Iowa State Cyclones football

The Iowa State Cyclones football is the football team at the Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. The team is currently coached by Paul Rhoads.

The Cyclones compete in the Big 12 Conference, and are currently a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) member of the NCAA. The Cyclones play their home games at Jack Trice Stadium, with a capacity of 55,000.

History
Football first made its way onto the Iowa State campus in 1878 as a recreational sport, but it wasn't until 1892 that an organized group of athletes first represented Iowa State in football. In 1894, college president William M. Beardshear spearheaded the foundation of an athletic association to officially sanction Iowa State football teams. The 1894 team finished with a 6–1 mark, including a 16–8 victory over what is now the University of Iowa.

Johnny Majors era
Iowa State finished the season 8–4. The 1971 teams was picked to finish last in the Big Eight, but overcame odds to get a Sun Bowl bid to give the Cyclones their first bowl bid ever in Majors' fourth season at Iowa State. The team was led by George Amundson, who Majors called “the finest athlete I have coached in any job I have had.” Iowa State had one all-conference pick, LB Keith Schroeder. Offensively they were led by Amundson who rushed for 1,260 yards as a running back, including a school record of 15 touchdowns. End Keith Krepfle had 40 receptions for 570 yards and 12 touchdowns. Quarterback Dean Carlson threw for a school record of 1,867 yards.
 * 1971 Sun Bowl
 * LSU 33
 * Iowa State 15

Iowa State's defense played well, but was unable to control QB Bert Jones who was 12–18–227 with three touchdowns. Iowa State got to within four points in the fourth quarter, but Bert Jones drove LSU down the field for yet another score.


 * 1972 Liberty Bowl
 * Georgia Tech 31
 * Iowa State 30

1972 saw the loss of five starters and the move of George Amundson from running back to quarterback to replace Dean Carlson. The Clones lost LB Matt Blair to a pre season injury which forced him into a medical redshirt. The Cyclones fought Nebraska to a 23–23 tie during the '72 season which would have been won on a made extra point by Tom Goedjen, who missed the extra point, but wouldn't miss another extra point as a Cyclone. Three players went on to be named to the All-Big Eight team, OL Geary Murdoch, DEMerv Krakau and QB George Amundson. George Amundson was named Big Eight player of the year over Heisman Trophy winner, Johnny Rodgers.

Iowa State led 14–3 after the first quarter and a Willie Jones Liberty Bowl record, 93-yard kickoff return gave the Cyclones a 21–17 halftime edge. Georgia Tech regained the lead, but the Cyclones took advantage of a Tech turnover late in the game. Amundson hit Ike Harris on a 5-yard TD pass with 1:36 left to cut the Tech lead to 31-30, but Amundson’s two-point conversion pass fell incomplete to end the Cyclones’ chances for victory before 50,021 emotionally spent fans, as well as an ABC-TV prime-time national audience.

All-Americans under Major
 * 1972- QB George Amundson
 * 1972- DE Merv Krakau
 * 1972- G Geary Murdock

Earle Bruce era
The team finished the season with an 8–3 record and a No. 18 ranking, but was snubbed by the bowls even though their losses were to the #1, #2 and #3 teams in the country. Bruce was selected as the Big Eight Coach of the year and had four players garner all conference honors, including Luther Blue, a Split End, who was an All-American. Iowa State would have tied for a share of the Big Eight title with a win over Oklahoma Statein the season finale, but they lost. They upset power house Nebraska 37–28, their first win over Nebraska since 1960, but was unable to beat bowl-bound teamsOklahoma State and Colorado.
 * 1977 Peach Bowl
 * NC State, 24
 * Iowa State, 14

Following another good season, where the Cyclones again beat Nebraska, Iowa State earned a berth in the Peach Bowl. They also tied for second in the conference. The Peach Bowl saw the matchup of two stellar running backs, NC State's Ted Brown and Iowa State's Dexter Green. The game however was dominated by QB Johnny Evans who put up 264 yards of total offense.


 * 1978 Hall of Fame Bowl
 * Texas A&M 28
 * Iowa State 12

The Cyclones returned 14 starters from the 1977 peach bowl team including Heisman Trophy candidate, Dexter Green and Outland Trophy hopeful, Mike Stensrud. Iowa State's post season hopes came down to their last game against Colorado which was nationally televised. The game was close throughout, with ISU clinging to a 17–10 halftime lead. A 27-yard first-half TD pass from Grant to Hardee and a 24-yard field goal from Steve Johnson gave ISU a 10–0 lead. After a CU touchdown closed the gap, Grant rumbled into the end zone from five yards out before the Buffs closed the half with a field goal. The second half was a defensive battle, but the ISU defense came up with big plays down the stretch. Mike Stensrud had 16 stops and caused a fumble to help ISU preserve a 20–16 win over the Buffs. The win earned ISU a Hall of Fame Bowl bid. Cyclones that made the Big Eight first team were Dexter Green, Mike Stensrud, Tom Boskey and Dick Cuvelier. Chris Boskey was named Big Eight Newcomer of the Year.

Iowa State was favored in the Hall of Fame Bowl, but Texas A&M RB Curtis Dickey ran for a Hall of Fame Bowl record of 276 yards. Dickey had 184 yards in the first half, including runs of 54, 25, 35, and 21 yards.


 * All-Americans under Bruce
 * 1973- ROV Matt Blair
 * 1974- S Barry Hill
 * 1976- SE Luther Blue
 * 1977- NG Ron McFarland
 * 1978- TB Dexter Green
 * 1978- DT Mike Stensrud

Dan McCarney era

 * 2000 Insight.com Bowl
 * Iowa State 37
 * Pittsburgh 29

In 2000, McCarney took the Cyclones to their first bowl game since 1978 and their first ever bowl victory. Led by senior QB Sage Rosenfels, the Cyclones won against the University of Pittsburgh Panthers in the 2000 Insight.com Bowl at Bank One Ballpark in Phoenix, Arizona.


 * 2001 Independence Bowl
 * Alabama 14
 * Iowa State 13

Propelled by newcomer Seneca Wallace, the Cyclones went to a second bowl game in 2001 against the Alabama in the 2001 Independence Bowl in Shreveport, Louisiana. They lost the game on a disputed missed field goal by Cyclone kicker Tony Yelk, which some people thought had sailed directly over the right goal post.


 * 2002 Humanitarian Bowl
 * Boise State 34
 * Iowa State 16

Seneca Wallace would lead the Cyclones to a 6–1 start in 2002, including a near-win against the Florida State in the Eddie Robinson Classic in Kansas City, Missouri. Wallace dove towards the goal line at the last second but was ruled out shy of the end zone. At one point the Cyclones were ranked #9 in the country. They wouldn't finish the season as well as they began it. They finished the season 7-7 following a loss to Boise State in the Humanitarian Bowl. The following season wasn't as successful. The Cyclones finished 2003 with a 2–10 record. They were quarterbacked by redshirt freshman Austin Flynn, who went on to switch the wide receiver position in later seasons.

During a 2002 home game versus Texas Tech, ISU quarterback Seneca Wallace scored on a 12-yard touchdown by running an estimated 120 yards backwards, forwards, and sideways on the field. Wallace dodged tackles and received numerous blocks from his offense, including one devastating block made by running back Michael Wagner. The play briefly catapulted Wallace into Heisman Trophy contention and was recognized by ESPN as the "Play of the Week." It has since been recognized as one of the great plays in college football history. The play is known among Iowa State fans simply as "The Run." Just as memorable to fans was the play-by-play given by Cyclone Radio broadcaster Pete Taylor.


 * 2004 Independence Bowl
 * Iowa State 17
 * Miami (OH) 13

The 2004 season would be much more successful than 2003 for the Cyclones. Redshirt freshman Bret Meyer took over the quarterback spot and paired up with fellow redshirt freshman receiver Todd Blythe to make a lethal combination. The Cyclones had a chance to win the Big 12 North Title but fell short after a Missouri defender intercepted a pass intended for Jon Davis in the end zone. The Cyclones would go on to play the Miami RedHawks in the 2004 Independence Bowl. They won the game 17–13. The Cyclones finished the season 7–5.


 * 2005 Houston Bowl
 * TCU 27
 * Iowa State 24

The Cyclones continued their success under McCarney in the 2005 season with a 7–5 record. They missed out yet again on the Big 12 title when they lost in overtime to the Kansas Jayhawks after a missed field goal by Bret Culbertson. They led the game in the 4th quarter but allowed Kansas to come back. They got a berth in the 2005 Houston Bowl, but lost 24–27 to the TCU Horned Frogs.

McCarney stepped down as head coach after a 4–8 season in 2006. McCarney finished with a 56–85 all time record.

All-Americans under McCarney
 * 1995- RB Troy Davis
 * 1996- RB Troy Davis
 * 2000- C Ben Bruns

Gene Chizik era
Gene Chizik signed as new head football coach, replacing Dan McCarney. Iowa State wore 1977 throwback jerseys for the 2007 game against Iowa and re-introduced gold pants as a standard part of their uniform. It marked the 30th anniversary since the restart of the rivalry as well as the 30th anniversary of the 1977 Iowa State Peach Bowl team. They finished the season 3-9, including a 15-13 win over Iowa, and back-to-back wins against Kansas State and Colorado. All three wins were upsets. In 2008, Iowa State opened with two wins against weaker nonconference foes, before losing their next 10 games to finish the season 2-10. Chizik left the Cyclones after the season to become the head football coach of Auburn.

Paul Rhoads era
Paul Rhoads was announced as the 31st head coach in December 2008. Rhoads had previously spent time at Iowa State as an assistant coach in the late nineties and was raised only 20 miles from the school's football facilities. Rhoads led Iowa State to a victory at Kent State in his first year, ending a 17 game road losing streak. In October 2009 the Cyclones defeated Baylor to end an 11 game losing stretch against conference opponents, and then went on to defeat Nebraska in Lincoln for the first time since 1977. On December 31, 2009 the Cyclones capped off their season with an Insight.com Bowlvictory over Minnesota.

In 2010 the Cyclones captured a milestone win over the #22 Texas Longhorns by a 28–21 margin. It was only the fourth ever road win over a ranked team in Iowa State history, and the first occurrence since a 33–31 victory over Oklahoma in 1990. It was also the first ever win by an Iowa State football team over Texas.

In 2011 Iowa State started off the season 3-0 including a triple overtime win over Iowa in Ames, and a win over Connecticut in East Hartford. The Cyclones would drop the next four games, starting out 0-4 in conference play but quickly bounce back. The Cyclones rebounded with a 41-7 win on October 29 at number 19 Texas Tech. In the process, Iowa State managed to rack up 512 total yards, the most since the Nov 22, 2008 game at Kansas State (626 yards at KSU). Several other school records were broken, including first-ever win in Lubbock, Texas (1-5 all-time), largest margin of victory against a ranked opponent (previous: 22-point margin of victory against No. 20 Nebraska, 2002), largest margin of victory against a ranked opponent as an unranked team (previous: 21-point margin of victory against No. 8 Missouri, 1981), largest margin of victory against a ranked opponent on the road (previous: 7-point margin of victory at No. 22 Texas, 2010), and most points scored against a ranked opponent since Nov. 9, 1996 (42 at No. 7 Colorado).

On November 18, Iowa State faced off against undefeated No. 2 Oklahoma State and Heisman frontrunner Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon in Ames. Down 24-7 early in the second half, Iowa State came back with 17 unanswered points to force overtime. In overtime, Iowa State scored on its first play from scrimmage, but Oklahoma State answered back with one. In the second overtime, Iowa State forced an interception and ran three run plays to beat Oklahoma State 37-31, smashing Oklahoma State's chances of playing for a national championship and Brandon Weeden's Heisman shot. Iowa State became bowl eligible with the win and improved to 6-4. The win over Oklahoma State marks Iowa State's first ever win against an opponent in the top 6 (AP polls).

On September 8, 2012 Iowa State defeated Iowa 9-6 for its first win in Iowa City in 10 years.

Conference championships
Iowa State has won 2 conference championships in school history. Both Iowa State conference championships were during their membership in the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MVIAA), which would later be known as the Big Eight Conference. Iowa State was a Big 12 Conference North Division co-champion during the 2004 season.

Appearances in the final Associated Press Poll
Iowa State has made 40 appearances in the Associated Press poll over 10 seasons, including 1 week in the Top 10. Iowa State has finished the year ranked in the final Associated Press poll of the season 2 times:

Season records
The Cyclones began playing football against other colleges in 1892.

Bowl games
Iowa State has appeared in 12 bowl games. Their overall bowl record is 3-9:

Jack Trice Stadium
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, 56,800, was set on October 13, 2012 when the #24 Cyclones played #5 Kansas State. 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 stadium in Division I-A named for an African American individual.

Bergstrom Indoor Facility


The Steve and Debbie Bergstrom Indoor Training Facility opened in March 2004. It is a92000 sqft multi-purpose, indoor practice facility. Inside the facility is a full sizedastroturf 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.

Football Training Facility
Currently a 20.6 million dollar structure is being added to the Bergstrom Indoor Facility. This new building will house all offices, training rooms, meeting rooms, lockers (for the Cyclones) and more. Construction is scheduled to be completed Fall 2012.

Jacobson Athletic Building
Located off the north end zone of Jack Trice Stadium, The Jacobson Athletic Building currently 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). All football space (except visitors lockers) will be moved to a new Football Training facility to the west of the Jacobson Building. Space vacated will be reassigned to other sports.

Other facilities
Former Stadiums
 * State Field (1892–1913)
 * Clyde Williams Field (1914–1974) Martin and Eaton Residence Halls now stand on the ground formerly occupied by Clyde Williams Field, northwest of Friley Hall and south of State Gym.

Team name
Originally, the Iowa Agricultural College (Iowa State University) teams were known as the "Cardinals". The name was changed after Sept. 29, 1895, when under legendary coach Glenn "Pop" Warner the Cardinals routed the Northwestern Wildcats, 36-0. Inspired by an extremely active tornado (then called "cyclone") season, the next day, the Chicago Tribune headline read: "Struck by a Cyclone." The article went on to say, "Northwestern might as well have tried to play football with an Iowa cyclone as with the team it met yesterday." Since then the Iowa State teams have been known as the "Cyclones".

Jack Trice
Jack Trice was Iowa State's first African-American athlete; he was also the first and only Iowa State athlete to die from injuries sustained during athletic competition. He died three days after his first game playing for Iowa State against the University of Minnesota on October 6, 1923. He suffered a broken collarbone early on, but continued to play until he was trampled by a group of Minnesota players. It is disputed whether he was trampled on purpose or if it was an accident. A statue commemorates him outside of the stadium that is named for him, Jack Trice Stadium. His legacy was forgotten until the 70's when students discovered a plaque commemorating him in State Gym. They decided to put up a petition to name the stadium, at the time known as Cyclones Stadium, after him. Originally they got the field named after him in 1984. The stadium was named Jack Trice Stadium in 1997. It is the only NCAA Division I stadium named after an African-American.

Cannon
The members of the Iowa State Chapter of Alpha Sigma Phi man and maintain a cannon that is discharged at home football games when the Iowa State team takes the field, following the first kickoff, the kickoff following half-time, all Iowa State kickoffs, and immediately following an Iowa State touchdown.

Mascot


Iowa State uses a cardinal, Cy, as its mascot instead of an actual tornado or Cyclone. Prior to the football matchup 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 favoredBuffaloes 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."

Tailgating
Iowa State is well regarded for Tailgating. The layout of Jack Trice Stadium on a flood-plain accommodates ample parking space immediately surrounding the stadium. Cyclone fans typically arrive hours before kick-off in large SUVs and Recreational Vehicles to grill popular Midwestern foods such as pork loin, bratwurst, hamburgers and hot dogs and drink copious amounts of beer.

Rivalries/Trophy games

 * Cy-Hawk Trophy-Iowa
 * Missouri
 * Kansas State



Victory bell
Located immediately outside and north of Jack Trice Stadium, the victory bell is rung following a Cyclone victory. Forged in 1890 the victory bell served on campus to signal dismissal from classes before being moved to Clyde Williams Field and Jack Trice Stadium.

Tornado Siren
To go along with the installation of the new video board and sound system prior to the 2011 football season, a tornado siren is sounded after touchdowns, defensive stands, and other big plays. While the tornado siren is a new tradition, it is one that numerous Cyclones fans have asked the Iowa State athletic director to implement for many years, especially since the Colorado-Iowa State game of November 12, 2005, when a tornado touched down in Ames and sirens were heard throughout town during what normally would have been pregame activities. Since its implementation has become an extremely popular aspect of the Jack Trice Stadium experience.

Coaching staff
Paul Rhoads was hired on December 20, 2008 to be Iowa State's new head coach. His original contract was reported to be a 5-year deal worth $5.75 million. On December 16, 2011, Iowa State University announced that Coach Rhoads signed an extension with the university. The exact details are not yet known, but it is a 10 year deal worth a total of 20 million.
 * Head Coach: Paul Rhoads (B.S., Missouri Western '89) (M.E.D., Utah State '91)
 * Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks: Courtney Messingham (Northern Iowa '90)
 * Defensive Coordinator/Linebackers: Wally Burnham (Samford '63) 
 * Assistant Head Coach / Offensive Line: Bill Bleil (Northwestern College [IA] '82
 * Wide Receivers: 'Todd Sturdy
 * Tight Ends: Luke Wells (Oklahoma '01)
 * Defensive Tackles: Shane Burnham (South Carolina '98)
 * Defensive Line: Curtis Bray (Pittsburgh '92)
 * Secondary: Troy Douglas
 * Running Backs: Kenith Pope (Oklahoma '76)
 * Director of Strength and Conditioning: Yancy McKnight (Missouri Southern State '01)
 * Assistant Strength and Conditioning Coach: Clayton Oyster (Otterbein [OH] '02)
 * Director of Operations: Brian Schwartze (Central Methodist University '95)
 * Assistant Director of Football Operations: Markus Alleyne (Concordia University [Canada] '07)
 * Assistant Recruiting Coordinator: Nick Uhlenhopp
 * Associate Student Assistant for Recruiting: Gerris Chermoten
 * Defensive Graduate Assistant: Nick Caley
 * Offensive Quality Control Graduate Assistant: Drew Mehringer
 * Defensive Quality Control Graduate Assistant: Ben Barkema 
 * Strength and Conditioning Graduate Assistant: Derrick Catlett
 * Strength and Conditioning Graduate Assistant: Erich Anthony
 * Video Coordinator: Mike Motl
 * Director of Equipment Operations: Jon Sedgwick
 * Assistant Director of Equipment Operations: Lenny Brown

Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Trophy is awarded annually to the nation's most outstanding college football player. Two Iowa State players have received votes the Heisman Trophy, with one finishing runner-up.

Bold indicates winner

Cyclones in the NFL

 * See List of All-Time Iowa State Cyclones in the NFL

Cyclones All-Americans

 * See List of All-Time Iowa State Cyclones All-Americans