Iowa State Cyclones

Cyclones' Rhodes fired, to coach regular-season finale on Saturday

Published Nov. 22, 2015 12:28 p.m. ET

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AMES, Iowa — Paul Rhoads was one of the most popular coaches at Iowa State. He just didn't win enough to keep his job.

Iowa State said that athletic director Jamie Pollard told Rhoads on Sunday that he's out after seven seasons.

Rhoads went 32-54 with the Cyclones. But he won just eight games in his final three seasons as the program slipped back into mediocrity.

Rhoads led Iowa State to just its third bowl win in his first season. But Iowa State is 3-8 this season; blowing a 35-28 lead with 1:31 to go in Saturday's loss at Kansas State.

Iowa State signed Rhoads to a 10-year, $20 million contract before the 2012 season. Rhoads is due a buyout of roughly $4.5 million under the terms of that deal.

Rhoads will coach his final game with Iowa State on Saturday at West Virginia.

Rhoads, a defensive coordinator at Pitt (2000-07) and Auburn (2008), was something of an unknown commodity when he was hired to replace Gene Chizik before the 2009 season. But Rhoads quickly won over a weary fan base by finishing 7-6 and beating Minnesota in a bowl game.

The early years of his tenure were marked by a series of upsets over the likes of Nebraska and Texas on the road. In 2011, the Cyclones stunned then-second ranked Oklahoma State in double overtime to knock the Cowboys out of national title contention.

Rhoads' fiery but approachable persona was also a big hit with Iowa State fans, as were his passionate postgame locker room talks.

But all those speeches couldn't mask a declining on-field product.

Iowa State dipped to 3-9 in 2013, and Rhoads made several changes to his staff. He brought in former Kansas coach Mark Mangino to fix the offense, which turned disastrous when Mangino and Rhoads parted ways earlier this season.