The Iowa State Cyclones
(commonly referred to as the "'Clones") are the athletic teams of Iowa State University. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams in 11 sports.
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IOWA STATE CYCLONES TICKETS
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Overview
Iowa State's
Athletic Director,
Jamie Pollard (2005-current), has dramatically changed the direction of the athletic program. Since hired, Pollard has replaced two head coaches in
football and
wrestling, and has also replaced coaches in
men's basketball,
gymnastics,
soccer,
cross country/
track and field, women's
golf,
tennis, and
softball. He has dramatically increased the athletic budget and has improved player academics. Additionally, he has initiated major renovations to Hilton Coliseum
[1] and Jack Trice Stadium
[2], and has begun construction of a basketball practice facility.
[3]
Pollard does have critics that point to poor team performance in
men's basketball and
football, increased ticket prices, and radical spending. Since Pollard was hired, Iowa State has been to only one bowl game and has not made the
NCAA Tournament, nor have they won a game in the
Big 12 Men's Basketball Tournament. Additionally, between facility improvements and contract buyouts, Iowa State has drained their reserves and has been forced to dramatically increase ticket prices in order to balance the budget. Pollard's supporters point out the improved facilities, the better patron interaction, and that the increased prices are only average compared to other
Big 12 schools.
The
NACDA Director's Cup is an
award given annually by the
National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics to the colleges and universities with the most success in collegiate athletics. Points for the NACDA Director's Cup are based on order of finish in various
NCAA sponsored championships or based on various polls. The following is Iowa State's finish in the Director's Cup since 1993:
[4]
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| Year
| Standing
|
| ISU Director's Cup Standings
|
| 1993-94
| 58th
|
| 1994-95
| 49th
|
| 1995-96
| 40th
|
| 1996-97
| 41st
|
| 1997-98
| 62nd
|
| 1998-99
| 56th
|
| 1999-00
| 42nd
|
| 2000-01
| 54th
|
| 2001-02
| 58th
|
| 2002-03
| 107th
|
| 2003-04
| 123rd
|
| 2004-05
| 60th
|
| 2005-06
| 97th
|
| 2006-07
| 73rd
|
| 2007-08
| 58th
|
| 2008-09
| 58th
|
| Average
| 65th
|
^
indicates a current, not final, standing
¦¦ Red indicates ranking down from previous year
¦¦ Green indicates ranking up from previous year
Men's Sports
Baseball
Iowa State University fielded
baseball from 1892 until the conclusion of the 2000-2001 season. Iowa State discontinued
baseball as an official sport due to budget constraints after the 2000-2001 season, but it does remain as a club sport. Iowa State had an 1,346-1,412-17 all time record including a 7-6
NCAA tournament record.
Basketball
thumb goes for a
layup
The
Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team competes in the
Big 12 Conference of
NCAA Division I athletics.
Greg McDermott is the current ISU men's basketball head coach. Iowa State has a 1160–1190 all time record, and has been to the
NCAA Tournament thirteen times including two
Sweet 16 appearances, an
Elite 8 appearance, and a
Final Four appearance. ISU has also won six regular conference titles and two conference tournament titles. Iowa State men's basketball team plays in
Hilton Coliseum, part of the
Iowa State Center on the south-east side of
Iowa State University, and is known as one of the best venues in all of college basketball.
Cross Country
Iowa State Cyclones Cross Country
is an athletic team representing the Cyclones of
Iowa State University in
Ames, Iowa. Since beginning in 1954, the men's cross country team has won two
NCAA national titles, two conference titles, and has made the
NCAA tournament 22 times.
Football
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Iowa State plays
NCAA Division 1 FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) football in the
Big 12 North Division. Iowa State football team is led by first year head coach
Paul Rhoads. ISU started playing football in 1892, however, it did not become an official sport until 1894. The Cyclones have a 476-556-46 all time record and are 2-7 in post season play.
The Cyclones play home games in
Jack Trice Stadium and practices at
Bergstrom Indoor Practice Facility. The stadium is named after
Jack Trice, a football play who incurred a fatal injury while playing for the Cyclones in 1923. The stadium is currently under a major renovation which has doubled the luxury suites, widened the concourses and built new restrooms and concession stands. Once monies are secured, the south end-zone will be completely bowled in, raising the stadiums seating capacity from around 50,000 to nearly 60,000.
[5]
Golf
Iowa State Cyclone's men's golf is coached by Jay Horton who is in his 10th season (2009) at Iowa State. Iowa State has made twelve
NCAA appearances and has won three
Big 6 conference titles. Iowa State play and practice at Veenker Memorial Golf Course on the Iowa State Campus.
[6]
Track and field
Iowa State Cyclones Track and Field is part of the
Big 12 Conference under the leadership of Corey Ihmels. Iowa State has had considerable success in men's track and field, winning 20 conference titles and making 52
NCAA appearances in indoor and outdoor events.
Wrestling
Iowa State's is coached by Olympic gold medalist Kevin Jackson. Jackson was introduced as the Cyclones heead coach on April 30, 2009, replacing Cael Sanderson. In wrestling, Iowa State has won 8 national team titles and 15 conference team titles including winning the last three Big 12 titles. Iowa State wrestlers have claimed 66 individual national titles, and 16 Iowa State players have participated in the Olympics resulting in 5 gold, 1 silver, and 2 bronze medals. Well known wrestlers for Iowa State include
Cael Sanderson,
Dan Gable,
Kevin Jackson,
Bobby Douglas, and
Glen Brand.
Women's Sports
thumb in 2008
Basketball
Iowa State is known for having one of the best
women's basketball programs in the nation. Since the founding of the
Big 12 in 1996,
ISU has had only one losing season, has won 3 conference titles (1 regular season, 2 tournament), and has a winning record against every
Big 12 opponent, except
Baylor.
Bill Fennelly is the coach and is largely responsible for building this successful program. On a national level, the
Cyclones have made the
NCAA tournament ten times, making it four times to the
Sweet Sixteen and twice to the
Elite Eight, most recently in 2009. They have also made the
WNIT twice. ISU has been ranked in the top 10 for attendance for the past eight years and finished the 2008-2009 season ranked #2 in the nation for attendance.
[7]
Cross Country
Iowa State Cyclones Cross Country
is an athletic team representing the Cyclones of
Iowa State University in
Ames, Iowa. Since beginning in 1973, the women's cross country team has won eight conference titles and has made the
NCAA tournament six times.
Golf
Iowa State women's golf is led by head coach Christie Martens (2005-present). Iowa State has won one
Big 8 conference title and has made the
NCAA tournament four times and the
AIAW (NCAA predecessor for women's golf) tournament three times. The Iowa State women's
golf team plays and practice at Veenker Memorial Golf Course on the Iowa State Campus.
[8]
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Track and field
Iowa State Cyclones Track and Field is part of the
Big 12 Conference under the leadership of Corey Ihmels. Iowa State has had success in women's track and field, winning 9 conference titles and making 24
NCAA appearances in indoor and outdoor events.
Gymnastics
Iowa State Women's Gymnastics program has won two
Big 12 titles in the past ten years (2000, 2006) and made an appearance in the
NCAA "Super Six"
gymnastics championship (2006). Iowa State has also won two
Big 8 conference titles in 1975 and 1977. Iowa State women's
gymnastics are coached by Jay Ronayne who is 18-24-1 overall since hired in 2007.
[9]
Soccer
Iowa State's newest sport is
Soccer. It was officially named a Cyclone sport in 1996 and has built a 98-118-19 overall record including one
NCAA tournament appearance in 2005. Iowa State Cyclone soccer is led by first year (2008-2009) Head Coach, Wendy Dillinger.
[10]
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Softball
Iowa State Women's Softball is coached by Stacy Gemeinhardt-Cesler (2006-present), who has a 65-72 record at Iowa State and 218-148 overall. Iowa State's
softball team has a all time record of 743-693-5 and is 53-168 in
Big 12 play. The softball team plays at the Southwest Athletic Complex and practices there and at the Bergstrom Indoor Practice Facility.
[11]
Swimming & Diving
Iowa State Swimming & Diving is coached by Duane Sorenson, who is 55-50 in his 12th season at Iowa State (1996-present). Iowa State has won one
Big 8 conference title in 1974, and has a 159-149 all time record. The
swimming &
diving team trains and competes in Beyer Pool on ISU's campus.
[12]
Tennis
Iowa State Women's Tennis is coached by first year head coach Armando Espinosa. Iowa State
Tennis team has had a 100%
graduation rate over the past 16 years and the programs athletes consistently post some of the highest
GPA's of all Iowa State athletes.
[13]
Volleyball
Head Coach Cristy Johnson has led
Iowa State to one of the most impressive turn-around ever. Since taking over the program in
2005, Johnson has coached the
Cyclones to a 56-40 (.583) record, including three
NCAA tournament appearances and the programs first ever national ranking. The Cyclone's three
NCAA tournament appearances include a second round appearance in
2006, a
Sweet 16 appearance in
2007, and a
Elite 8 appearance in
2008. The
Cyclone fans have recognized the success and in
2007, ISU ranked 20th in the country for attendance, averaging 1,565 spectators per match. After upsetting 8th ranked
Wisconsin in the second round in
2007, the
Cyclones earned their first-ever national ranking at the No. 18 spot in the
AVCA Coaches Poll.
[14] Overall, Iowa State has a 597-637-10 record, a 126-272 conference record, and a 4-3
NCAA tournament record.
[15]
Championships
Iowa State has won thirteen NCAA National Team Championships in three sports. By far Iowa State's most successful sport is Wrestling, which in spite having not won a national title for over twenty year, has continued to remain a contender for the national title. In Wrestling, Iowa State has finished as runners up for the National title numerous times, their last being in 2007.
Spite Iowa State's success in Wrestling, their most resent NCAA National Team Championship was in Men's Cross Country in 1994. Iowa State is not known as a national powerhouse in Cross Country, however, it is not unusual for the ISU Cross Country team to make into the NCAA tournament.
Probably the more unusual titles that Iowa State has won is in Men's Gymnastics. A highly successful period of Men's Gymnastics, led ISU to 3 national titles in 4 years. Men's gymnastics is no longer a sport sponsored by Iowa State.
| Titles
| Sport
| Year
|
National Championships
(NCAA unless indicated)
|
| 8
| Wrestling [16]
| 1933, 1965, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1977, 1987
|
| 5
| Women's Cross Country [17]
| 1975(AIAW), 1976(AIAW), 1977(AIAW), 1978(AIAW), 1981(AIAW)
|
| 3
| Men's Gymnastics [18]
| 1971, 1973, 1974
|
| 2
| Men's Cross Country | 1989, 1994
|
| 18 Total
| NCAA: 13
AIAW: 5
|
| Conference Championships
|
| 20
| Men's Swimming | MVC
: 1929, 1931, 1932
Big 6
: 1933, 1934, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1947
Big 7
: 1948, 1949, 1951, 1954
Big 8
: 1967, 1976, 1977, 1995
|
| 14
| Wrestling | Big 6
: 1933, 1937, 1941, 1947
Big 7
: 1958
Big 8
: 1970, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1982, 1987
Big 12
: 2007, 2008, 2009
|
| 12
| Men's Outdoor Track&Field | Big 6
: 1944, 1945
Big 8
: 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994
|
| 10
| Men's Basketball [19]
| Big 6
: 1935, 1941, 1944, 1945
Big 7
: 1955
Big 8
: 1959, 1996
Big 12
: 2000(2), 2001
|
| 10
| Men's Gymnastics | Big 8
: 1965, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975
|
| 8
| Women's Cross Country | Big 8
: 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1983, 1990
|
| 8
| Men's Indoor Track&Field | Big 6
: 1944, 1945, 1946
Big 8
: 1984, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1993
|
| 6
| Women's Outdoor Track&Field | Big 8
: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979
|
| 5
| Women's Indoor Track&Field | Big 8
: 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979
|
| 4
| Baseball | Big 6
: 1936
Big 7
: 1957
Big 8
: 1970, 1971
|
| 4
| Women's Gymnastics | Big 8
: 1975, 1977
Big 12
: 2000, 2006
|
| 3
| Football [20]
| MVC
: 1911, 1912
Big 12
: 2004 (North)
|
| 3
| Men's Golf | Big 6
: 1940, 1947, 1953
|
| 3
| Women's Basketball [21]
| Big 12
: 2000(2), 2001
|
| 2
| Men's Cross Country | Big 8
: 1989, 1994
|
| 1
| Women's Golf | Big 8
: 1993
|
| 1
| Women's Swimming & Diving | Big 8
: 1974
|
| 114 Total
| MVC: 5
Big 6: 26
Big 7: 7
Big 8: 64
Big 12: 12
|
Facilities
Hilton Coliseum
James H. Hilton Coliseum is a 14,356-seat multi-purpose
arena in
Ames, Iowa. The arena, which is part of the
Iowa State Center, opened in 1971. It is home to the
Iowa State University Cyclones
basketball,
wrestling,
gymnastics and
volleyball teams. The building was specifically built to hold in sound with a solid concrete structure, steel doors, and a crowd that sits just a few feet from the court. During big games, players from opposing teams, as well as Iowa State, have even said that the floor has shaken due to the loudness of the crowd. A record basketball crowd of 15,000 saw the Cyclones post a 97-94 win over Iowa in 1971.
Jack Trice Stadium
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Jack Trice Stadium (formerly Cyclone Stadium) is a
stadium in
Ames, Iowa. It is primarily used for
college football, and is the home field of the
Iowa State University Cyclones. It opened on
September 20,
1975 (with a win against
Air Force), and with hillside tickets it officially has 55,000 seats. The current record for single-game attendance, 56,795, was set on
September 8,
2007 when the Cyclones played
Northern Iowa. In 1997, the stadium was named in honor of
Jack Trice, ISU's first
African American athlete and the school's first athletics-related fatality. The stadium is the only one in
Division I-A named for an African American individual.
[22]
Veenker Memorial Golf Course
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The 6,543-yard, par-72, George Veenker Memorial Golf Course is located just two blocks north of the Iowa State campus. The 18-hole course was constructed in 1938 from the design of world renowned golf course architect,
Perry Maxwell. The course hosted the conference championships in 1982 and 1989, two regional
AIAW championships, and hosts the annual
Iowa Masters Championship. It also hosted the 1949
NCAA national championship.
[23]
Basketball Practice Facility
Currently under construction is Iowa State's new
basketball practice facility. The two
acres of land in west
Ames, Iowa, that the facility is being built on was donated by a local developer, Dickson Jensen. The $8 million, 36,000 square-foot facility, will include two separate 10,000 square- foot
gymnasiums for both
men's and
women's basketball programs, as well as separate lounges and locker rooms, a theater room, a medical treatment area, and coaches' offices and conference rooms. The tentative completion date is September 2009.
[24]
Bergstrom Indoor Facility
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The Steve and Debbie Bergstrom Indoor Training Facility opened in March 2004. It is a 92,000 square-foot multi-purpose, indoor practice facility. Inside the facility is a full sized
Astro turf football field. Though typically associated with
football, it is also used for practice by the
softball and
soccer teams, as well as community events. The building sits just northwest of
Jack Trice Stadium and is part of the
Johnny Majors Practice Complex. The facility cost $9.6 million to build and was funded by private gifts to the athletic department and ISU Foundation.
[25]
Beyer Hall
Beyer Hall is home to Iowa State's women's
swimming and
diving team and women's
gymnastics team (men's
swimming and
diving and
gymnastics teams have been discontinued at Iowa State). The swimming and diving team practices and holds competition in the Beyer Pool, a six lane, T-shaped, 25-yard competitive pool with an attached diving well, and seating for approximately 800 spectators. The Beyer Pool has hosted the 1963 and 1971
NCAA meets, as well as numerous conference championships.
[26] Though the gymnastics team competes in
Hilton Coliseum, they practice across the hall from Beyer Pool in the Amy and Dennis Pyle Family Gymnastics Facility. Renovated in 2002, the practice facility is used by collegiate and elementary athletes alike.
[27]
Cross Country Course
The $250,000, Iowa State Cross Country Course was dedicated in 1995 and was host of the
NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships that fall, and again in 2000. The course runs through the Iowa State
Arboretum and was the first course in the nation designed exclusively for competitive cross country racing.
[28]
Hixson-Lied Student Success Center
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The 10 million dollar, Hixson-Lied Student Success Center, was designed for improving academic achievement campus wide, with the second floor devoted specifically to student athletes. The facility was built using private contributions. Since it's completion in 2006, Iowa State student athletes have dramatically improved in the class room and now boost a higher average GPA (
Grade point average) than the rest of the student body.
[29]
ISU Soccer Complex
Built in 1995 when women's
soccer was added as an official sport at
Iowa State, the ISU Soccer Complex sits just east of the Lied Recreation Athletics Center. Permanent lighting was installed in 2004 at a cost of $170,000 and a team meeting room was added in 2005. The Iowa State Soccer team practices in the [Bergstrom Indoor Facility] during bad weather or field conditions.
[30]
Jacobson Athletic Building
Located off the north
end zone of
Jack Trice Stadium, The Jacobson Athletic Building houses all football offices, locker rooms, meeting rooms,
strength and conditioning room, and
sports medicine room. In addition to football, it also houses administrative and coaches offices (except men's and women's basketball). The administrative and football offices were renovated in 2008 with the renovation to the
Jack Trice Stadium.
[31]
Lied Recreation Center
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The Lied Recreation Center is a multi-purpose building housing the
soccer team lockers, practice facility for
wrestling, and a 300 meter track for indoor competition. The $13 million center, was host of the 1998, 2000, and 2007 indoor
track and field Big 12 Championships. The new
mondo track has eight 42-inch lanes, making it the largest and one of the fastest indoor surfaces in the world. There is portable seating for 2,000 spectators and also includes two
long jump/
triple jump pits and a
pole vault runway. The facility also includes showers,
saunas,
steam rooms, and a
sports medicine center.
[32]
Southwest Athletic Complex
The Southwest Athletic Complex is home to multiple sport facilities including: baseball, softball, track and field, and cross country (technically the ISU cross country course is separate, but it runs around and through the athletic complex). The baseball stadium, Capp Timm Field, is still used by university sport clubs, but is no longer used for official athletic competition since the baseball was dropped in 2002. The Southeast Athletic Complex has been home for the softball team since 1980. The softball facility was renovated in 2004, with new bleachers with seating for 500 spectators, a new backstop wall, and new netting. Track and Field also holds outdoor competitions in the athletic complex.
[33]
Club Sports
Iowa State also has a number of club sports. Most are sports not sponsored by the university's athletic department or
NCAA Division I athletics, others are supplementary to ISU sports and allow students a chance to compete but not at a
Division I level.
A number of
clubs experience much notability on campus and nationwide:
ISU baseball was cut by the school's athletic department in
2000; but it continues, as a club sport, to provides students with the opportunity to attend ISU and play competitive baseball. Iowa State Men's Hockey is non-scholarship sport since it is not considered a recreation sports like other club sports. ISU has been a
American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) powerhouse since its inception, the team has many ACHA Frozen Four appearances and was the ACHA Nation Championship in 1992. ISU Rodeo is a member of the
National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) and is one of the oldest collegiate rodeo athletic events in the US.
Traditions
Mascot
150px
Iowa State uses a cardinal, Cy, as its mascot instead of an actual tornado or Cyclone. Prior to the football match up against the
University of Colorado on November 12, 2005 a tornado touched down in Ames, Iowa and forced fans to either stand out in the parking lot and watch the storm or flee to shelter in Hilton Coliseum. It created such an atmosphere that Iowa State was able to win over the favored
Buffaloes 30–16. When asked about the event, Colorado coach Gary Barnett said, "I thought we had a pretty good mascot. But when we showed up at Iowa State and they had a real tornado, that's the real deal."
Colors
¦¦ Cardinal
¦¦ Gold
Originally
silver,
yellow, and
black, the school colors were changed to
cardinal and
gold in
1899 to make
dying sweaters easier. A council was formed in
October of 1899 with the purpose of finding new colors that would be suitable for
sweaters. The council reported in favor of cardinal sweaters with gold lettering
[34]. According to cyclones.com (Iowa State Athletics official website), the Iowa State teams were originally known as the "Cardinals"
[35], though there is no other evidence to support it, it is assumed that the cardinal color was derived from the original team name.
Cheers
ISU Fights is the official
fight song for
Iowa State University:
O we will fight, fight, fight for Iowa State,
And may her colors ever fly.
Yes, we will fight with might for Iowa State,
With a will to do or die,
Rah! Rah! Rah!
Loyal sons forever true,
And we will fight the battle through.
And when we hit that line we'll hit it hard every yard for I. S. U!
Rivals
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Iowa State's most heated rival is against the
University of Iowa Hawkeyes. Though the two teams started playing each other in 1894 (in football), the
Cy-Hawk Trophy was not introduced until 1977 when the two teams meet for the first time in 43 years. The
trophy was donated by the Des Moines Athletic Club, and is awarded to the victor of the annual
football game. The trophy features a football player in the classic
running back pose, with the Cyclone's and Hawkeye's logos.
[36]
Started in 2004, the annual
Hy-Vee Cy-Hawk Series gives points to the
Hawkeyes and
Cyclones based on wins in 11 sports and academic achievement. Each team is awarded 2 points for a win (except football which gets 3 points), 1 point for a tie, and 2 points for having athletes average
GPA better than national average. At the end of the year all the points are added and the team with the most points wins the series for that year and bragging rights.
[37]
When the coaches’ field phones were tested prior to the 1959 Iowa State-Missouri football game in
Ames, Iowa, it was found that the teams could hear one another. The problem was solved by game time, but not without considerable worry on the part of the coaching staff. The Northwestern
Bell Telephone Company of Ames had a
trophy made after the field phone controversy and it continues to be presented today to the winner of the game between ISU and Mizzou. An odd sidelight to the whole affair was that the same thing happened to Missouri later that year in a game played at
Columbia, Mo.
[38]