Ryan Flack is no stranger to Marshalltown Community College. Transitioning from student, coach, adjunct, employee he has served in a number of roles for MCC and has now been named Interim Athletic Director.
Flack has quite a history at MCC and has shown his dedication from the beginning. He attended and played basketball at MCC 2007-2008. He was a Volunteer Assistant Men's Basketball Coach in 2008-09. After several stops, including NCAA DI South Dakota State, he returned to the MCC in 2016 as an Assistant Men's Basketball Coach and Residential Life/Housing Assistant Coordinator. He became an adjunct instructor in 2017 and is currently doing that as well. In 2018 he took the position as Program Coordinator for the Marshalltown Education Partnership (MEP). He took over as Head Men's Basketball Coach in 2019 and will remain in that position as well.
Current MCC Athletic Director John Kriebs will be helping with the transition as Flack will begin in his AD role July 1. Kriebs is pursuing other professional opportunities within his career.
Flack is excited for the opportunity to lead the Athletic Department and to work with the coaches and student-athletes. "This is where I want to be and what I want to do. Marshalltown is home for me and my family. There's not a better community for junior college athletics in the entire state of Iowa. I want MCC athletics to add value and connect with the people here in Marshalltown. I want people to be proud of the MCC Tigers and what we are doing in the town. We are the community's college!"
With just six weeks until fall sports begin for MCC, Flack knows that he has to hit the ground running to get things ready for the upcoming seasons. When asked what his first steps will be he said, "I want to make sure the student-athletes and coaches have the best support and start to their school year. It's important all Tiger student-athletes receive a positive experience while at MCC, one that will prepare them to compete in the best junior college conference in the country and move on to the four-year university/college level."
"I want to help support our coaches. Given the time of year, there are a lot of moving parts within the department to get ready for the upcoming school year. I want to take things off our coaches' plate so they can focus their efforts on their team, recruiting and making sure their student-athletes have a good experience and a successful school year."
Something that is important to Flack as he takes on this new role is the relationships with not only the coaches and student-athletes but the community. "Everything in athletics is about relationships. As an athletic department, including student-athletes and coaching staff, we will be active in the community and visible in a positive way. MCC Athletics can add value and give the community something to be excited to talk about."
MCC Provost, Robin Lilienthal would like to thank Kriebs for all he has done for MCC and Tiger Athletics. "John has made a very positive contribution to MCC Athletics in the time that he has been here. He has taken a key leadership role with implementing a plan to ensure all head coaches are on campus with full-time positions, researching and executing our two new sports (Women's Soccer and Esports), and branding our athletic facilities. His enthusiasm for Tiger Athletics will be missed and we wish him well."
Flack will be in the Interim position for the next year and will personally evaluate if it is the best fit for him as well as the college evaluating if it is right for the institution. Lilienthal is confident in Flack's dedication to the college. "Ryan has a keen interest in athletic administration, so his coaching and MEP coordinator positions have trained him well for these new duties. As an alum he has a passion for Tiger Athletics and support for all student-athletes. I'm excited to see his leadership shine in this new position, and also happy for our men's basketball team that he will remain as Head Coach."
As Flack transitions to the Interim Athletic Director, he would like to thank those that are helping him with this change as well as those that have supported him in the past. "I want to thank John Kriebs for his belief in me as head men's basketball coach three years ago to be able to be in this position today. I would also like to thank Dr. Lilienthal for her encouragement, support and confidence in me to lead MCC athletics. Lastly, I wouldn't be in coaching or junior college athletics if it wasn't for my former MCC Coach, Brynjar Brynjarsson who took a chance on me as small-town Iowa kid back in 2007 who just wanted an opportunity."
The 2022 Tigers home athletic season will kick off with Men's Soccer on August 30, Women's Soccer on August 31, and Volleyball on September 7th. The 55th Annual Tiger Days Golf Outing will occur on Thursday, September 8 at the American Legion Course.
