Tamatoa McDonough to wear number 58 in honor of Curtis Bray
Iowa State redshirt senior Tamatoa McDonough will wear No. 58 this season in honor of former assistant coach Curtis Bray, whose legacy continues to influence the Cyclones football program and campus community.
The tradition of a player switching to No. 58 began in 2014 to remember Bray, who died that year from a pulmonary embolism. Each season, a defensive lineman is chosen to wear the number Bray donned during his standout career at Pittsburgh from 1988 to 1992. Bray served on the Cyclones’ staff from 2009 to 2013. His impact is still felt inside the Bergstrom Football Complex, where leadership and character remain key traits for each new No. 58.
McDonough, a native of Asheville, North Carolina, joins Iowa State after earning his undergraduate degree at Yale. This is his first season with the Cyclones.
Bray’s legacy also lives on through the Curtis Bray Memorial Scholarship, now in its fourth year. The scholarship is awarded annually to an Iowa State student who exemplifies the values Bray championed. This year’s recipient is Amanda Kregel, a business analytics major from Springfield, Illinois.
Both the No. 58 tradition and the scholarship serve as reminders of Bray’s lasting contributions to Iowa State, both on the football field and across campus.
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