Steve Sarkisian and Paul Rhoads—Changing a Culture

Published Oct. 4, 2010 7:04 p.m. ET

foxsports

“Changing a culture.”

Those three words sound cool, seem to fit in a variety of settings and roll off the tongue, but what does it really mean to change a culture?

Look no further than Steve Sarkisian of the University of Washington and Paul Rhoads of Iowa State University for an explanation.

Yes, they used that phrase at their introductory news conference and while those three words are more common by head coaches than analysts who say “Tampa 2” on-air, both Sarkisian and Rhoads have taken the proper steps toward actualizing that thought.

And both Husky and Cyclone fans witnessed it this past weekend as Washington beat USC for the second straight season and Iowa State put up 52 points in a signature win over Texas Tech.

For these two head coaches, it began with hiring a coaching staff that was diverse. Both Sarkisian and Rhoads have young coaches with incredible energy like offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier of UW, older coaches who epitomize poise like ISU 69 year old defensive coordinator Wally Burnham and strength coaches who can relate to the players in Ivan Lewis and Yancy McKnight. And combined, only one coach left either staff after last season. In the ebb and flow of the coaching profession that is not just uncommon, it’s unthinkable.

The members of their staff’s want to be there, love coming to work, enjoy working for the head man and trust in his vision. But that is the easy part.

The difficult part is teaching the players how to win and communicating that vision in a positive, effective manner. Before Sarkisian and Rhoads arrived on campus their teams were a combined 2-21 in 2008 and built a culture that perpetuated losing.

Since then, they are 17-17. While that record will not get either coach in the Hall of Fame yet, it does have Seattle “Barking for Sark” and Ames “so proud” of their football coach.

Why? Both teams are responding to adversity rather than giving in to it.

Simply put—both of these teams have learned how to compete. They have developed a swagger. They, like the staff’s hired, now trust in the vision.

For Sarkisian, his program lives by the motto, “Expect to Win.” Under Rhoads, their theme is “Continuous Improvement.”

Sure, every coach has his campaign slogan, but both Sarkisian and Rhoads communicate it so effectively that their players have bought into those competitive standards.

And in a year where the Pac-10 and Big-12 powerhouses have struggled, look for the Huskies and Cyclones to continue to make noise and “Change a Culture.”