For anyone who has followed ISU coach Paul Rhoads’ career at Iowa State, his emotional press conference on Monday shouldn’t have come as a shock. In his entire coaching career, Rhoads has never been one to hide emotions.

Almost two days after he was told he would serve one more game as the head coach of Iowa State, Rhoads stepped up to the podium, fighting back tears, and thanked friends, players and his family.

He struggled the hardest when thanking his wife, Vickie, who is regularly seen at games, practices and press conferences with Rhoads. 

“Lastly, I told her I wouldn’t, and I saved it for the end…,” Rhoads paused, choking back tears. “I thank Vickie, for her love and support through this time and all seven years. She’s been in it, right in the middle of it, with the players.”

Rhoads said the emotions in the past couple of days have been raw. The hardest part was when he met with the players on Sunday. Afterward, many hugged Rhoads and shook his hand to show their gratitude.

Some of them, especially offensive lineman Oni Omoile, were emotional when talking to the media.

“He’s a guy who took you in when other schools didn’t think you were good enough for a scholarship from other Power Five teams,” Omoile said.

Omoile is one of many players on the team that have a special relationship with Rhoads. Rhoads has been known to find diamonds in the rough and give players an opportunity that they wouldn’t have had otherwise.

The strengthened bond, however, makes Rhoads’ departure that much more difficult on the players.

“Line up every one of our scholarship players from the state of Texas and find out which ones were offered by the University of Texas or the University of Oklahoma or the likes of those folks, and you’ll get zero. You’ll get none,” Rhoads said. “They’ve given back to us a great amount. And whether it be Oni or others, it’s been an honor and a privilege to coach them every single day.”

Rhoads also shed light on his good times in the program when talking Monday, despite only five wins in the last two seasons, which culminated in his firing by ISU Athletic Director Jamie Pollard.

Rhoads brought Iowa State to three bowl games in his first four years and won a bowl game in his first season, the first coach to do so in ISU history. Adding on a successful tenure as a defensive coordinator at Auburn, his resume was quite full.

But Rhoads said he didn’t want to leave Iowa State for whatever might pass as a greener pasture because he wanted to accomplish things that had never been done before. He did to some extent, but not as much as he wanted.

“I gave you some highlights that we did, but I wanted more,” Rhoads said. “After three bowls in four years, you betcha I could’ve been gone. But I wanted to do what had never been done before. It meant a great deal to me to provide that to the fans at Iowa State University. So I stuck around and continued to give it everything I had.

“In the end, it wasn’t enough.”

Going forward with his career, Rhoads said he wants to make sure the rest of his staff, which will presumably leave with him, can find jobs of their own. As for his own plans in the immediate future, Rhoads kept the sense of humor he’s been known for during his seven years at Iowa State.

“[I’ll probably] go to lunch,” Rhoads said, jokingly looking at his watch.

But Rhoads didn’t leave Monday without envisioning the future at Iowa State. He spoke about the team he will leave behind, which includes young talent that has already made a big impact in the Big 12 and the nation.

When Rhoads left Iowa State in 2000 to become the defensive coordinator at Pittsburgh, he predicted that the team would get eight wins — it got nine. On Monday, he made another prediction.

“The 2016 team will be bowling,” Rhoads said. “Because we leave behind a great nucleus of talent, leadership and commitment to what takes place on the football field. I’m sorry we won’t be able to see that through. I wish that team and the fans nothing but the absolute very best.”

His favorite memories from his time at Iowa State go back all the way back to 2008 and 2009: His opening press conference and the first meeting with the players. From that first meeting, he saved the note card in a manila folder that he kept through the years.

On Sunday, he added one more item to that folder: The note card from his farewell meeting on Sunday.

“Not as fun, but just as emotional,” Rhoads said. “[Monday’s press conference] is another kind of setting that closes a chapter on this seven years of our lives.”