Iowa State To Name New Track After Legendary Coach Bill Bergan

AMES, Iowa – The new Iowa State outdoor track, currently under construction as part of the Cyclone Sports Complex, will be named the Bill and Karen Bergan Track in honor of the legendary coach and his wife.

A statue of Coach Bergan, which will grace the new site, has also been commissioned. Sculptor Larry Nowlan will create the statue.

Bergan became Iowa State’s head cross country coach in 1971 and was named head track and field coach in 1976. In his 23 years at Iowa State, the Cyclones won two NCAA titles and 25 conference championships in cross country and track and field.

The naming honor and statue are consistent with the athletics department’s recent recognition of its department icons. The Jack Trice Club, Johnny’s at Hilton Coliseum (Johnny Orr), the Clyde Williams Society (lifetime donor recognition) and the Pete Taylor Media Room have all been created in recent years.

“Bill and Karen’s track and field legacy at Iowa State spans five decades,” Director of Athletics Jamie Pollard said. “Our record under Bill speaks for itself, and he will be long remembered as one of the greatest coaches in any Cyclone sport. Karen provided a key support role for the cross country and track and field programs and their generosity to Iowa State Athletics continues. We are excited that more than 100 former Iowa State track and field letterwinners will be in Ames this weekend for their annual reunion on the heels of this announcement.”

In his nearly quarter century of coaching at Iowa State, Bergan brought unprecedented success. When he took the reins of the Cyclone cross country program, Iowa State had finished in the Big Eight Conference meet’s lower division for 11 straight seasons. The Cyclones finished last or next to last in 21-straight Big Eight Conference outdoor meets before his arrival. During his tenure, the Cyclones became a league power and won 25 team championships.

“Karen and I are deeply honored by this announcement,” Bergan said. “My effort as coach at Iowa State was a work of love. The biggest achievements were made by our student-athletes. I was fortunate to have a great staff of assistant coaches who made our success possible. None of this could have happened without the selfless contributions of Karen. She did so many things behind the scenes for our family. I also want to thank Jamie Pollard, in particular, for his continued support of the Iowa State track and field programs.”

Bergan’s quest to build a winning running tradition at Iowa State produced astounding results.

The cross country team won its first Big Eight title in 43 years in 1974. The Cyclones won five straight cross country championships from 1987-91 and 10 team titles over a 14-year period. Iowa State captured NCAA Cross Country crowns in 1989 and 1994.

The Cyclones under Bergan won 10 of 14 men’s conference outdoor track titles. Iowa State student-athletes achieved All-America honors 104 times and captured 156 Big Eight individual titles under Bergan’s direction.

Bergan was also instrumental in the development of the ISU Cross Country Course. The course is a one-of-a-kind cross country treasure and has played host to a pair of NCAA Cross Country Championships.