Merl Ross (2009) - Hall of Fame - Iowa State Athletics

Merl Ross

Merl Ross

Administration
Oneida, Iowa

The longest-serving employee in Iowa State Athletics Department history, working for 56 years (1917-73)
Hired as Secretary for the Physical Training Department, his first job description read: “The requirements are honesty, good morals and a pleasing and agreeable personality”
Started as head ticket manager, Ross eventually took over operations of the business office, too
When Iowa’s football team visited Clyde Williams Field in 1920, Ross and his crew worked until midnight the night before the game with a lantern and a piece of chalk to mark numbers on the seats (creating the first reserved seating plan in school history)
Handled ticket orders for the first sellout in ISU history when the school distributed more than 19,000 tickets for the 1960 game against Oklahoma