While the Iowa State football coaching staff is credited with improving the football team, some football supporters work behind the scenes to better the Cyclones.

The Cyclone Football Student Recruiters, a professional campus organization, is closely related to ISU football players and the coaching staff.

A recruiter’s main function is to market the university to prospective football players, said Charlene Blue, coordinator of the group.

Blue said recruiters lead campus tours, introduce recruits to the coaching staff and accompany them to dinners.

But the work of the Cyclone Football Student Recruiters is not limited to the football season, Blue said. During the fall semester, members hold weekly meetings and mail letters to prospective players.

In the off-season, she said, recruiters work during five official visit weekends in which they help the recruits feel comfortable at ISU. During the summer, recruiters assist with football camps.

For the 1997-98 school year, there are 31 student recruiters — 20 of whom will continue next year, Blue said.

She added that she hires recruiters based upon their reliability and open-mindedness. Blue said good communication skills also are important, and that recruiters should be comfortable with people of different races, religions and sexual orientations.

Although the group has existed since Jim Walden was head football coach at ISU, Blue said the program has expanded under the direction of current coach Dan McCarney.

She also said recruiters have little contact with the football team beyond the recruiting process. She said they interact with the coaching staff, but their focus is the recruits.

Blue said there are many benefits to becoming a student recruiter, including meeting people and making connections.

She said members of the Cyclone Football Student Recruiters also build communication skills, adding that coaches are always available to them for both professional and personal problems.

“It’s like having a father on campus,” Blue said.

The process for hiring new recruiters, which is based upon applications and interviews, is currently underway, Blue said.