Former ISU men’s track coach Steve Lynn may not be an official ISU employee any more, but Cyclone pride still runs thick in his veins.

“To say it’s in my blood would be a great understatement,” Lynn said. “I take great pride in Iowa State. Iowa State has meant a lot to me, it’s a class place. I would defend Iowa State at any time, in any place.”

Lynn, whose contract was not renewed following the end of the track and field season earlier this month, said the transition to outgoing coach has not been easy on him or his family.

“I’d be lying if I would say it was easy. I don’t dwell on it, so they don’t dwell on it either,” Lynn said. “We’ll go forward from here.”

After being head coach since 1993 and having been an assistant coach to Bill Bergan since 1978, Lynn suddenly found himself without a job.

True to his nature, Lynn is focused on moving forward for his family, including his wife K’Lynn, daughter Erica, a former heptathlete for the ISU women’s team, and son Scott, a current member of the men’s team.

“It’s not something that we’re just going to sit back and worry about,” Lynn said. “If you do that you never go forward, and that’s certainly never been the case for what my mother and father taught me and what I tried to teach my kids, so that’s not going to be the way I try to live either.”

Lynn came to Iowa State to take classes in fall 1977 and knew he wanted to get involved in athletics. Football and track were his favorite sports, but he made the decision to volunteer for Bergan’s track team, a decision he said he’s never regretted.

“Bill made me feel like I was important, so, even when I wasn’t getting paid, I felt like I was making a contribution,” Lynn said. “I learned it’s not about how much money you are making but how much you feel your self-worth is.”

Bergan took him on the staff full time the next fall, when Lynn was a grad student. In the nearly 30 years of coaching, Lynn has memories ranging from seeing Danny Harris win an Olympic silver medal in 1984, to the indoor record-setting 4×400-meter relay team missing a chance at Outdoor Nationals when anchor leg Jared Graham pulled a hamstring during NCAA Regionals this year.

“You remember the positives, and you remember the negatives too, but that’s what life is all about,” Lynn said. “That’s the difference between English class and athletics – the tape measure is there, the stopwatch is there.”

College athletics has changed a lot in the time since Lynn became head coach, and money is a large factor in that.

Lynn said he entered coaching during a time in which people entered sports for fun, not money, and today many athletes are just looking for a scholarship, and some coaches will do anything to win.

“There are still people out there that look at it as a situation where they’re in it to better the kids on the track or the football field or basketball court, but also to help that kid be a better person when they get out of there, and I still think that’s part of what collegiate athletics is,” he said. “Unfortunately that’s not what everybody sees now.”

As for the future, Lynn doesn’t yet know for sure what it holds. He and his wife are planning on staying in the Ames area, while Erica lives in Des Moines with her husband, former ISU jumper Tony Douglas, and Scott is leaning toward staying at Iowa State on the track team, although that decision isn’t final.

“I’ve been working on putting my resume together for the first time since 1973, when I was applying for high school jobs, so that’s a little different,” Lynn said. “We’re planning on staying in the area. Nothing is set yet, but there are several options for me.”