Iowa State coach takes the sidelines hours after father passes away

AMES, Ia. — Following Iowa State's 75-69 loss to Iowa on Wednesday night, Cyclones coach Bill Fennelly fought back tears as he thought about his father. He couldn't help but wonder what his late father would say about the way he'd coached during his team's loss.

“I’m sure he’s yelling at me for not calling timeouts sooner and why did I sub, like he usually does,” said an emotional Fennelly after the game. “For the first time in a long time, he’s got a little Kessler that he’s sipping on right now.”

William "Bill" Fennelly, coach Bill Fennelly's father, passed away Wednesday morning. Fennelly said he was 86. Hours after he died, his son stood on the sidelines at Hilton Coliseum, coaching Iowa State.

"He's been with me since I got the job and he hasn't missed much," Fennelly said. "And I'm really lucky for that. Really, thank God he got to see me and my family at a place that we love so much and that he loved."

That love was on full display during an emotional night. Iowa State players wrote Fennelly's father’s initials on their shoes. Before the game, there was a movement of silence as a picture of Fennelly and his father was displayed on the videoboard. Even Iowa’s coaching staff, one by one, stopped to hug Fennelly as they walked out to the bench before the game. Iowa associate head coach Jan Jensen also texted Fennelly before the game.

“All their players, the staff, was incredible before and after the game,” Fennelly said. “That’s something I want to make sure everyone hears, because this rivalry can get a little bit over the top. But they couldn’t have been more gracious in how they handled the situation.”

Fennelly also shared an emotional moment with his son, Billy, an assistant on Iowa State’s staff, hugging him as the two sat on the bench shortly before the game started. Another of Fennelly’s sons, Steven, an assistant on the Northern Iowa women’s basketball staff, came to the game and sat in the stands with his family. After the game, Fennelly wanted the focus to be on Iowa’s success. But he fought back tears as he talked about his father.

“It was a hard day, obviously,” Fennelly said. “But I had so many people reach out to us. And our family is, and I know a lot of families are, is so connected. My name is the same as my dad’s, my son’s is the same as my dad’s, my grandson’s name is the same as my dad — for a reason.”