th nationally.

“I think that Alabama has always had tremendous traditions in sprints and hurdles and jumps, and they brought me there and my goal is to return Alabama to the top of the nation in sprints, hurdles and jumps,” Roberts said.

The ISU athletic department announced in May that five members of the men’s and women’s track and cross country programs would not have their contracts renewed, following a season that saw the men’s team finish 11th and the women’s team 11th at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships.

Roberts, from Muscatine, went a couple of months without a job until Alabama women’s track coach Sandy Fowler approached him in July.

“It was pretty flattering that Alabama offered me the job. I didn’t even really have to apply for the job – it kind of came to me,” Roberts said. “It made me feel good about what people think of some of the good things that I was able to accomplish and help the student athletes accomplish at Iowa State.”

Roberts coached at Iowa State for 11 seasons working with sprinters and hurdlers. His athletes qualified for the NCAA National Championships 34 times with him as coach, something 2007 NCAA-qualifier Rebecca Williams said proves he is ready for a job at Alabama.

“There’s nothing he hasn’t done at Iowa State,” Williams said. “He’s moving into the SEC, which is a really tough conference for track, I think, and he just gets a chance to excel more, and he’ll be in a better atmosphere for training because of the weather and the facilities and everything, and just being in an SEC program I think the opportunities are endless in what he’ll be able to do.”

Former ISU women’s track coach Dick Lee said it was Robert’s dedication that made him successful at Iowa State. The skills Roberts learned while coaching the Cyclones would carry over to any other job, Lee said.

“He has the technical skills and the people skills and coaching skills to be competitive at whatever level he was going to be coaching at,” Lee said. “I see him being very successful at Alabama.”

The ISU athletic department’s decision to let go of five track coaches left the departing staff questioning what they could have done differently. Athletic Director Jamie Pollard said he felt it was time for a new direction in track and cross country, and chose to keep cross country coach Corey Ihmels on staff as the head of men’s and women’s track and cross country. Roberts didn’t agree with the decision.

“I can’t lie to you, I felt it was unfair,” Roberts said. “I felt that with what we had to work with from a budget standpoint and what we were given, I felt we did a pretty good job. I still have really wonderful feelings for those student athletes and hope they do well. I felt bad that I couldn’t give them more help.”

When Roberts landed on his feet, however, he found himself in what he said is a great place to be.

“They [Alabama] have a great budget, they have great facilities. I really love the people I’m working with, and I have a very talented group of athletes that I’m going to get an opportunity to work with,” Roberts said. “Things happen for a reason, and this does represent a big leap forward in my career and I’m really excited to be a part of the Crimson Tide.”

Southern comfort

Former ISU assistant coach Scott Roberts is adjusting to life in the South, and relishing tradition-rich Alabama.

“It really is an eye-opening experience what differences there are. Alabama has such a tremendous, tremendous athletic tradition,” Roberts said. “When you think of college athletics, you have to think of Alabama as one of the top programs in the country.”

Roberts attended his first Crimson Tide football game Sept. 1, when Alabama beat Western Carolina, 52-6. He was awed by the atmosphere of the 92,000 fans in attendance for a nonconference blowout.

Although he is a track coach, Roberts said he understands the importance of the big money sports of football and basketball in building all the programs to a higher national level. He sees Iowa State as heading in the right direction.

“There’s a lot of factors that go into [building up the department]. I think that everything is always driven by the big sports – football and basketball,” Roberts said. “For that to happen to Iowa State, they will have to keep generating fan interest and developing along those lines and getting good exposure, things like that. If they do that, I think they’ll be fine.”