Nothing beats a Saturday during the fall, than spending it with
50,000+ of your closest friends inside Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, IA!
The Iowa State Cyclones without a doubt have some of the most loyal
fans around and are commonly known as #cyclONEnation. This is evident
in the fact that Iowa State has sold out of all 43,000 season tickets
for the upcoming 2013 season. Students flock to the tailgating lots
and sometimes even skip tailgating to wait in line to ensure they get
front row seats.
When I attended my first Cyclone game in 2007 as a college freshman
Iowa State had a new head coach and were picked to finish near, if not
at the bottom of the Big 12. Gene Chizik's tenure at Iowa State was
short lived, as he left Iowa State after only two seasons for Auburn.
The only memorable game during his two seasons as head coach was the
2007 ISU vs Iowa game, where the Cyclones won 15-13 and all of the
Cyclones points came from kicker Bret Culbertson.
In December of 2008 Paul Rhoads was introduced as the new head coach
and almost immediately excitement for Cyclone football was
rejuvenated. Coach Rhoads grew up only 20 miles from Ames and served
as an assistant coach in the late 90's, so this was like a homecoming
for the Rhoads family.
From the moment the 2009 season began fans had already began to see
the changes in team. Under Rhoads the Cyclones snapped several loosing
streaks, most notably it's first road win against the University
Nebraska since 1977. It was after this game that Coach Rhoads'
post-game locker room speech became nationally recognized.
-- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAcKiMy0Gp4
The Cyclones went on to finish the 2009 as bowl eligible and were
picked to play in the Insight Bowl, now the Buffalo Wild Wings Bowl in
Tempe, AZ. Held on New Years Eve, Cyclone fans had lots to celebrate
after 14-13 win over University of Minnesota.
Coach Rhoads has continued to make great strides as the Cyclone's head
coach with it's first road win over a ranked opponent in 2010 at
Texas. This was also the first time Iowa State had ever beat Texas!
The Cyclones gave fans lots to cheer about during the 2011 season.
First they treated fans to a three overtime win against in-state rival
Iowa, winning 44-41. Their 41-7 win over Texas Tech broke several
records. This included total yards, first win in Lubbock, TX, largest
margin victory against a ranked opponent, largest margin victory
against a ranked opponent as an unranked team, largest margin of
victory against a ranked opponent on the road and most points scored
against a ranked opponent.
In their final home game of the 2011 season Iowa State hosted an
undefeated Oklahoma State, who at the time was ranked No. 2 in country
behind LSU. The game started off as most Cyclone games do with them
down 24-7 entering the second half. The Cyclones came back to score 17
unanswered points to force overtime. The Cyclones started off overtime
with an easy touchdown, but Oklahoma State quickly answered forcing a
second overtime. Iowa State forced a turnover and then ran 3 plays and
scored on a Jeff Woody touchdown to defeat Oklahoma State 37-31. They
smashed Oklahoma State's chances of playing in the National
Championship and QB Brandon Weeden's chances of winning the Heisman.
It was also Iowa State's first win over an opponent ranked in the Top
6 of the AP poll. Here's a my favorite recap of this game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sgT6I5kO54
ISU Tailgating & Pregame Activities
The tailgating lots surrounding Jack Trice open up six hours before
kickoff giving Cyclone fans ample opportunity to prepare for a Cyclone
victory. Iowa State has several types of tailgating lots, the donor
tailgating lot, student lot and general tailgating. Donors have the
same spots for ever game and the other lots are a first come first
serve for the best spots. Cyclone tailgates typically include a bag
toss (also known as cornhole) set, several tables and grills with
array of food including burgers, steak, kabobs, grilled veggies and
lots of desserts. You can often find Cyclones playing a game of beer
pong, flip cup, boom and more recently shot ski's (a ski with 4-6 shot
glasses attached to it in which everyone must drink their shot at the
same time) have become a popular staple at many tailgates.
A popular destination for many Cyclone fans before the tailgate lots
is the Tip Top Lounge a few blocks east of Jack Trice. By 6am on
gamedays the bar is packed with Cyclone fans and the beer is flowing
and the chili is steaming. Prairie Fire shots are a must-have for all
Tip Top patrons before heading to the stadium lots.
Iowa State's pregame is one of my favorite parts of Cyclone football
game days. It begins 90 minutes before kickoff when the Jack Trice
opens and students literally sprint up the stairs/hillside to the
student section. On the new scoreboard videos highlighting past
Cyclone teams plays in the background as Jeff Johnson, Alumni
Association President, strolls out on the field to get the crowd fired
up. Jeff Johnson leads the crowd in Cyclone Aerobics, which is
basically a run through of the a popular Cyclone Cheers/Chants. One
other staple of Cyclone games is Sweet Caroline between the 3rd and
4th quarters. Typically led by the student section, the entire stadium
belts out the lyrics to Sweet Caroline to pump the team up for a
victorious finish to the game.
Thank you so much Jess for the opportunity to share my Cyclone pride
Iowa State Cyclones by onehaolegirl
