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CYCLONE TRADITIONS
Telephone Trophy
When the field phones were tested prior to the Iowa State-Missouri game of 1959 it was found that both teams could hear each other. The problem was solved by game time, but not without considerable worry on the part of the coaches. The Northwestern Bell Telephone Co. of Ames had a trophy made and presented it to Iowa State to be awarded each year to the team winning the game. An odd sidelight to the whole affair was that the same thing happened to Missouri later in the year in a game played at Columbia.
Cy-Hawk Trophy
When Iowa State and Iowa resumed football competition in 1977, the Des Moines Athletic Club donated a football trophy to be awarded to the victor of the annual game. Not only does the trophy feature a football player in the classic running back pose, but also likenesses of both Cy the Cardinal and Herky the Hawkeye adorn the front of the trophy.
Senior Bowl Trophy
Iowa State head coach Dan McCarney started the senior bowl trophy before the 1998 season finale against Kansas. If the Cyclones win their final home game of the season, like they did against the Jayhawks last season, the trophy will be displayed in the Gary Thompson Hall of Honor throughout the next season, bearing the name of the team's seniors.
"Cyclones"
In the summer and early fall of 1895, an unusually large number of what were then referred to as "cyclones" wreaked havoc upon the state of Iowa. Had the United States Weather Service known a little bit more about climatology at that time, Iowa State might today be known as the "Tornadoes."
That fall, however, an underdog Iowa State 11 played at Northwestern. After building a commanding 30-0 halftime lead, the Cardinals, as ISU's teams were then named, went on to post a shocking 36-0 rout of the Wildcats. The game story headline in the next morning's Chicago Tribune read "Iowa Cyclone Devastates Evanstontown," and since that famous moment in Iowa State gridiron history, the athletic teams have been known as the "Cyclones."
Origin of "Cy"
In 1954, a group of students that included pep council president Chuck Duncan, brainstorming on how to build more school spirit, approached Collegiate Manufacturing of Ames on creating a school mascot. Since the consensus was that you couldn't "stuff a Cyclone"; a bird figure using the school colors (cardinal and gold) was the eventual choice.
Duncan and the Pep Council then got a green light from ISU alumni director Baron, sports information Director Harry Burrell and Cyclone Club director Ray Donals. A cardinal-like bird was introduced at the 1954 Homecoming pep rally.
A contest was held to determine the cardinal's name. The entry "Cy" won. Cy is short for Cyclones, and the cardinal figure represents the school colors as well as the original Iowa State nickname.
Homecoming
Iowa State will celebrate Homecoming festivities this season the week of the Oklahoma State game (Oct. 20). Included in the activities are carnivals, cheering contests, parachutists, music, traditional tailgate parties and a marathon run from the opponents' hometown to Ames.
The idea of homecoming at Iowa State is credited to Professor S.W. Beyer, the then "patron saint" of the school's athletic program. The first homecoming game took place in 1912 as the Cyclones entertained the University of Iowa.
According to C.F. Curtiss, then dean of agriculture, the purpose of homecoming at Iowa State was "to bring back hallowed members of the past to an event that will mean life and strength to the institution and promote reciprocal blessings, benefits, and obligations that are never-ending."
The inaugural homecoming celebration lasted two days and included a debate, receptions, pep rallies, and colorful lawn decorations urging the gridders on to victory. Postgame activities were highlighted by a massive fireworks exhibition, which "lit up the sky for miles around."
Through the years, numerous activities have been added to the fall extravaganza that in 1912 drew 152 registered alums. Today, homecoming attracts cardinal and gold alums from much of the country and is regarded as one of the nation's premier collegiate celebrations.
Victory Bell
The bell was cast in 1890 by Clinton H. Meneely Bell Co. of Troy, N.Y. It has graced the ISU campus for more than a century. The bell was originally used to signal changes in class periods and student curfews. It was moved to Clyde Williams Field early in the 20th century and then to Jack Trice Stadium. The bell's ring today signifies an Iowa State victory.
Cannon
The cannon, operated by members of the Alpha Sigma Phi fraternity, is traditionally fired after every Cyclone touchdown or field goal. Additionally, it has been fired on kickoffs and was formerly fired during the Cyclone Marching Band's playing of the "Star Spangled Banner."
I-Ring
Iowa State senior football players receive a commemorative I-Ring after the season if they letter.
Louis Menze
Hall of Fame Football Inductees
Class of 1997
L.C. "Cap" Timm
Clyde Williams
Ed Bock
Jim Doran
Class of 1998
George Amundson
Class of 1999
Matt Blair
Johnny Majors
Dwight Nichols
Class of 2000
Earle Bruce
Mike Busch
Dexter Green
Mike Stensrud
Polly Wallace
Class of 2001
Dave Hoppmann
Everett Kischer