Iowa State Experienced Remarkable Growth Under Jamie Pollard

The Iowa State Cyclones are nearing the end of an era with athletic director Jamie Pollard recently announcing his retirement.

Leading the athletic program since 2004, his 22-year tenure with the school is coming to an end in the near future. The search for his replacement is going to start this fall, and his retirement will officially go into effect on June 30, 2027, unless there is someone in place before then.

This is a major change for the school, with Pollard being lauded for all the positive work he has done since being hired. He has had a wonderful relationship with so many of the coaches of the school's biggest programs, such as Matt Campbell with the football team, Bill Fennelly with the women’s basketball team and T.J. Otzelberger with the men’s basketball team.

Knowing that he is retiring, it will be interesting to see what Otzelberger’s future in Ames looks like. He has turned down interest from big programs, such as the North Carolina Tar Heels, previously, but Pollard was a major reason why he was sticking in Ames.

Iowa State has made massive gains monetarily under Jamie Pollard

Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard announces Iowa State women’s wrestling program. — Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard announces Iowa State women’s wrestling program and new head coaches for men’s and women’s wrestling coaches during a press conference at Hilton Coliseum on April. 16, 2026, in Ames, Iowa | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Do his plans change? Iowa State certainly hopes not, as they just suffered a brutal loss with Campbell leaving for the Penn State Nittany Lions. That is certainly greener pastures money-wise for Campbell, but the Cyclones football program and athletics in general have undergone massive growth with Pollard at the helm.

As shared by Chris Williams of Cyclone Fanatic, the revenue streams that have been created under Pollard’s watch have elevated the entire school to a level that was previously not thought to be possible.

When he took over in 2005, the media and licensing were $7.88 million. In 2024, that number jumped all the way to $43.68 million. The budget for athletics was $28.2 million when Pollard took over, and a budget of $141.1 million was approved for 2026.

Jamie Pollard’s Iowa State tenure by the numbers (all were compiled in the final chapter of my book):

Media/licensing: $7.88M in 2005 → $43.68M in 2024

Athletics budget: $28.2M in 2005 → $141.1M approved for 2026

Ticket revenue: $9.12M in 2005 → $23.37M in 2024

Football… pic.twitter.com/1bODUQPPD2
— Chris Williams (@ChrisMWilliams) July 11, 2026

The fan base has grown as well, showing up in droves to support the Cyclones. In 2005, the revenue for tickets was $9.12 million, and in 2024, they racked in $23.37 million from ticket sales. Season ticket numbers for the football team more than doubled from 22,000 to 45,000.

Employees within the athletics department saw massive growth as well, going from 50 to 250. Growth like that in two decades is remarkable, especially when taking into account the ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics.

With NIL becoming more and more prevalent, the new athletic director will have to have an entirely different set of skills than what Pollard was using. But, he has provided an incredible foundation for the next athletic director to build upon.

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