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Coach: Drinking played role in behavior

By TOM WITOSKY
Register Staff Writer
04/29/2003

Iowa State University men's basketball coach Larry Eustachy apologized Monday for his behavior at after-hours parties on two Big 12 Conference road trips, attributing his mistakes to alcohol.

"I am certainly aware of the role drinking has played in my behavior," Eustachy said in a written statement issued Monday evening. "I am addressing this matter.


See the photos taken by a student at the party.
"With the support of my family and friends, I will do
everything in my power to make sure my actions reflect highly upon this university and this state."

The 47-year-old coach's apology is the most recent development stemming from the disclosure by The Des Moines Register that Eustachy, the state's highest-paid employee, acknowledged to school officials that he used bad judgment and made bad decisions at a party in Columbia, Mo., during the early-morning hours of Jan. 23.

Eustachy's statement came after the Register published photographs taken at the party by a Missouri student. The photos show the coach, who is married, with beer and embracing and kissing women on the cheek or being kissed on the cheek.

Eustachy also attended a party at a fraternity house at Kansas State University in which he wound up in an argument with a student who found the coach's arm around his 19-year-old sister.

Reaction to Eustachy's behavior was widespread and wide-ranging. Gov. Tom Vilsack called the situation "disappointing," one member of the state Board of Regents said he would fire Eustachy, and the school president and athletic director would offer only hints about the coach's future.

*snip*

The coach's contract with Iowa State stipulates he must provide "positive representation of the university and the university's athletic programs in private and public."

Iowa State officials hinted in statements that Eustachy's job was safe, but didn't say so specifically.

Eustachy's activities in Columbia became public days after the January game when a picture of the coach and a group of young adults was posted on the Internet on a Missouri Tigers fan Web site.

At that time, Van De Velde verified the photograph's authenticity but suggested it showed nothing negative about Eustachy's behavior. He explained the picture as Eustachy "just pausing to have his picture taken with some fans who saw him out for dinner after a game."

In a recent interview, Van De Velde said his initial explanation was mostly speculation based on what Eustachy had told him.

But other photographs taken in an apartment in the campus town area of Columbia by Sean Devereaux, a junior English major at Missouri and resident of the apartment where the party was held, showed Eustachy partying into the early- morning hours with college-age women.

Devereaux said he took the pictures because he wanted to show Eustachy had been at a party at his apartment. He said he later decided to make the pictures public because he was bothered by Eustachy's presence at the party for more than three hours, and by Eustachy's behavior.

*snip*

Unlike most college coaches, who travel on the road with their teams, Eustachy travels separately. Last season, he used a recreational vehicle to drive to road games while assistant coaches traveled by air with Iowa State's players.

Eustachy, the Cyclones" coach for five seasons, has been successful at Iowa State. His teams won back-to-back Big 12 Conference championships in 2000 and 2001 and advanced to the NCAA Tournament's Elite Eight in 2000, when Eustachy was named national coach of the year.

But he also has shown a fiery side. In a nationally televised tournament loss to Michigan State, he was ejected after receiving two technical fouls during a profanity-laced exchange with officials. Days later, he apologized to Iowa State's players, fans, faculty and president.

Darth Wong wrote:Only in America are the off-campus antics of a college sports coach national news

Darth Fanboy wrote:

Darth Wong wrote:Only in America are the off-campus antics of a college sports coach national news

Not National News per say, but it is huge Sports News and especiall in the state of Iowa because at $1 million per year salary he is the HIGHEST PAID STATE EMPLOYEE. SO his antics are actually quite newsworthy in that sense.

LETTER: Beer helps coach relate to recruits
In regards to what has recently come to light about Larry Eustachy's party life, I have one word to sum this man up ... brilliant.

Honestly, what better strategy for recruitment than to show you can relate to the recruits, even if it's by doing more keg-stands than them at a party.

Also, he has humbled himself greatly in this pursuit of relating to the recruit population. Case in point -- he could drink any beer he wanted with that $1 million salary, but he instead decided to forego luxury and drink painfully cheap beer, Natural Lite, just to say, "Hey, I'm just like you guys!"

This man serves as a model to us all with his amazingly down to earth spirit.

My only worry is that we might lose Eustachy due to the recent coaching opening at Kansas, since apparently that's where all the hot girls are.

Erik Sautter
Sophomore
Computer Engineering

Darth Fanboy wrote:

Darth Wong wrote:Only in America are the off-campus antics of a college sports coach national news

Not National News per say, but it is huge Sports News and especiall in the state of Iowa because at $1 million per year salary he is the HIGHEST PAID STATE EMPLOYEE. SO his antics are actually quite newsworthy in that sense.

Fremen_Muhadib wrote:so, the guy likes to drink, damned if i care. How many Americans are alcoholics or heavy drinkers anyways? He's just a person elevated to a falsely high position. Honestly, if if is fired for this incident, then half the workers in America should be fired for drinking and partying too much. Sometimes, whistleblowers or whatever you wanna call em, piss me off

Not National News per say, but it is huge Sports News and especiall in the state of Iowa because at $1 million per year salary he is the HIGHEST PAID STATE EMPLOYEE. SO his antics are actually quite newsworthy in that sense.

Durran Korr wrote:

Not National News per say, but it is huge Sports News and especiall in the state of Iowa because at $1 million per year salary he is the HIGHEST PAID STATE EMPLOYEE. SO his antics are actually quite newsworthy in that sense.

I would think that ISU's Athletic Association, funded by Alumni dollars, would pay his salary. So, technically he is a state employee, but not on the taxpayer dime. Correct me if I'm wrong, of course.

Durran Korr wrote:'sides, you're lucky, all your coach did was drink and get a bit friendly with some chick, our coach courted thugs and enabled their behavior.

AdmiralKanos wrote:His ridiculously exorbitant pay is even more reason to roll one's eyes.

Darth Fanboy wrote:

AdmiralKanos wrote:His ridiculously exorbitant pay is even more reason to roll one's eyes.

well, down here in the states, $1 million a year for a coach is not uncommon for a top university. Eustachy was a National coach of the year and brought success to a program that had known defeat for the better part of its existence and even the years they did win ended in dismal postseason appearances. (Bill Self's Kansas contract is going to be huge, as is Roy Williams UNC contract)

Darth Wong wrote:

Darth Fanboy wrote:

AdmiralKanos wrote:His ridiculously exorbitant pay is even more reason to roll one's eyes.

well, down here in the states, $1 million a year for a coach is not uncommon for a top university. Eustachy was a National coach of the year and brought success to a program that had known defeat for the better part of its existence and even the years they did win ended in dismal postseason appearances. (Bill Self's Kansas contract is going to be huge, as is Roy Williams UNC contract)

Don't you see that your "universities" are barely worthy of the title if they are known more for their sports programs than their academic quality?

Durran Korr wrote:
That's the thing, many schools with extremely successful athletics programs tend to be fairly high quality public universities. One complements the other.

Durran Korr wrote:That's the thing, many schools with extremely successful athletics programs tend to be fairly high quality public universities. One complements the other.

Darth Wong wrote:

Durran Korr wrote:That's the thing, many schools with extremely successful athletics programs tend to be fairly high quality public universities. One complements the other.

You mean, like MIT's nationally renowned football program?

Durran Korr wrote:

Darth Wong wrote:

Durran Korr wrote:That's the thing, many schools with extremely successful athletics programs tend to be fairly high quality public universities. One complements the other.

You mean, like MIT's nationally renowned football program?

Oh, come on, Mike. The University of Michigan, the University of Miami, The University of Indiana, The University of Texas, and many, many others all rank among the top public schools in the country, and all have excellent athletics.

Durran Korr wrote:The point is, it helps. There can be no doubt that quality athletics do bring prestige and invaluable PR to public universities.