The Heartland Dynasty: Iowa State Cyclones 2003

[duckman]

The Heartland Dynasty: Iowa State Cyclones 2003


Here is another attempt by yours truly to make a in-depth dynasty. I will be using TCY as my backdrop to a novel style story. This is going to add a lot of depth to the characters. So you don't just read box scores and three line commentary and I will be motivated to keep it going. It is about the trials and tribulation of a man caught up in scandal. Will he rise above and bring glory to the Cyclones? You’ll have to read it to find out. :) I hope you will enjoy this as much as I’m going to write it.


Here are the house rules:

1. No cheating!

2. No more than 1 call and 1 visit per recruit per week.

3. 60 scholarship limit

4. I will begin with a 500 mile radius. If I have a winning season, then I will increase my range by 20 miles. If I have a losing season then I will lose, then I will lose 20 miles on my radius. The radius cannot go under 500 miles.

I look forward to any feedback I receive in regards to the dynasty. Now, the story begins..........

[duckman]

Iowa City Press-Citizen
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January 7, 2003
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Coach Collins Accused In Assault Of Player

By Jon Marion

Ames, IA (AP)–School officials announced that an internal investigation has begun in the accusation made by former Cyclone player Brian Griffin. Griffin has accused head coach Lloyd Collins of beating him while players watched on August 21, 2002. Griffin has also filed a 100 million dollar law suit against Iowa State and coach Collins. School officials would not comment on the suit.

Brian Griffin was a freshman cornerback for the Cyclone when the incident occurred at one of the practices. No other players have come forward saying that they saw the incident nor has any coaches. Griffin claimed that he received a concussion and had bruised ribs after the altercation. So far Griffin’s attorneys said that he have not released the medical but will when he felt the time was right.

“Brian has been through a lot these past few months”, said Zach Moses. “The medical records will be released when the time is right.”

This could be a huge distraction for the Cyclone following a 8-5 season. With signing day just around the corner, the recruits that have committed to Iowa State may chose to play elsewhere. This is the strongest class that coach Collins would had brought into Ames if no one decides to go a different direction. Their class was rated 37th by Rivals.com.

[duckman]

Chapter 1

“Honey, wake up”, said a voice in the distance. “You’re going to be late if you don’t hurry.”

I rolled over from my usual position on the bed and tried to look around through blurry eyes. I was having difficulty seeing so I wiped the sleep from my eyes to get better view of things. There stood Karen, my wife of eight years, finishing putting on the last bit of make-up. She looked towards me and gave me the biggest brightest smile that you could imagine.

“Nice to see that you have some life in you”, she said with a giggle.

“Well, it’s not like I get to sleep in very often.”

“I know, Clint, but you need to get going if you plan on meeting Kennedy’s parents today.”

I began to rise from my bed and made my way over to Karen. She is still stunning after all these years. She has long straight red hair with a tint of blonde highlights. She had these magnificent green eyes that would light up everytime she would look up at me. Don’t get me wrong, she wasn’t a movie star or supermodel. She had this classic look to her that I always found attractive. She was beautiful and no one could tell me different.

“Don’t even think about it wise guy”, she giggles. “You’re going to mess up my makeup.”

“I thought that was my job is to mess it up”, I said with a sheepish grin.

“I don’t think so mister.”

She gives me a small peck on my right cheek and immediately turned me towards the bathroom. She then gives me a playful slap on my butt.

“Better get a shower and grab something to eat before you go.”

“Yes, ma’am”, I said with mock enthusiasm.

After finishing my shower and shave, I got into my usual attire for my recruiting trips. I put on a white collar shirt with my cardinal colored Cyclones sweater over the top of it. It had the team logo on the left side of the sweater. I would wear the same style khaki pants that I have worn since I came on as a coach in 1997. I put on my black split-toe dress shoes to finish the attire.

I quickly made my way down to kitchen for a quick bite to eat. Karen was right. I was running late. I looked into the cabinet and found instant cinnamon and raisin oatmeal. Better than nothing. I prepared my so called feast and hastily devour the breakfast cereal. I saw the newspaper on the kitchen table. I would usually read it, but I was running late and wanted to be there on time.

I got into my 2002 Lexus and proceeded to drive. I was heading to Monticello to meet up with Roger and Elizabeth McGee, the parents of Kennedy McGee. Kennedy is the top linebacker prospect in the state of Iowa. He set the state career record for tackles with 623 tackles including the single season record of 202. Right now he’s leaning towards Iowa, but I’m sure I can land him.

Roger is a hard nut to crack. It was rumored that he actually threw out a coach from Kansas when he suggested that Kennedy would make a good tight end. He has said that his boy will play linebacker and no other position. I’ve evaluated Kennedy and I believed he will make a fine linebacker for us. Now I just got to get him to commit.

I made my way to Monticello in about three hours. It is a small town in eastern Iowa that is known for its farming. It has never been a football power until recently thanks to players like Kennedy. It may be something special happening here, but who really knows. I’ve seen football powers rise and fall in my career.

Roger owned a farm just south of town. It took me a little while to find the place, but I did managed to find it. When I got out of the car I immediately noticed that the field wasn’t growing corn, but it was covered in tall dead rye grass. The John Deere tractor sat over by an old broke down barn. All four of its wheels were off and the tractor was sitting on the ground. It didn’t even had blocks under the wheels. I looked towards the house and saw that some of the shingles on the roof were missing. Two windows in the front were cracked. It almost looked abandoned except for the man sitting on the rocking chair next to the front door.

“Welcome stranger”, said Roger in a slow slur. “Can I help you with something?”

“Yes, Mr McGee”, I said with enthusiasm. “My name is Clint Hughes and I represent Iowa State. I like to sit down with you and talk about your son.”

I reached out my hand to shake his, but he just stared at my hand. I awkwardly lowered my hand when I realized that he wasn’t going to shake it.

“Another recruiter, huh,” he said with a smirk.”I bet you like to make Kennedy a lineman or something.”

“Actually, I’m here to see if he would like to play linebacker for us.”

Roger immediately sat up and took a long stare at me.

“How can I be assured that Kennedy won’t be moved into another position.?”

“Mr McGee, I’m the defensive coordinator for the team and I can assure you that if Kennedy works hard that he’ll play linebacker for the Cyclones.”

Roger finally gave his first smile.

“Come on in recruiter”, he said. “I like to talk about this in more detail.”

[duckman]

Chapter 2

Boy, Roger was definitely a tough sale. I spent nearly three hours talking with him about football and his son. Roger took Kennedy back to his room for about 20 minutes and came out to tell me to expect Kennedy at Iowa State this fall. I was completely astatic and I had him sign a letter of intent. This was the biggest signing for the defense. I was flying high due to my latest catch.

Have you ever something incredible happen to you then followed by something as equally bad? Well, my day was about to get really bad really quick. I was making my way home to Ames when my cell phone rang. It was the athletic director Mike Ewy.

“Hey Mike, whatcha up to?”

“I need to see you in my office ASAP”, he said with a shaky voice. “The regents are meeting at this very moment.”

“What are you talking about?”

“A former player has filed a lawsuit against the school and Lloyd. You need to be here quick.”

“Okay, Mike. Just come down. Why is he suing the school for?”

“He claims that Lloyd beat the shit out of him during summer practices.”

“Fuck”, I shouted into the night. “I’ll be there in about an hour.”

I proceeded to pressed down the accelerator and I was off. I got the Lexus up to 100 miles per hour. I needed to get there in a hurry. Something big was going to happen. Are they canning Lloyd? Are they canning me for that matter? I wouldn’t know until I was there. As I was making my way back to Ames, flashbacks of what happened last year began to pop into my head.

“Shit.”

I arrived at the athletic department at about 9:30 to find media members standing on lawn near the entrance. I barely got out of the car before a group of about 15 reporters surrounded me. Questions were flying around like flies. I wanted to get upstairs and speak with Mike. I quickly started making my way to the door while screaming “no comment”. I was able to get into the building when the reporters parted to allow me to enter.

I went up the elevator to the third floor where the athletic director’s office was. I went into the office to find Mike staring out the window. He looked flustered and nervous with sweat rolling down his brow. This is the first time I’ve ever seen him like this.

Mike Ewy has been our athletic director since 1992. He was the one who hired Lloyd from out of Michigan to take over and build the program. He took a lot of heat over the years while Lloyd spent recruiting good kids and good football players to come to Ames. It wasn’t until 2001 before we went to our first bowl game. I think Mike was more proud of that than Lloyd ever was.

“Clint, have a seat”, said Mike, pointing to the empty chair next to Lloyd and Heather. Heather Robbins was the school attorney. This was the first time we have met face to face. While Heather was sitting up straight with confidence in her posture, Lloyd looked like he had been whipped. He was sitting slumped over while rubbing his hands on his face.

“Clint, we have a major problem”, said Mike. “Lloyd has been suspended until further notice by the regent while the investigation took place.”

I looked at him directly in the face to see what he was trying to say.

“I’ve talked to some of the regent members and they said that they would vote you in as head coach until the investigation is over and we can clear Lloyd’s name. All I need is your okay.”

I took a look over at Lloyd. He was very solemn but gave me a smile and a wink. He then shook his head to let me know that he was okay with the decision.

“This has to be done for the sake of the team, Clint”, exclaimed Heather. “Lloyd can’t coach until this mess is over and we need to keep the team moving forward..”

“Besides Clint, you are the most qualified to take on a position such as this”, said Mike.

I looked down at the floor and carefully thought about what was just said to me. This has been a dream of mine to be head coach. But I never wanted it like this. Scandal is never good in a situation like this. Lloyd’s silent vote of confidence was the motivator for me. I slowly stood up and looked all three of them.

“I’ll do it until the investigation is over.”

Mike flashed me a big smile and patted me on the back. He then explained to me that he would have to meet with the regent tonight to get the vote done. They had announced a 1pm news conference to introduced me as their head coach. My life was about to be changed forever.

[nol]

hey duckman its Ames:) Great dynasty though!

[duckman]

hey duckman its Ames:) Great dynasty though!

Yeah, I figured that out when I went to Mapquest to get an idea where Monticello was located. I'm glad you are enjoying the dynasty. :)

[duckman]

Iowa City Press-Citizen
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January 8, 2003
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Coach Collins Suspeneded During Investigation. Hughes Named As Interim Coach

By Jon Marion

Ames, IA (AP)–Sources close to the athletic department have told the AP that Iowa State football coach Lloyd Collins has been suspended with pay while the investigation into an altercation between Collins and a former player. No details were given about a time frame.

Sources has also revealed that defensive coordinator Clint Hughes will be elevated to interim head coach. Hughes, 38, has no head coaching experience. He came onto the team in 1997 from Northern Iowa to coach defensive backs. He was promoted to defensive coordinator in 2001 after JB Carlson went onto Minnesota as their coordinator.

A news conference has been schedule on Tuesday at 1pm. Speculation is that this when the announcements will be made.

School officials announced Monday that an internal investigation has began in the accusation made by former Cyclone player Brian Griffin. Griffin has accused head coach Lloyd Collins of beating him while players watched on August 21, 2002. Griffin has also filed a 100 million dollar law suit against Iowa State and coach Collins. School officials would not comment on the suit.

Brian Griffin was a freshman cornerback for the Cyclone when the incident occurred at one of the practices. No other players have come forward saying that they saw the incident nor has any coaches. Griffin claimed that he received a concussion and had bruised ribs after the altercation. So far Griffin’s attorneys said that he have not released the medical but will when he felt the time was right.

“Brian has been through a lot these past few months”, said Zach Moses. “The medical records will be released when the time is right.”

This could be a huge distraction for the Cyclone following a 8-5 season. With signing day just around the corner, the recruits that have committed to Iowa State may chose to play elsewhere. This is the strongest class that coach Collins would had brought into Ames if no one decides to go a different direction. Their class was rated 37th by Rivals.com.

[duckman]

Chapter 3

I have the hardest time sleeping. I just laid in bed and watch Karen sleep next to me. When I told her what was going on she was sadden but also happy that I get an opportunity to show my coaching abilities. At least she was able to sleep! I looked over and saw the alarm clock showing 5:30. Well, I can’t lay here very much longer. So I got up and made my way to the kitchen to find something for breakfast. Eggs. I could have an omelette for breakfast. I made me an omelette with cheese and ham. That hit the spot.

Now it was 7:00 and I still had another six hours before the news conference. I need something to keep me occupied until 11:00. That is when I am to meet up with Mike to get prepared for the news conference. I went inot the living room and found some DVD’s. I found Brave Heart towards the bottom of the stack. It’s a nice long movie.

After watching the movie, I looked up and saw that I had an hour to be there. I went upstairs and washed up and put on my best looking suit. It was black with pinstripes which I wore a cardinal colored tie with my white shirt. I looked up at the mirror to get a final look. Nothing seemed out of place so I was about to make my way out the door when two tiny arms reached around me from behind to hug me.

“Hey there, sexy”, said Karen. “You look good enough to eat.”

“Well, if I had the time I would take you up on that offer, but I’m running late.”

She gave these puppy dog eyes and a very exaggerated pouting of her lips. I gave her a kiss and swift smack on the butt. She gave out a little squeal. I love to make her do that. I turned around to get a better look. She was gorgeous with this very fine green business attire. It really brought out the color of her eyes. Boy, if I had 30 minutes.

We made the drive from the home to the athletic department. Again, a mob of reporters were waiting for us in front of the building. I know Karen hasn’t seen a mob like this so I told her to wait in the car until I came around to get her. I got out of the car and the vultures were all over me. Questions were flying out of every direction. I hastily got to the passenger side and retrieved Karen from the car. I led the way to the entrance with reporters smothering every inch of my personal space. Karen and I didn’t say a word until we made it inside.

“That’s just crazy, Clint”, said Karen. “They were literally tugging at me.”

“They can be heathens at times, but I wouldn’t worry about it. There are more good experiences than there bad.”

Karen flashed another sexy smile at me and I returned the favor. We went upstairs to the AD’s office for our two hour wait for the announcement. We sat side by side while holding her hands. I’m glad that she was there for me. It made me a lot less nervous. I couldn’t still believe what was getting ready to happen.

Finally, the time came for us to go to down to the press area for the news conference. Heather and Mike gave me some last minutes instructions on what to say and what not to say. I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. We sat down at our assigned seats. There was about 50 reporters sitting about six feet from me. They all had their pencils ready and cameras zoomed in. It was show time.

Mike then stood up and went to the podium.

“Ladies and gentlemen, as you know our school has been accused of unfavorable behavior by coach Lloyd Collins. I would like to say that I believe that Lloyd is innocent and I expect the accusations to be disprove. We have high standards for the conduct of our facility even our coaches. If abuse is going on here then we want to get the problem resolved. But rest assure that abuse of players or students will not be tolerated.”

He took a look around the area and began to speak again.

“Unfortunately, due to the controversy that has been made public and bad light that university is enduring, we had to make a tough decision. Rumors flew around that Lloyd confessed and was fired. This is not the case. Lloyd Collins has been suspended indefinitely with pay due to the nature of the investigation. We pray that this resolved quickly so that Lloyd can get back to building this program into a consistent winner.

While the investigation is ongoing, the regents and I had talked it over with Lloyd and we have come up with a interim coach until this matter is resolved. He has been with our program for six seasons as our defensive coordinator. He is both loved and respected by the players. I like to introduce coach Clint Hughes.”

A mild applause was heard throughout the crowd. It was more of politeness than anything. I thought my head was going to explode when I rose to go to the podium. I took a good look around and saw 100 pair of eyes looking at me constantly. They were hanging on every word.

“I like to thank Mike for the warm introduction. Thank you. Mike and I have a very good working relationship and I will work with Mike to make sure that our players remain focus for the task at hand and that is to win football games. I demand excellence from my players and to get the most from every player. I love these kids and I want them to taste success.

People are worried about the recruiting class and I can tell you that not a single player has withdrawn their letter of intent. In fact, I have just signed Kennedy McGee to play linebacker us. He is a good player and he’ll become a great player. He is the top linebacker in the state. I have strong confidence that we will bring in a solid class.

Thank you.”

I sat down in my seat and waited for the questions to begin. Sweat was beading on my forehead and my palms are sweating. I haven’t been this nervous since I got married. I just don’t want to mess things up. I look over to my wife in the front row. She gave me the sweetest smile and wink. I giggled to myself and gave on back. I was immediately relaxed again.

The first reporter stood up.

“This is Jack Straw with ESPN. Coach, do you know any details of the alleged abuse?”

“I have nothing to say about that subject. The school is investigating the accusation.”

“This Bob Ross with the AP. Do you truly believe that coach Collins is innocent?”

“Yes, I do believe that he done nothing wrong. I believe that he will be proven innocent.”

“Coach, this Jon Marion with the Iowa City Press. Will there be any changes in how the program is run since Lloyd cannot be involved?”

“I have made no such plans. This is still Lloyd’s team and I will run it the way he wanted.”

I sat there for 30 minutes answering every question you can imagine. They even had the gall to ask if my wife would be a distraction. I can tell that I don’t like these news conferences. They brought up the hit I gave former pro receiver Richard Byers that put him out of the game with a ruptured disk in his back after attempting to catch a ball over the middle. Come on! It was a clean hit and didn’t get fined and or suspended! I’m totally shocked at the depth people will go to make a buck.

I finally was free to go and we made our way to the car. There was far fewer reporters so Karen and I made it to the car without any hassles. I turned to Karen and gave her a long kiss. Just as we did, the camera flashed from the windshield. It was a photographer taking pictures of us kiss. I got pretty pissed off and pulled away from the athletic department.

“Where are we going, Clint?”, said Karen. You could tell that she was worried because my temper started to show.

“I thought that since we are both are dressed up that we can go somewhere nice to eat.”

I gave her a big smile and returned it with one of those heart melting ones. We went to this quiet steakery that I can get seats without much waiting. We ate dinner and later went dancing. I must have doing something right because she was really cuddling up to me when dance. I could tell that my night has just began.

[duckman]

Iowa City Press-Citizen
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January 17, 2003
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Report: Player Claims To Witnessed Assault

By Jon Marion

Ames, IA (AP)-Press release on Friday by Maxine Knorr, Brian Griffin’s attorney states that Ben Staley, a former player, has told them that he witness the beating on August 21, 2002. Griffin claims that suspended head coach Lloyd Collins beat on him in front of fellow players and coaches. Griffin also claims that he suffered from a concussion and bruised ribs. The Ames Police Department is looking into the matter.

An internal investigation has been commencing since the accusation became public. The school chooses not to comment due to the investigation. Sources close to the university said that they are questioning every single player and coach that was present. Since the accusation, defensive coordinator Clint Hughes has been elevated to interim head coach until the matter is resolved.

[duckman]

Chapter 4


It had been only two weeks since I took over the position from Lloyd and I needed to get the spring schedule set up for approval by the NCAA. They are very particular about how many days you can practice with pads, without pads, and length of practices. This year we have 20 days slotted for spring practice. The coordinators and I were also game planning for our opening game against Helena. Plus, I had the media calling me for interviews about 15 times a day. You can say that I had a lot on my plate at the moment. I was going over the final draft of the spring schedule when my secretary, Lisa, beeped me.

"Coach Hughes, Carl Dearman from campus police is here to see you."

"Please send him in, Lisa", I said through the intercom.

The door open and in walked Carl. Carl was a very short man with thinning hair on his brow. He looked like that scowled real hard once and it just stuck that way. He was a very peculiar looking man.

"How you doing, coach", Carl said with his hand extended out.

I shook his hand and asked him to sit down. He moved slowly to the chair across from my desk and plunked down into the leather. He was a very large man and he seemed to have difficulties getting comfortable. I asked him if like any thing to drink and he politely said no.

"How are the kids coming along,"he questioned.

"They seem to be progressing nicely, but I won’t really know until the spring."

"Ah, I see. Do you not keep track of that?"

"The NCAA has really clamped down on how much time we spend with the players once the season is over. They do have every means here to improve, but we won’t really know until the spring and then late summer."

He then pulled out a pencil and a small notebook.

"Coach Hughes, I know that you are extremely busy so I’m going to cut to the chase if you don’t mind."

"No, I don’t mind. Please continue."

"I just need to ask some routine questions about Brian Griffin."

"Okay."

"I’m assuming that since you coached the defense that you knew Brian."

"Yes, I knew him. I actually recruited him from Iowa City."

"Was he getting along with the players okay?"

"As far as I know. At least he never came to me stating he was having problems."

Immediately, his face scold even more than usual.

"Do you know Ben Staley?"

"Yes, he was our defensive captain last year."

"I’m sure you’ve read the article about Ben being an eyewitness to the assault last summer."

"Yes, I did. Did he identify who really hurt Brian?"

"Yes, he did. But I’ll get back to that in a minute. What I’m curious about is that Ben and Brian both said that you took Brian to the emergency room that day. Is that true?"

I was getting extremely nervous at this point. Carl’s questions were becoming more and more hard hitting. I was beginning to sweat and I could hear my heartbeat in the background. Pictures of what happened kept popping into my head. I had a sense that he was getting ready to put the screws in on me.

"Yes, I did."

"Did you witness the attack on Brian?"

"No, I didn’t witness the attack."

"You do realize that obstruction is a serious defense? Do I need to take you in, coach?"

"I’m telling the truth. I didn’t see the attack on Brian."

"Then how come you took him to the emergency room?"

"I was overseeing the linebackers doing drills when I heard screams coming from the special teams group. I ran over to see what was going on. There was players circling Brian when I got there. He was laying face down motionless. I called for the trainer. Steve took a look at him and we called an ambulance. I rode with him to the hospital."

"So you never saw the attack?"

"No, I didn’t", I exclaimed.

"Well, Brian and Ben both said that Coach Collins was the one who beat him. Does Lloyd run the special teams practice?"

"Yes, he does."

"Was he there when you found Brian on the practice field?"

"No, he was nowhere to be found."

Carl’s demeanor changed into a more pleasant one. He thanked me for my time and also apologized for having to be so harsh. He told me that it was just the nature of the business and that he would be in touch if anything new came up. As soon as he left, Lisa walked in.

"What was that all about?"

"I guess he thought I was involved with the assault."

Oh my! Is everything okay"

"I don’t think so."