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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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 thumb

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

thumb 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 thumb

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

thumb 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 thumb 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 thumb

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]