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Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard talks future retirement, booze | Hines
Iowa State AD Jamie Pollard on Tailgate Tour for new coaches
Iowa State athletic director Jamie Pollard on the opportunity for new coaches on Tailgate Tour
WATERLOO – It was probably a bit more than two years ago when the hints, innuendo, gossip and speculation started to accumulate.
In conversations with coaches or administrators or the otherwise well-connected within Iowa State athletics circles, any discussion about the not-too-distant future of Cyclone sports would take a sort of detour.
‘You know,’ they’d say, ‘Jamie isn’t going to be here forever.’
Do tell, I’d ask.
‘It wouldn’t shock me,’ they’d note, ‘if Jamie called it a career sooner than you’d think.’
Jamie being, of course, Jamie Pollard, Iowa State’s longest-tenured athletics director. He is, of course, still Iowa State’s athletic director, and he’s under contract to be so through 2030 after signing a five-year extension early in 2025. Which, given the gathering momentum of speculation about a potential impending retirement, surprised plenty of people plugged in to the Jacobson Athletic Building when it was announced.
So the rumor mill, as it so often does, began spinning again. This time, with an explanation of why it was wrong the first time.
Iowa State president Wendy Wintersteen, who would announce her own retirement three months after that Pollard extension, asked the athletic director to extend his record-setting tenure to keep continuity and stability on the university’s front porch while it underwent change at the top.
Or so the story went.
“I don’t know that I’d say that’s 100 percent accurate,” Pollard said last month when I presented him with that scenario at the Cyclone Tailgate Tour.
“It’s close.”
Whatever the exact machinations, Pollard will enter his 22nd year guiding Iowa State athletics this fall, but, you know, he won’t be forever.
“I’ve basically said if this was a game of soccer, we’d be in extra time,” Pollard, 61, told me. “Nobody knows how much time is left on the clock, including the player.
“A big thing for (wife) Ellen and me, is there is a ‘next,’ and we want to physically and mentally be able to enjoy ‘next,’ but, at the same time, I want to make sure when that day comes, that we hand it off in as good a spot as can be.”
Which is no small reason why that retirement many were expecting was postponed when Wintersteen told him her career was winding to its end. After being at a place for two decades, what’s a few more years? Especially if it helps keep that place you care deeply about better situated for the future.
Eventually, though, that postponement will end. That future will arrive – without Pollard.
“At some point and time that’s going to happen for all of us, right?” Pollard, who recently became a grandfather, said. “When’s the right time to do that? We’ll have to figure that out.
“It’s a work in progress.”
That work is complicated by the sheer volume of volatility collegiate sports are currently enduring. When the industry’s leaders become regulars at congressional testimony, it’s a pretty good sign that things are not going smoothly and orderly. And even more locally, Iowa State just had a head coaching change in football, axed its gymnastics program, began a women’s wrestling program, projects a future budget shortfall and has something like a $200 million development underway with CyTown.
I’m not saying an AD changeover will be like a couple of jugglers trying to pass flaming chainsaws, but I mean, maybe I am?
“At some point in time, you have to transition it to whatever comes next,” Pollard said, “and unfortunately, our industry, the ground’s changing under our feet as we talk. We’re going to have to figure out how to deal with that part of it, and I think a big part for Iowa State is just making sure our financial situation is as solid as it can be.
“It’s clearly not what it once was, but we’re never going back to those days, either.”
Budget issues softened, but still significant
It made headlines last year when Iowa State athletics presented that it was projecting a $147 million budget deficit through 2031, largely, the school said, due to the House settlement that allowed for revenue sharing with student-athletes. Essentially, it was a new $20 million-plus yearly line item for a department whose budget only eclipsed $100 million in 2022.
The Cyclones, through internal alterations, have been able to cut that project deficit, essentially, in half, Pollard said. Still, something like a $75 million budget shortfall over the next five years is nobody’s idea of a good time.
“The low-hanging fruit has been picked,” Pollard said. “You can’t just always go back to raise ticket prices, donations – that’s going to have to be a part of it, just plain and simple, but that’s not going to get us there, either.
“There’s going to have to be some other decisions that are made, whether it’s campus-wise, regents-wise or state-wise.”
Pollard noted there could be changes to how Iowa State handles its tuition, scholarships and student fees. The state, he said, could make the athletic department the beneficiaries of a gambling tax hike or provide direct support for CyTown, which the university is betting on being an “economic engine.”
“There’s just things like that,” Pollard said. “There’s still some fruit to be picked, but it’s not the low-hanging fruit.”
Which begs the obvious question – is any of that fruit of the fermented variety?
Will Iowa State sell alcohol at games?
Pollard has long been resistant to calls to serve alcohol to the general public at Jack Trice Stadium and Hilton Coliseum.
It’s been a consistent position for the better part of two decades. You may remember he said, “People are flat-out slobs,” last year when asked for reasons why Iowa State doesn’t sell booze at games. It made the news and everything.
Still, a $75 million deficit is a $75 million deficit, and, well, booze means dough.
“It’s something we’re considering,” Pollard said. “Continuing to discuss.”
Iowa State has been selling alcohol at Jack Trice Stadium in recent years when musical acts have taken up residence, and that’s been something of an educational experience for Iowa State.
Reviews I’ve gotten have been hit-and-miss in how well it’s actually worked from a fan perspective. Which is to say, the expedience with which you can get a beer hasn’t been great. Of course, that is exactly the sort of thing Iowa State is trial-running during these concerts.
“The stadium’s not built to clog the concourses for people standing in line to go to the bathroom or go to the concession stands,” Pollard said.
Then there’s also the 4,000 people who leave Iowa State football games at halftime to hit the tailgate lots before returning to the game. If Jack Trice Stadium goes wet, re-entry goes away.
“As the person who will get the emails from those 4,000 people,” Pollard said, “that will be a tough pill for those people to swallow.
“There’s tradeoffs, so those are things we’ve got to work our way through.”
Ultimately, though, the door is open. Or, rather, it is being kicked down by a $75 million deficit. Which is enough to convert longtime holdouts like Iowa State – and, specifically, Pollard – to reconsider their stance.
“As athletics director, I’m the voice for the campus,” Pollard said, “so to say it was Jamie Pollard who didn’t want to sell alcohol, that was just me representing the university’s decision. I agreed with the decision, but it wasn’t just my decision.
“Secondly, we have to look at the fruit that’s not low-hanging, and there will be tradeoffs. I’ve had several donors that are upset if we sell beer. But that will be a discussion with those people, ‘If we do this, this is why we’ve had to do it.’”
Tailgate Tour turns 20
After doing media interviews, shaking hands and talking ball at the Cyclone Tailgate Tour stop at SingleSpeed Brewing, Pollard made his way to the end of the brewery’s long bar to order a flight of beer.
Before long, he was at the microphone. As the sun streamed in through the windows behind him, he addressed the couple of hundred Iowa State fans spending their lunch hour welcoming the Cyclone big shots to northeast Iowa.
There was talk of the success of the last year. The optimism for the future. There was, too, a bit of reminiscing about the 20 years of Tailgate Tours that have made their way across the state. This entire operation – one that reaches thousands of Cyclone fans in their hometowns every year – has been Pollard’s project.
The first era of those road trips created connections. The next sustained and grew them.
After talking to the Cyclone faithful, shaking some more hands and talking some more ball, Pollard walked back to the Iowa State bus, bound for the next stop.
Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.
See the unique cotton candy art at the Iowa State Fair
Cotton candy has been a popular treat at the State Fair for decades, but one family is pushing the fluffy limit on the sweet classic.
It’s all about the food at the Iowa State Fair, and a panel of judges has named their top new foods coming to the fair in 2026.
From an initial list of 84 entries, the field was narrowed to 11 contenders. Judges tasted each of the 11 new foods and voted for three finalists during a Facebook livestream event from the fairgrounds on Tuesday, July 14.
Those three will compete for fairgoers’ votes for the 2026 Best New Food at the Iowa State Fair.
Last year, Winn & Sara’s Kitchen’s bacon chicken ranch eggroll took home the top honor.
These three finalists will face off in public voting Aug. 13-19 at the Iowa State Fair. The winner will be announced Aug. 21.
What are the top three new foods at the 2026 Iowa State Fair?
All-American Scrambled Egg Roll
Winn & Sara’s Kitchen will try for its third-straight win with a breakfast offering. The All-American Scrambled Egg Roll is stuffed with bacon, sausage, hash browns, eggs and cheddar, finished with cheesy ranch.
- Cost: $15
- Vendor: Winn & Sara’s Kitchen
- Where: Next to the craft beer tent, west of the Jacobson Building
Porky Parm Gnocchi
The Pork Parm Gnocchi features gluten-free potato gnocchi with sausage, parmesan cream and pesto. It’s topped with an America 250 flag and a suvenir piggy pal.
- Cost: $14
- Vendor: Destination Grille
- Where: Between the Jacobson Building and the Craft Beer Tent
Ultimate Minneapple Pie
An offering from a Minnesota State Fair vendor making its first Iowa State Fair appearance, the Ultimate Minneapple Pie includes fried apple pie with ice cream and apple syrup.
- Cost: $14
- Vendor: Minneapple Pie
- Where: Near the Anne and Bill Riley Stage
More standout new foods at the 2026 fair
Here are the eight other items that rounded out the top 11:
- 1776 Dubai Strawberries from The Strawberry Station, $19. Fresh strawberries topped with milk chocolate, pistachio crème and crunchy kataifi. Find it at West Marketplace.
- Cajun Cluck ’N’ Chaos from Cluckin’ Coop, $14. Cajun chicken sloppy joe with slaw, spicy pickles, pickled egg and pickle cotton candy. This lunch-cafeteria special is served right across the street from the Animal Learning Center at Little Hands on the Farm.
- Crunchy Lamb Wrap from HoQ, $19. Deep‑fried naan stuffed with risotto, lamb and cheese. Located east of the Administration Building.
- Garlic Dill Pickle Cheese Curds from Brad and Harry’s Cheese Curds, $9. Garlic‑dill mashup curds. You can find Brad and Harry’s Cheese Curds west of the Jacobson Building.
- Star Spangled Swine from Whatcha Smokin’ BBQ, $15. Pork belly with apple‑chipotle rub and honey crystals. Located next to the Iowa craft beer tent, west of the Jacobson Building.
- Strawberry Bliss from Iowa Specialty Crop Growers Association, $8. Shortbread, strawberry, meringue and milk chocolate. Located in the Agriculture Building, under the southwest stairs.
- Stuffed Tater Kegs from Tater Todd and Hot Doug’s, $10. Loaded potato bites with breakfast or cheese options. Located in front of the Agriculture Building.
- Sweet Americana from Over the Top, $13. Strawberry shortcake, lemon bar and blueberry crisp ice creams. Over the Top’s stand is on Grand Avenue, just outside the Varied Industries Building.
Previous winners of Best New Foods at the Iowa State Fair
- 2013: Zag’s Po Boys — Shrimp Corn Dog
- 2014: Multiple vendors — Funnel Cake on a Stick
- 2015: The Rib Shack — Ultimate Bacon Brisket Bomb
- 2016: Iowa Turkey Federation — Not Your Mamma’s Taco
- 2017: Steer ‘N’ Stein — Pork Almighty
- 2018: Applishus — Apple Eggroll
- 2019: G Mig’s Wrap Stand — Georgie’s Roast with the Most Wrap
- 2020: No fair due to COVID-19
- 2021: Cluckin’ Coop by the Iowa Egg Council/Iowa Poultry Association — Chicken Egg Salad with Fry Bread
- 2022: The Rib Shack — The Finisher
- 2023: What’s Your Cheez — Deep-Fried Bacon Brisket Mac-n-Cheese Grilled Cheese
- 2024: Winn & Sara’s Kitchen — Bacon Cheeseburger Eggroll
- 2025: Winn & Sara’s Kitchen — Bacon chicken ranch Eggroll
Cooper Worth is a service/trending reporter for the Des Moines Register. Reach him at cworth@gannett.com or follow him on X @CooperAWorth.
Hear from Iowa folk duo Weary Ramblers on their song Pretty Lights of Denver
Hear from Kathryn Severing Fox and Chad Elliott of Weary Ramblers as they discuss their musical chemistry and creative process.
What would RAGBRAI be without Hairball and the Pork Tornadoes?
Cyclists on the July 19-25 ride will have the chance to rock with both of the venerable Iowa party bands as they perform on back-to-back nights.
They’re perennials on the Register’s Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, as traditional as the Mississippi River tire dip. Hairball will bring its signature pyrotechnic, costumed arena rock tribute to the main stage in the overnight town of Boone on Tuesday, July 21, and the Pork Tornadoes will be in Marshalltown on July 22 to perform selections from their seemingly endless, genre-spanning repertoire.
Other headlining party-cover faves booked in RAGBRAI overnight towns will include the Spazmatics in Dyersville, Not Quite Brothers in Independence and Gut Feeling in Onawa.
But if you’re a fan of original music, make plans to spend a little extra time at the stage in Guthrie Center, the Monday, Day 2, overnight town.
While Gimikk, a RAGBRAI classic cover band that also proudly performs some originals, will be the headliner, don’t miss the other Iowa originals on the bill.
Most prominent are the Nadas, a fixture on the state’s music scene for nearly 35 years. Co-founders Jason Walsmith and Mike Butterworth got their start in Ames in the early 1990s while students at Iowa State University. Expanding into a five-member ensemble, they worked to build a following across the country and have sold thousands of records on their independent Authentic label featuring their original, alt-rock-leaning folk-Americana tunes.
Marking 25 years of the Nadas in 2018, Walsmith told the Register, “As long as it’s fun, we’re always going to do it.” And they still are, performing regularly and adding another album, “Come Along for the Ride,” to their lengthy discography in 2023.
Also on the bill: a duo that has launched with a bang. The Weary Ramblers, Iowans Chad Elliott and Kathryn Severing Fox, are songwriting and performing partners who got their start in 2022. Elliott, a veteran guitarist and singer on the Iowa scene, and Severing Fox, a classically trained musician steeped in jazz violin, released a debut album in 2024 that hit the top 10 on the Americana charts and produced a hit single, “Pretty Lights of Denver.”
In December 2025, they collected a major award for independent songwriters presented at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee. With a second album starting to chart, they were back in Tennessee again in January to compete in the International Blues Challenge, and came home the overall winners for solo or duo act.
In growing demand as touring performers, they opened for the Des Moines Symphony at the annual Yankee Doodle Pops show July 3 on the grounds of the Iowa Capitol, drawing an enthusiastic response from a crowd of nearly 100,000.
Superintendent summons former students to put on a show
Steve Smith, the Guthrie Center RAGBRAI entertainment chair who tapped the Nadas and Weary Ramblers, is high on a third act: Hillbilly Air Show, the afternoon’s opener. They’re a country duo that includes former Navy fighter pilot Brick Imerman and whose songbook is rich with the tunes of honky-tonk balladeers like George Strait and Alan Jackson.
One thing Imerman, of Panora, and Elliott, a Lamoni native who lives in Jefferson, have in common: They spent their school days in Guthrie Center, where Smith was a teacher and now is superintendent of the regional school district.
“There’s just a personal connection,” said Smith, who counts himself a big fan of the musical careers his former students have forged. And he said he’s been kicking himself for 25 years after failing to book the Nadas for a school reunion when he had the chance,. He said he wasn’t going to pass up the opportunity a second time.
Smith said he got some pushback from other Guthrie Center RAGBRAI organizers for his unorthodox choices, but stuck by them.
He said he hopes the town’s show and an effort to keep food and beverage vendor prices reasonable will reward the riders for climbing some of the 2026 ride’s steepest hills coming into and leaving town.
So far, he said, he’s gotten a positive reception from veteran RAGBRAI riders who’ve heard about his eclectic music lineup.
“They said they don’t always go to the (overnight town) shows, but, ‘If you’re having them, we’re there,’” he said.
Hillbilly Air Show goes on at 2 p.m., followed by the Weary Ramblers at 4 p.m. and the Nadas at 6:30 p.m. Smith invites Des Moines metro residents who aren’t on the ride to join the party.
“We’re a town of 1,600 that’s going to be invaded by another 30,000 to 40,000, but we’re ready,” he said.
RAGBRAI 2026 music headliners
Onawa, Day 0, Saturday, July 18
8:30 p.m.: Gut Feeling
Harlan, Day 1, Sunday, July 19
8 p.m.: Decoy
Guthrie Center, Day 2, Monday, July 20
9 p.m.: Gimikk
Boone, Day 3, Tuesday, July 21
8:30 p.m.: Hairball
Marshalltown, Day 4, Wednesday, July 22
8:45 p.m.: Pork Tornadoes
Independence, Day 5, Thursday, July 23
8:45 p.m.: Not Quite Brothers
Dyersville, Day 6, Friday, July 24
9 p.m.: Spazmatics
SIOUX COUNTY, Iowa (KTIV) – A Woodbury County woman was taken by ambulance to the hospital after a rollover took place in Sioux County.
The Sioux County Sheriff’s Office says 45-year-old Jenni Madison of Sioux City was taken to the hospital Saturday, July 11.
Authorities say at about 12:01 p.m., deputies investigated a rollover that took place on Highway 60, one mile south of Alton. According to the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office, the car was traveling north on Highway 60 when the driver lost control, entered the median and rolled.
Deputies say Madison was taken by ambulance to the Orange City Area Health System to be treated for minor injuries. The vehicle sustained $12,500 in damage.
Orange City Fire Department, Alton Fire Department, Alton Ambulance, the Orange City Police Department, and the Iowa State Patrol helped the Sioux County Sheriff’s Office at the scene.
Want to get the latest news and weather from Siouxland’s News Source? Follow these links to download our KTIV News app and our First Alert Weather app.
Copyright 2026 KTIV. All rights reserved.
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