Iowa State Head Football Coach Dan McCarney was granted a two-year contract extension Thursday, giving him a chance to improve on his 8-32 record compiled with the Cyclones during his three-plus years.

McCarney was initially signed to a five-year deal in November of 1994, which was to expire after next season. However, Athletic Director Gene Smith said he and the rest of the department felt McCarney had accomplished enough to try to finish the job he started.

“We told him we would give him five years to turn this thing around. I believe in commitments,” Smith said.

Smith said McCarney’s attention in areas off the field was “the single most-important thing” in the extension.

“We look at things like graduation rates, grade point average among the football team, his respect for NCAA rules and university policies and his positive presence in representing the university.

“The only thing lacking during his tenure has been in the win-loss column,” Smith said.

McCarney was very pleased with the extension.

“I want to express my appreciation to Dr. Jischke and Gene Smith for their support of our efforts toward building a winning future for the Iowa State football program,” McCarney said. “I also want to thank our fans for backing our team. Their support has been a source of strength for our football family.”

Smith said there were a number of people he consulted before announcing the extension, including Jischke and Murray Blackwelder, vice president for External Affairs, but the final decision was “most definitely” his.

McCarney said he feels the backing of the administration is very important to the continuing improvement of the program.

“It’s a continuation of the support this administration has shown us,” he said. “They believe in the foundation that we have here; they believe in the coaching staff and in what we are doing.”

Members of the football team were happy with the news of McCarney’s extension.

“I think it’s a good decision, and I think he’s definitely the right man to turn the program around,” said Damian Gibson, senior in child and family services and starting tight end.

McCarney said he believes that the extension will help him greatly when recruiting.

“One of the things I despise most on this job is negative recruiting, and we have had to deal with a lot of that lately. This will quiet a lot of that down obviously,” he said.

In fact, McCarney saw immediate positive repercussions from the recruiting trail.

“I came off the practice field today and I had calls from three recruits’ parents who were really excited about the decision, and that is really gratifying that the parents know that there is a commitment to the future, and it will definitely open some more doors.”

McCarney inherited a winless team in 1995, and had a solid first year, going 3-8.

However, 1996 was “The Year That Could’ve Been,” as the Cyclones finished 2-9, but were leading during the second half in seven games.

The 1997 season was the most trying of them all, as the defense gave up an average of 46 points.

This season, the team started 2-1, including ISU’s first win over Iowa in 16 years, a 27-9 thrashing of the Hawkeyes in Iowa City.

“The win over Iowa was definitely important. I mean, we hadn’t beaten them in 15 years — that’s a long time. We feel that it’s very important to win in non-conference games, and we were 2-1,” Smith said.

McCarney said he believes the team is much closer to being competitive every week in what Smith termed the “toughest conference in the nation.”

“We have to continue to bring in the type of playmakers that we brought in this last class. There is no finesse to the Big 12. It starts out in the trenches, and that’s where we need to make improvements,” McCarney said.

Smith acknowledged that this season has been frustrating at times, particularly the game against Oklahoma.

“There were a number of different things that if they would’ve happened, we would have won. But you can’t just blame the coaches or just blame the players,” Smith said. “It’s a team effort, and it’s everyone’s responsibility.”