The Iowa State Cyclones are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent Iowa State University, located in Ames. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference and competes in NCAA Division I, fielding 16 varsity teams (6 men's and 10 women's teams) in 12 sports.
The "Cyclones" name dates back to 1895. That year, Iowa suffered an unusually high number of devastating cyclones (as tornadoes were called at the time). In September, the football team from what was then Iowa Agricultural College traveled to Northwestern University and defeated that team by a score of 36–0. The next day, the Chicago Tribune's headline read "Struck by a Cyclone: It Comes from Iowa and Devastates Evanston Town." The article began, "Northwestern might as well have tried to play football with an Iowa cyclone as with the Iowa team it met yesterday." The nickname stuck. As it was difficult to depict a cyclone in media or costume, the university chose a cardinal bird as its mascot, referencing its school colors, and the original school mascot. Iowa State was known as the "Cardinals" when it was changed to the Cyclones. During the years Before the Cardinal mascot was chosen Iowa State had several different mascots, including live animals like a goat, a Great Dane dog etc. In the 1950s a local Ames, IA business, Collegiate Manufacturing, then the leading supplier of college souvenirs—pennants, blankets, and stuffed animals—in the nation, wanted to make toys, souvenirs, and clothing depicting the Iowa State Mascot, and decided it was too difficult to produce Cyclone products and mascot costume, so a contest was held to create an official mascot, in which the Cardinal was chosen. The eight foot bird was introduced at Homecoming, October 16, 1954, but was yet nameless. The "Cy the Cardinal" name was chosen when Mrs. Wilma Ohlsen submitted the name before 16 others, in a nationwide "name-the-bird" contest, held to officially name the mascot.
Contents
Sports sponsored
Men's sports
The Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. T. J. Otzelberger is the current ISU men's basketball head coach. Prior to the 2017–18 season, Iowa State has a 1339–1293 all-time record, and has been to the NCAA Tournament nineteen times including five Sweet 16 appearances, an Elite 8 appearance, and a Final Four appearance. ISU has also won six regular conference titles and six 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.
The Iowa State men's cross country team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. Jeremy Sudbury is the current ISU men's cross country head coach.
They have 28 conference titles since they first formed a men's cross country team in 1909. Their 25 Big Eight Conference championships were the most in the conference's 84-year history. They have competed in the NCAA tournament as a team 22 times as well as winning the tournament in 1989 and 1994 and finishing as runner up in 1990, 1991, and 2021.
The cross country team hosts their home meets at the state-of-the-art cross country course south of Iowa State's campus.
Iowa State plays NCAA Division I FBS football in the Big 12 Conference. Iowa State football team is led by head coach Matt Campbell. ISU started playing football in 1892, however, it did not become an official sport until 1894. The Cyclones have a 512–624–46 all-time record and are 3–7 in post season play.
The Cyclones play home games in Jack Trice Stadium. The stadium is named after Jack Trice, a football player who incurred a fatal injury while playing for the Cyclones against Minnesota in 1923. In 1975, the stadium's playing field was named in honor of Trice, Iowa State's first African American athlete and the school's first athlete to die of injuries sustained during a Cyclone athletic competition. Until 1997, the facility itself was known as Cyclone Stadium. Because of persistent requests by the students, the facility was renamed Jack Trice Stadium, making it the only Division I FBS stadium named for an African American individual.
Women's sports
The Iowa State women's basketball team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. Bill Fennelly is in his 22nd season as ISU's head women's basketball coach. Coach Fennelly's record is 465–236 and ISU's all-time record is 677–562.
They have earned one regular season conference title and two conference tournament titles since they first formed a women's basketball team in 1973. They have competed in the NCAA tournament 17 times including five trips to the Sweet Sixteen and two trips to the Elite Eight.
The women's basketball team plays its home games in Hilton Coliseum. The team practices at the Sukup Basketball Complex. Attendance at ISU women's games have ranked in the top ten for eighteen consecutive years.
The Iowa State women's cross country team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. Andrea Grove-McDonough is in her 4th ISU's head women's cross country coach.
They have 12 conference team titles and nine individual titles since they first formed a men's cross country team in 1973. Their 8 Big Eight Conference championships were the most in the conference's 20-year history. They have five AIAW national championships as well as finishing the NCAA championship twice as runner-up. They have had one NCAA individual championship, Betsy Saina, who also holds the NCAA 6,000 meter record.
The cross country team hosts their home meets at the state-of-the-art cross country course south of Iowa State's campus.
The Iowa State women's golf team competes in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. Christie Martens is in her 17th season as ISU's head women's golf coach.
They have earned one conference championship as a team and one individual conference championship since they first formed a women's golf team in 1972. They have competed in the NCAA regional tournament 14 times as well as the NCAA Championship four times.
Former varsity sports
Baseball
Iowa State fielded baseball as an official sports team from 1892 until the conclusion of the 2000–2001 season. Iowa State discontinued baseball due to budget constraints, but it remains as a club sport. Iowa State had a 1,346–1,412–17 all-time record including a 7–6 NCAA tournament record and two appearances in the College World Series. Following the discontinuation of baseball, Iowa State is one of only two Big 12 schools (Colorado) and one of only four Power Four schools that do not sponsor the sport, the other two being Syracuse and Wisconsin.
Gymnastics
The Iowa State women's gymnastics team competed in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I athletics. Jay Ronayne was in his 10th season as ISU's head women's gymnastics coach. Coach Ronayne's record was 68–120–5 and ISU's all-time record is 518–594–7.
They had four conference championships as well as 30 individual conference championships since they first formed a women's gymnastics team in 1977. They have competed in the NCAA tournament as a team eight times including one appearance in the Super Six in 2006 in addition to having 14 individual qualifiers.
The gymnastics team hosted their home meets at Hilton Coliseum. The team practiced at the Amy and Dennis Pyle Family Gymnastics Facility. It was announced in March 2026 that the sport was discontinued.
Other sports
Iowa State has dropped the following sports:
Men's tennis (1994)
Men's gymnastics (1994)
Men's swimming (2001)
Iowa State dropped men's tennis and men's gymnastics in 1994 and added women's soccer in 1995, ahead of a 1998 deadline for compliance with Title IX; these changes resulted in 6 men's sports and 10 women's sports.
Championships
Club sports
ISU has a variety of club sports for both men and women. Some clubs just compete on the intramural level on ISU's campus while other compete for championships on the national level.
Soccer
The Iowa State men's soccer club competes in Region 5 of NIRSA and has competed in the Championship Division of the NIRSA National Soccer Tournament 2 of the last 4 years. The Cyclones regularly schedule games with colleges throughout Iowa and surrounding states. While the club has a history of producing highly successful goalkeepers, undoubtedly their biggest strength has been their defensive unit. The club would compete with in-state rivals, the Iowa Hawkeyes, but their club has a history of not accepting game invites.
Baseball
ISU baseball was cut by the school's athletic department in 2000; but it continues, as a club sport, to provide students with the opportunity to attend ISU and play competitive baseball. The team is a member of the National Club Baseball Association and competes in the North Division of the Mid-America Conference.
They play their home games at Cap Timm Field on Iowa State's campus.
Crew
Iowa State has both of men's and women's club crew team. They have competed since first forming in 2002.
Equestrian
Iowa State has an equestrian club team that competes in the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association with two different teams, Hunt (English) and Stock (western).
They are coached by Rebecca Ness.
Golf
The Iowa State Golf Club first formed in 2009 and has competed in the National Collegiate Golf Club Association since 2013. They have reached the NCCGA National Championship three times since joining the association (Spring 2015, Fall 2015, and Spring 2016), and the NCCGA National Invitational Tournament once (Spring 2018).
The club hosts home meets and practice at Veenker Memorial Golf Course on Iowa State's campus.
Running
Iowa State competes at the club level as part of NIRCA (National Intercollegiate Running Club Association). It joined in 2009 as part of the Great Plains region alongside schools like the University of Illinois, University of Wisconsin, University of Minnesota, University of Missouri, Northwestern University, among others.
It first competed in the XC (Cross Country) National Championships in Ypsilanti Michigan at Eagle Crest Golf Course with the Men's team placing 14th overall.
In the XC events Men run an 8K while Women run a 6K.
Ice Hockey
Iowa State Men's Hockey is technically a club sport but operates like a non-scholarship sport. ISU played in the Division I Central States Collegiate Hockey League conference from 1979 until the conference folded in 2024, at which point the team moved to Midwest College Hockey, both of which are part of the American Collegiate Hockey Association. They have been runner-up five times and won one ACHA national championship in 1992.
The Iowa State women's hockey team competes in Division II of the ACHA and won the national championship in 2014.
Both teams host their home meets and practice at Ames/ISU Ice Arena.
Lacrosse
Iowa State's club lacrosse team competes in Division I of the Upper Midwest Lacrosse League.
They host their home games and practice at Lied Recreation Facility on Iowa State's campus.
Martial Arts
Iowa State has had various martial arts clubs since 1963. When Master Yong Chin Pak joined the Iowa State faculty in 1973 the clubs took a massive step forward. They existed separately until 2011 when they were all combined to form the Cyclone Martial Arts Club.
Rodeo
ISU Rodeo is a member of the National Intercollegiate Rodeo Association (NIRA) and hosts the Cyclone Stampede Rodeo which is one of the oldest collegiate rodeo athletic events in the US.
Rugby
The Iowa State Rugby Club plays college rugby in Division IAA in the Heart of America conference against many of Iowa State's traditional athletic rivals such as Iowa, Missouri, and Kansas State.
The team is coached by Anthony “Ant” Frein, who led them to their first appearance in the Collegiate Rugby Championship in 2021.
Rivalries/Trophy games
Cy-Hawk Series
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 the team with the most points wins the series for that year. The series is currently tied with 7 wins for each school.
Men's golf
Volleyball
Women's soccer
Football
Men's cross country
Women's cross country
Wrestling
Men's basketball
Women's basketball
Women's swimming & diving
Women's gymnastics
Softball
The football specific Cy-Hawk Trophy was introduced in 1977 when the two teams met for the first time since 1934. The trophy is awarded to the victor of the annual football game. The trophy features a football player, with the Cyclone's and Hawkeye's logos.
Farmageddon
Iowa State and Kansas State first met in football in 1917, when both schools were members of the Big Eight Conference. The match-up continued as an annual conference game through the schools' shift into the Big 12 Conference. It gained the nickname "Farmageddon" in 2009, when the game was played at the neutral site of Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Two years prior, the Missouri–Kansas game had been held at that stadium and dubbed "Armageddon at Arrowhead"; with both Iowa State and K-State being land-grant institutions renowned for having strong agricultural programs, the title was seen as an easy fit and gained popularity with fans and the media even after the Arrowhead series concluded.
The series has been dominated by long winning streaks for both teams, with each team's longest winning streak at 10 games. Kansas State is 22–4 since 1989. Iowa State leads the series 50–48–4 all-time.
Telephone Trophy (dormant)
Missouri and Iowa State first met in football in 1896 and the regional rivalry was born. Before the 1959 match-up between the two schools, which took place in Ames, Iowa, field testing showed that the telephones the two schools used to communicate with their coaches in the coaches box were wired so that either school could hear what was happening on the other sideline. The problem was fixed before the game, but neither of the two coaches knew that. Northwestern Bell Telephone Company of Ames then decided to have a trophy made to commemorate the incident, and thus the Telephone Trophy was born. Missouri leads the rivalry 61–34–9 all-time. When Missouri left the Big 12 for the SEC the rivalry was essentially ended.
Traditions
Hall of Fame
The Iowa State Cyclones Hall of Fame is a hall of fame that recognizes former student-athletes that achieved great success during their time at Iowa State University over the past 120 years.
The Hall was first created in 1997. Since the program's inception in 1997, there have been 154 individuals inducted.
Mascot
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
Originally silver, yellow, and black, the school colors were changed to cardinal and gold in 1899 to make dyeing sweaters easier. A council was formed in October 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. According to cyclones.com (Iowa State Athletics official website), the Iowa State teams were originally known as the "Cardinals", though there is no other evidence to support it, it is assumed that the cardinal color was derived from the original team name.
Cardinal
Gold
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!
Facilities
Hilton Coliseum
James H. Hilton Coliseum is a 14,384-seat multi-purpose arena. The arena, which is part of the Iowa State Center, opened in 1971. It is home to the Iowa State men's basketball, women's 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.
Sukup Basketball Complex
Opened in September 2009, Iowa State's new basketball practice facility is located on 2 acres (8,100 m2) of land (in west Ames, Iowa) that was donated by a local developer, Dickson Jensen. The $8 million, 36,000-square-foot (3,300 m2) facility, includes 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.
Jack Trice Stadium
Jack Trice Stadium (formerly Cyclone Stadium) is a 61,500-seat stadium. The arena opened on September 20, 1975, with a win against Air Force). It is home to the Iowa State Cyclones football team. The current record for single-game attendance, 61,500, was set on September 5, 2015, when the Cyclones defeated the Northern Iowa 31–7. 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.
Bergstrom Indoor Facility
The Steve and Debbie Bergstrom Indoor Training Facility opened in March 2004. It is a 92,000-square-foot (8,500 m2) multi-purpose, indoor practice facility. Inside the facility is a full-sized astroturf 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.
Director's Cup
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:
^indicates a current standing
Red indicates ranking down from previous year
Green indicates ranking up from previous year
Athletic Director
Iowa State's athletic director is Jamie Pollard. Since his arrival in 2005, Pollard has replaced head coaches in football, wrestling, men's basketball, gymnastics, soccer, cross country/track & field, women's golf, tennis, and softball. Additionally, he has initiated major renovations to Hilton Coliseum, Jack Trice Stadium, constructed a basketball practice facility, and spearheaded the construction of CYTown.
Voice of the Cyclones
From the early 1970s until his death on March 5, 2003, Pete Taylor was the "Voice of the Cyclones". Initially, Pete both worked the ISU events and was the sports director at KCCI TV, formerly KRNT TV. He provided play by play coverage of Iowa State Cyclones Athletics over the Cyclone network both on the radio and on the television. In 1990 after he left KCCI, Taylor joined the Iowa State staff full-time. Following Pete's death, John Walters succeeded Pete as the "Voice of the Cyclones" on June 17, 2003, providing play by play coverage on both the radio and the television. Initially, John both worked the ISU events and was the sports director at WOI TV. In June 2012, John left WOI TV and joined the Iowa State staff full-time.