History Iowa State Cyclones football

1 history

1.1 history (1892–1957)
1.2 clay stapleton era (1958–1967)
1.3 johnny majors era (1968–1972)
1.4 earle bruce era (1973–1978)
1.5 donnie duncan era (1979–1982)
1.6 jim criner era (1983–1986)
1.7 jim walden era (1987–1994)
1.8 dan mccarney era (1995–2006)
1.9 gene chizik era (2007–2008)
1.10 paul rhoads era (2009–2015)
1.11 matt campbell era (2016–present)

history

early history (1892–1957)

legendary coach pop warner co-coached iowa state s earliest football teams

football first made way onto iowa state campus in 1878 recreational sport, wasn t until 1892 organized group of athletes first represented iowa state in football. in 1894, college president william m. beardshear spearheaded foundation of athletic association officially sanction iowa state football teams. 1894 team finished 6–1 mark, including 16–8 victory on university of iowa.

one of pioneers of football, pop warner, spent time @ iowa state in career. in 1895 despite being coach @ georgia offered $25 per week come iowa state, season started in mid-august while georgia s started month later, provide weekly advice during rest of season. after warner left georgia, iowa state had first game of season. iowa state came evanston underdog iowa state defeated northwestern 36–0. chicago sportswriter called team cornfed giants iowa while the chicago tribune s headline read, struck cyclone . since then, iowa state teams have been known cyclones. overall, team had 3 wins , 3 losses and, georgia, iowa state retained warner next season. in 1896 team had 8 wins , 2 losses. despite leaving cornell in 1898, warner remained head coach of iowa state year. during last 3 years @ iowa state team had winning season warner unable match 1896 triumph.

after playing @ iowa , serving assistant coach 2 years, clyde williams came ames assistant coach isu. williams served cyclones head football coach 6 seasons 1907 1912. during time, had coaching record of 32–15–2. ranks him fifth @ iowa state in total wins , fourth @ iowa state in winning percentage. in addition, led iowa state 2 missouri valley conference football titles in 1911 , 1912, 2 conference football championships in school history.

in addition football contributions williams school s first men s basketball coach 1908 1911, compiled 20–29 record. served iowa state s baseball coach, , athletic director 1914 1919. in 1914 iowa state completed construction of new football field , named clyde williams field in honor of former coach. williams inducted state of iowa hall of fame in 1956. 1 of few people inducted both university of iowa athletics hall of fame (inducted 1993) , iowa state athletics hall of fame (inducted 1997).

the success iowa state found in inception of football program not replicated of mid-20th century. in 1922 after having 2 different head coaches in many years, isu hired up-and-comer sam willaman away east technical hs in cleveland, oh. when willaman came iowa state, brought him 6 of former east tech players, including african-american , jack trice. trice first african-american player @ iowa state, , 1 of first play football in mid-west. trice suffered severe malicious injury during game @ minnesota in 1923, , died complications. in 1997, iowa state s cyclone stadium renamed jack trice stadium in honor. in first season, willaman s team finished 2–6 record, posted winning record in each of 3 years followed. career coaching record @ iowa state 14–15–3. ranks him 16th in total wins , 13th in winning percentage in iowa state football history.

george f. veenker went 21–22 during coaching career @ iowa state

in february 1931, george f. veenker accepted offer become head football coach iowa state. under veenker iowa state experienced brief period of success. when veenker joined iowa state, school s football team coming off winless season in 1930 , had lost 16 consecutive games dating october 1929. in first year, 1931 team defeated missouri 20–0, oklahoma 13–12, , kansas state 7–6, compiled 5–3 record , finished in second place in big six. in november 1931, ames daily tribune-times called veenker veritable miracle man of football taking school cyclone football morale couldn t have been lower , turning program around in first season. highlight of veenker s career iowa state s football coach 31–6 victory on iowa hawkeyes in 1934. game last meeting between 2 schools until 1977. veenker resigned in 1936, overall record 21–22–8. shortly after death in 1959 university owned golf course renamed veenker memorial golf course in honor.

during 1938 season, james j. yeager in second year head coach. despite going 3–6 in 1937, cyclones go onto then-best record of 7–1–1. team led outstanding senior guard, ed bock. @ conclusion of season bock became first consensus first team all-american in isu history. bock inducted college football hall of fame in 1970.

in 1942, iowa state hired former green bay packers all-pro guard , 3 time nfl champion mike michalske new head coach. michalske achieved moderate level of success while @ iowa state, finishing 18–18 record after 5 seasons.

emmett stuber took on cyclones head coach in 1947 , coached team until 1953, compiling record of 24–38–3.

vince difrancesca head coach @ iowa state 1954 1956. 21st head coach cyclones. coaching record @ iowa state 6–21–1.

clay stapleton era (1958–1967)

oregon state assistant coach clay stapleton head football coach @ iowa state ten seasons. under tutelage, cyclones struggles continued. seven-win campaigns in 1959 , 1960 winning seasons of tenure. stapleton relieved of duties following 1967 season.

johnny majors era (1968–1972)

in 1968, in attempt turn team around, iowa state hired former standout tennessee running , up-and-comer arkansas assistant johnny majors 24th head coach in program history. rebuilding process got off slow start cyclones finished 3–7 in first 2 seasons. in 1970 process started moving forward, team finish tied 6th in big 8 , had final record of 5–6.

the 1971 team picked finish last in big eight, overcame odds finish 4–3 in conference , 8–4 overall. team led junior running george amundson, majors called finest athlete have coached in job have had. iowa state had 1 defensive all-conference pick, lb keith schroeder. offensively led amundson rushed 1,260 yards running back, including school record of 15 touchdowns. end keith krepfle had 40 receptions 570 yards , 12 touchdowns. quarterback dean carlson threw school record of 1,867 yards. these efforts enough receive bid 1971 sun bowl, first bowl game in program history. iowa state slated play against lsu on december 18, 1971. iowa state outmatched future nfl quarterback bert jones, lsu won 33–15.

1972 saw loss of 5 starters , move of george amundson running quarterback replace dean carlson. clones lost linebacker matt blair pre season injury forced him medical redshirt. cyclones tied nebraska 23–23 on missed point iowa state s tom goedjen. 3 players went on named first team all-big 8 team honored all-americans, offensive lineman geary murdoch, defensive end merv krakau , quarterback george amundson. george amundson named big 8 player of year on heisman trophy winner, johnny rodgers. in year iowa state became known d-tackle u, similar penn state s moniker linebacker u . iowa state s 5–6–1 record enough earn them invitation 1972 liberty bowl against georgia tech. despite outstanding play iowa state lost 31–30 on failed late-game george amundson two-point conversion.

at conclusion of 1972 season majors announced leaving iowa state take head coaching job @ pittsburgh.

earle bruce era (1973–1978)

in order continue success experienced under johnny majors iowa state hired earle bruce out of tampa. new found excitement around isu football, university broke ground on new $7.6 million stadium become jack trice stadium. despite future minnesota vikings star linebacker matt blair being first team all-american, cyclones struggled 4–7 finish in bruce s inaugural 1973 season. on next 2 seasons cyclones experienced moderate success both seasons ended again 4–7 records. however, bruce s fourth team blossomed 1 of best teams in school history. in route 8–3 final record cyclones scored wins against #7 missouri , #9 nebraska. iowa state snubbed bowls finished 1976 season ranked #19 in ap poll. bruce selected big 8 coach of year.

iowa state followed strong 1976 campaign 8 win season in 1977. cyclones beat #9 nebraska second time in row , ranked high #16 in ap poll @ 1 point during season. 5–2 conference record , 8–4 overall record enough bid 1977 peach bowl against north carolina state. iowa state lost game 14–24. cyclones returned 14 starters 1977 peach bowl team including heisman trophy candidate, dexter green , outland trophy hopeful, mike stensrud. iowa state s post season hopes came down last game against colorado nationally televised. game close throughout, isu clinging 17–10 halftime lead. second half defensive battle, isu defense came big plays down stretch. mike stensrud had 16 stops , caused fumble isu preserve 20–16 win on buffs. win earned isu bid 1978 hall of fame classic against texas a&m. iowa state opened game 2 touchdowns unable convert points on either attempt. cyclones not able contain future first round nfl draft pick curtis dickey rushed 278 yards , touchdown. iowa state lost 28–12. @ conclusion of 1978 season bruce announced leaving iowa state take head coaching job @ ohio state.

donnie duncan era (1979–1982)

in order continue success found under earle bruce, iowa state hired oklahoma assistant donnie duncan. 26th head football coach @ isu , held position 4 seasons, 1979 until 1982. 1980 , 1981 cyclones squads both made appearances in national rankings. 1981 cyclones began season @ 5–1–1 , rose no. 11 in ap poll. led future nfl players dwayne crutchfield, dan johnson, karl nelson , chris washington, cyclones tied #5 oklahoma 7–7 , downed #8 missouri 34–13. however, success short lived, duncan resigned career record of 18–24–2 after 1982 season.

jim criner era (1983–1986)

following 1982 season iowa state hired jim criner had won 1980 ncaa division i-aa football championship head coach @ boise state. during tenure cyclones experienced mild success embroiled in controversy. multiple players arrested on different charges several ncaa allegations of wrongdoings. allegations included coaches giving players cash giving recruits rides , meals. rough tenure came end november 12, 1986 when school announced firing. criner s final career record @ iowa state 17–25–2.

jim walden era (1987–1994)

jim walden succeeded jim criner @ iowa state, compiled 28–57–3 on 8 seasons. isu had been hit scholarship reductions ncaa, both because of infractions previous coach, , overall reduction in scholarships division i-a 1988 season. in first 4 years iowa state s head coach, had 57, 61, 63, , 67 scholarship players. walden had 47 scholarship players on squad in 1989 brought lincoln play nebraska on october 28, , lost 17–49.

walden last iowa state coach defeat oklahoma, until matt campbell, did on october 20, 1990. oklahoma ranked 16th in nation @ time. had narrowly missed upset year before, losing in ames 40–43. best record cyclones 6–5 in 1989. after 1989 season, walden offered head coaching job @ university of arizona, declined job, citing number of people @ iowa state telling him devastating if left. in retrospect, walden said dumb leave.

walden s teams plagued injuries, @ quarterback. in 1991, third-string quarterback kevin caldwell started final 5 games of season; began season tailback. walden played 4 quarterbacks in 41–0 loss kansas in 1991. in 1992, walden installed triple-option offense , had mixed results. iowa state lost in-state rivals iowa , uni in 1992 season. loss uni first loss jim walden division 1aa school. uni s first victory on cyclones since 1900. iowa state bounced shock seventh ranked nebraska cornhuskers @ home on november 14, 1992. victory more improbable because walden starting third-string quarterback, marv seiler, first time. walden s 1993 squad went 3–8, upset of 18th ranked kansas state. walden ended 1993 campaign walk-on quarterback, jeff st. clair.

in spring of 1994, walden secured star running troy davis out of miami, florida. davis later had consecutive 2,000-yard rushing seasons, after walden s departure. after starting 1994 campaign 0–2, many fans began criticize coaching ability. began weekly press conference handing out past records of dennis erickson, johnny majors, , earle bruce while @ washington state , iowa state. handed out iowa state s overall record in football since fielding first team in 1892, which, @ time, 423–461–45, .480 percentage, , compared record one. walden claimed coach or better erickson, majors, , bruce. on thursday, november 3, 1994, after starting season 0–7–1, walden informed team resign @ season s end. allowed coach final 3 games university, banned coaching last game @ colorado because of criticizing officials after kansas state game. kansas state s nyle wiren had body-slammed walden s quarterback todd doxzon turf head first. no penalty called , walden, nothing lose, went off on officiating after game: ve kept quiet long, since m leaving there s nothing can me. think refereeing in league atrocious. . . do bad officials? fired? fire bad players , bad coaches. bad officials raise , go fishing.

walden coached final game on november 12 against nebraska in ames. iowa state had 0–8–1 record , nebraska undefeated, #1 ranking. unbelievably walden s cyclones hung huskers. @ end of third quarter, nebraska led 2 points, 14–12. final quarter proved walden s team, , nebraska won game 28–12. cyclones finished winless 0–10–1 record in 1994. walden ranks sixth @ iowa state in total wins , 22nd winning percentage.

dan mccarney era (1995–2006)

to turn program around iowa state hired wisconsin defensive coordinator, dan mccarney. lone bright spot mccarney inherited sophomore phenom running troy davis. davis go on break every iowa state rushing , touchdown records, still stand. troy twice earned unanimous all-american honors , first ncaa division i-a running rush on 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons, feat has yet repeated. davis finished 5th , 2nd in heisman voting in 1995 , 1996 campaigns respectively. mccarney go 10–34 in first 4 seasons cyclones head coach.

in mccarney s sixth season cyclones able put competitive team. 2000 cyclones quarterbacked sage rosenfels. sage among many former cyclones 2000 team make nfl. others j. j. moses, reggie hayward, ennis haywood, tony yelk, mike banks, jordan carstens, tyson smith , james reed. despite iowa state being picked media finish 5th in big 12 north division, cyclones finished 5–3 conference record , 9–3 overall record. isu finished season ranked #25 , 9 wins program best since 1906. invited play in insight.com bowl against pittsburgh, iowa state s first appearance in bowl game since 1978 peach bowl. iowa state able beat panthers 37–29, first post-season victory in program history. in interesting side note, paul rhoads defensive coordinator pittsburgh in game; later become iowa state head coach.

the 2001 season saw emergence of juco transfer seneca wallace , star wide receiver lane danielson. dynamic duo led cyclones last second win on iowa, 7–5 overall record, , invitation independence bowl against alabama, second consecutive bowl game. cyclones missed 47-yard field goal attempt 0:46 remaining in fourth, have given state lead , potential victory. subsequent game there question whether or not field goal good, sailed directly on 1 of uprights. cyclones lost 13–14.

seneca wallace lead cyclones 6–1 start in 2002, including near-win against florida state in eddie robinson classic in kansas city, missouri. wallace dove towards goal line @ last second ruled out shy of end zone. during home game versus texas tech, seneca wallace scored on 12-yard touchdown running estimated 120 yards backwards, forwards, , sideways on field. wallace dodged tackles , received numerous blocks offense, including 1 devastating block made running michael wagner. play briefly catapulted wallace heisman trophy contention , recognized espn play of week. has since been recognized 1 of great plays in college football history. play known among iowa state fans run. 7–7 record enough receive bid humanitarian bowl against boise state lost 16–34.

the 2004 season more successful disappointing 2–10 2003 cyclones. redshirt freshman bret meyer took on quarterback spot , paired fellow redshirt freshman receiver todd blythe make lethal combination. season got off slow start opening season 2–4 overall record , 0–3 record in conference. mccarney turned season around winning next 4 games in row. cyclones had chance win big 12 north title fell short after missouri defender intercepted pass intended jon davis in end zone. cyclones go on play miami redhawks in 2004 independence bowl. in independence bowl, iowa state prevailed 17–13 win freshman quarterback bret meyer rolled 236 yards of total offense. both bret meyer , stevie hicks rushed on 100 yards, independence bowl first. all-big 12 cornerback ellis hobbs iced win 41-yard interception return in game’s final minute. cyclones held on win 17–13.

the cyclones continued success under mccarney in 2005 season. high points during season include blowout win against #8 iowa , home victory on #22 colorado. missed out yet again on big 12 title when lost in overtime kansas after missed field goal bret culbertson. led game in 4th quarter allowed kansas come back. got berth in 2005 houston bowl, lost 24–27 tcu horned frogs. tcu opened game back-to-back first quarter rushing touchdowns. cyclones responded 2 bret meyer touchdown passes , forcing tcu safety. late in fourth quarter game tied @ 24–24 cyclones lost yet bowl game on fourth quarter field goal.

mccarney stepped down head coach after 4–8 2006 season. mccarney finished 56–85 all-time record.

gene chizik era (2007–2008)

to replace dan mccarney iowa state hired texas defensive coordinator gene chizik. iowa state wore 1977 throwback jerseys 2007 game against iowa , re-introduced gold pants standard part of uniform. marked 30th anniversary since restart of rivalry 30th anniversary of 1977 iowa state peach bowl team. finished season 3–9, including 15–13 win on iowa, , back-to-back wins against kansas state , colorado. 3 wins upsets. in 2008, iowa state opened 2 wins against weaker non-conference foes, before losing next 10 games finish season 2–10. chizik left cyclones after season become head football coach @ auburn.

paul rhoads era (2009–2015)

rhoads head coach of iowa state during home game against oklahoma state

paul rhoads introduced 31st head coach of iowa state cyclones on december 20, 2008. rhoads had spent time @ iowa state assistant coach in late nineties , raised 20 miles ames in ankeny. father, cecil, 1 of winningest coaches in iowa high school history, coaching more 3 decades , has been inducted iowa high school football coaches hall of fame. rhoads contract reported 5-year deal worth $5.75 million , included incentives increase salary. round out coaching staff rhoads hired up-and-coming offensive coordinator out of rice, tom herman , veteran defensive coordinator wally burnham.

rhoads opened isu career win on fcs north dakota state. led iowa state victory @ kent state in first year, ending 17-game road losing streak. in october 2009 cyclones defeated baylor end 11-game losing stretch against conference opponents, , went on defeat nebraska in lincoln first time since 1977. 6–6 record enough earn them invitation insight.com bowl against minnesota. rhoads win first bowl game @ iowa state 14–13.

the lone highlight of 2010 season first ever win @ texas in school history. upset #22 ranked longhorns 28–21. cyclones finish season 3–5 in big 12 , 5–7 overall.

in 2011 iowa state started off season 3–0 including triple overtime win on iowa in ames, , win on connecticut in east hartford. cyclones drop next 4 games, starting out 0–4 in conference play bounce back. cyclones rebounded 41–7 win on october 29 @ #19 texas tech. in process, iowa state managed rack 512 total yards, since nov 22, 2008 game @ kansas state. several other school records broken, including first-ever win in lubbock, largest margin of victory against ranked opponent], , points scored against ranked opponent since november 9, 1996. on november 18, iowa state faced off against undefeated #2 oklahoma state led heisman frontrunner brandon weeden , 2 time biletnikoff winner justin blackmon in ames. down 24–7 in second half, iowa state came 17 unanswered points force overtime. in overtime, iowa state scored on first play scrimmage, oklahoma state answered own touchdown. in second overtime, iowa state forced interception , ran 3 jeff woody dives in row beat oklahoma state 37–31, smashing oklahoma state s chances of playing national championship , brandon weeden s heisman shot. iowa state became bowl eligible win , improved 6–4. win on oklahoma state marks iowa state s first ever win against opponent in top 6 (ap polls). cyclones finished season 6–6 , receive invitation pinstripe bowl against rutgers scarlet knights. cyclones lose game 27–13.

the cyclones opened 2012 season 3–0 including 9–6 win @ iowa first time in 10 years. other major highlight of season ending tcu s @ then-current longest winning streak in college football. upset #15 ranked horned frogs in fort worth 37–23. 2012 season ended 6–7 , berth in year s liberty bowl against tulsa golden hurricane. iowa state opened game strong lost 31–17.

while things appeared promising move in positive direction cyclones, rhoads future teams unable recapture success of earlier teams. in final 3 seasons, cyclones won 4 big 12 games (including winless conference record in 2014) , went 8–27 overall. 2015 season proved particularly difficult, in 2 games, cyclones held double-digit halftime leads against both oklahoma state , kansas state lose late in fourth quarter. following 38–35 loss kansas state on november 21, in came under heavy criticism play-calling in game s final 90 seconds, rhoads fired head coach, effective conclusion of season.

matt campbell era (2016–present)

head coach matt campbell

matt campbell, had been head coach @ university of toledo, named head coach @ iowa state on november 29, 2015. campbell signed six-year contract worth $2 million first year. campbell finished first season cyclone record of 3–9. despite disappointing record there several high points during season showed progress including several near upsets , blowout win on texas tech. 66–10 rout of red raiders included breaking several school records including points scored in conference game.

so far, 2017 season has gone lot better matt campbell , cyclones. cyclones 7-4, 2 of wins being on #3 oklahoma , #4 tcu.