Tell me about Iowa State

[Longboard Horn 41350]

Since I don't know much, I would like to know about them since they're a Big 12 school. In my opinion, ISU is the most dangerous team in the conference to play because you never know what you're going to get with them.

@Al_4_ISU and @SnowAggy to the courtesy phone. 

[ISUCyclones 216]

David Montgomery will be a beast this year and could go pro with another year like last year but the O line is still a question mark. He led the nation in forced missed tackles so it would be nice of the line to not let him get hit at the line of scrimmage and make insane moves every play.

Qb should be a solid, game manager type with a year under his belt. The qb Texas saw last year was talented but a nutcase and got benched and left the team following the game against you. 

Lose Lazard at receiver but return some young good ones so we will see if they step up. 

Defense will hopefully be salty again this year as mostly the whole d line returns with 2 of 3 linebackers. Lanning, the qb/lb is gone which will probably hurt some. Safetys are new but both were out of the bowl game and we did fine against a passing attack from Memphis. 

Im hoping for 8 to 9 wins honestly so as an Iowa state fan that will probably translate to 5 or something. I think Matt Campbell is the real deal though and hope he sticks around for a while. 

 

[Al_4_ISU 12623]

Lets get the bad out of the way:

were the second most popular team in Iowa, despite being the largest university, and being the university who's mission is most aligned with what drives our state.  This has created the typical Ag school inferiority complex amongst a large percentage of our fanbase.  We frequently jab at Iowa fans for not going to Iowa and shit like that.  But we're nowhere near Aggy in terms of being obsessed with the other school.  We also don't jerk off into Mason jars, beat women, create non-sense language, or fuck sheep.

We also have a total conspiracy theory/martyr mind set.  Our history is littered with "shoulda woulda coulda" moments that featured controversial officiating.  We nearly lost our existence as an athletic department during the 2010-11 conference realignment because of a bunch of cunt schools.  Iowans in general have a mindset that the rest of the country doesn't appreciate us, and all of that bleeds into our fans' savagely booing the officials, regardless of whether the call wasn't correct.  The worst things I've publicly uttered were directed at refs during Iowa State games.  Ive noticed a lot of other fanbases, particularly KU basketball fans, hating this about us.

The Manhattan Project happened at Iowa State as well, so I think that explains a lot of the shit luck.

 

The good:

We're one of the top Ag schools in the country.  Our most similar fanbases/schools are KSU and OK State, but we bury both of them academically.  We were the first school created by the Morril Act.  The university predates Ames, and at the time it was built, it wasn't literally two buildings in the middle of nowhere out on the prairie.  George Washington Carver did most of his peanut research in Ames.  The guy who designed Central Park designed our campus, and it's frequently regarded as one of the most beautiful in the country.  Ames is a typical Midwestern college town.  It's pastoral, clean, and well maintained.  It frequently makes "best places to live" lists, but is also frequently knocked as boring despite having some great bars, restaurants, and cultural venues.

ISU is distinctly Iowan.  70% of students are Iowa natives, and frequently small town kids.  More of our alumni stay in state after graduation than any other school.  Our mission is making Iowa a better place, and we take it seriously.  Its this sense of pride that drives our notorious loyalty.  That and our Rodney Dangerfield complex.  We pack Jack Trice and Hilton because we love ISU, and we really believe we can impact the outcome. That and the party is a good time.

Our tailgate scene is fucking wild.  It is a celebration of everything ISU.  We like to drink.  A lot.  It's ingrained in the culture of the upper Midwest.  Most Iowans claim German, Czech, or Irish backgrounds, which means booze has been bred into us for years.  We've been known to drink bars in Kansas City (and Memphis this year) dry.  It also makes us a friendly lot.  Because we feel that outsiders have either a negative opinion of Iowa, or don't even realize we exist, we go all out to make a good impression.  If you've been to a game in Ames, you know what I mean.

We aren't much for silly traditions, because we've had pragmatism beaten into us for a century, but the one tradition that we really take pride in is the legacy of Jack Trice.  If you don't know the story, he was our first black athlete, and he played at a time when that wasn't socially accepted.  He was stomped during a fumble pile up while playing Minnesota in 1923.  Presumably due to the color of his skin.  He died of those injuries a few days later.  Jack was a hell of an athlete, a great student, and the definition of a self made man.  He was a true bad ass motherfucker.  To this day, the stadium is the only one in FBS football named after a black man.

Loyalty, a little inferiority complex, and a lot of booze.  Every yard for ISU.

Edited June 23, 2018 by Al_4_ISU

[kopp0e 1135]

Whom the stadium in Ames is named in honor of: Jack Trice

[RomaVicta 30556]

I had no idea who Jack Trice was. Credit to ISU for playing him. Shame on the multitude for hating him.

Nice run downs of your team and school. I recall watching Texas first game up there on TV. Rosenfels nearly beat us, but the strangest part of watching was seeing the Texas Longhorns playing in a stadium whose open end suggested that the stadium was the only thing within a hundred miles. It was surreal.

I've always liked you guys. When you beat us, my thought was the same as when we lost to Rice in the 90s: you shouldn't have a team on your schedule every year that never beats you. I hated the loss, but a few molecules in my heart cheered for college football.

The Trice story would make a great short series on cable. It needs enough time to set the character and the world up right.

[Longboard Horn 41350]

Thanks for all the information. I’ve never been to Ames or even to the state of Iowa. From what you’ve told me, I’ll need to go up there in 2020 when we play y’all.

[Machinator 32103]

25 minutes ago, Longboard Horn said:

Thanks for all the information. I’ve never been to Ames or even to the state of Iowa. From what you’ve told me, I’ll need to go up there in 2020 when we play y’all.

We travel to Ames in odd-numbered years.

[WBT 20966]

Tory Davis and Seneca Wallace were pretty good.

[texifornia 59010]

I've always wondered - why does I-State produce so many fashion grads? There's a bunch in NYC. It seems like a very random spot for it.

[Guest Lobo]

Went to the game in 2013 on that Thursday night.  Nice fanbase, but was a disappointed with the gameday vibe (maybe because a weeknight).  But the stadium was far from campus with nothing around it to do.  But folks were great to us.  

Solid academically and seem to out-punch their weight class in one sport or another every year.  They're a far better school on paper than Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Kansas State, WVU, and probably Baylor.  After Texas, then Kansas, and then likely TCU, they reside comfortably in the upper half of the conference in terms of academics, and reputation.  

[trza-hawk 269]

 

[Al_4_ISU 12623]

4 minutes ago, Lobo said:

Went to the game in 2013 on that Thursday night.  Nice fanbase, but was a disappointed with the gameday vibe (maybe because a weeknight).  But the stadium was far from campus with nothing around it to do.  But folks were great to us.  

Solid academically and seem to out-punch their weight class in one sport or another every year.  They're a far better school on paper than Texas Tech, Oklahoma State, Oklahoma, Kansas State, WVU, and probably Baylor.  After Texas, then Kansas, and then likely TCU, they reside comfortably in the upper half of the conference in terms of academics, and reputation.  

Thursday games have lame tailgating.  The vibe inside the stadium was awesome that night, though.

You should have been drinking with @Bernard and me at the Tip Top.

 

If any of you ever come to Ames, go to the Tip Top prior to tailgating.  It’s has to be experienced to be believed.

[Smax 3800]

this "tell me" thing is stupid

[Al_4_ISU 12623]

3 minutes ago, Smax said:

this "tell me" thing is stupid

You’re regarded.  It’s a great thread series, and hopefully there will be a thread for every Big 12 or Texas school 

[Smax 3800]

3 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

You’re regarded.  It’s a great thread series, and hopefully there will be a thread for every Big 12 or Texas school 

 

 

thread series? i don't even know wtf that means but apparently you're a fan of an unfunny over used meme

[Al_4_ISU 12623]

2 minutes ago, Smax said:

 

 

thread series? i don't even know wtf that means but apparently you're a fan of an unfunny over used meme

There are a series of threads with the “Tell Me About (insert school)”.

What’s not to get?

[Jkwellborn 7032]

Smax, tell me about your avatar.

[Ace000087 18]

Al pretty much covered most of it.  Just a few more notes....

Jack Trice Stadium is the 3rd largest stadium in the BigXII conference with a capacity of 61,500 with more renovations coming next year to the North Endzone. 

Iowa State is the 3rd largest university in the BigXII with 36,600 students.  Last year they were 2nd.  Texas Tech has a few hundred more now, but that could change again this fall. 

Texas, Kansas and Iowa State are the only AAU universities in the BigXIl. 

Iowa State arguably has the best fanbase in college football when it comes to loyalty.  They travel well and often will still show up to games even if the team isn't playing the best.  

I graduated from there with both of my degrees. Great school.  Tailgating on fall Saturdays... there is nothing else like it.  I can't tell you all how many times I've driven back to Ames from Texas just to go to a home game. 

[Al_4_ISU 12623]

I make a point to have a beer with Ace whenever he comes home for a game and I’m not in the field.  Shitty Beer & Deer Tailgate for life.

[horn_of_the_morning 999]

I've always wondered - why does I-State produce so many fashion grads? There's a bunch in NYC. It seems like a very random spot for it.

They have a pretty decent fashion and merchandising department, which I think is only a handful of such separate departments in the country.

Sent from my Pixel XL using Tapatalk

[trza-hawk 269]

Some of the film geeks or football explainer guys did video and gif breakdowns of that 3 linemen and eight back in coverage defense they ran to so much success last season. But I couldn't find any of the videos on a brief twitter search.

[Machinator 32103]

2 minutes ago, trza-hawk said:

Some of the film geeks or football explainer guys did video and gif breakdowns of that 3 linemen and eight back in coverage defense they ran to so much success last season. But I couldn't find any of the videos on a brief twitter search.

https://www.footballstudyhall.com/2017/11/3/16599180/why-dime-is-now-base-defense-in-the-big-12

Also applicable to Texas, so it's worth a read.

[Al_4_ISU 12623]

It’s 3:56 and Iowa still sucks.

[Al_4_ISU 12623]

5 hours ago, texifornia said:

I've always wondered - why does I-State produce so many fashion grads? There's a bunch in NYC. It seems like a very random spot for it.

We’ve always had a good program.  Goes back to the days when “home economics” was the “he” in “Veishea”.

An ISU fashion grad was to blame for 60% of my alcoholism between 2004-2006.

[Walser 1125]

Thanks for the insight Al. I didn't realize a lot of Iowans had a Dangerfield complex. Also thanks to ISUCyclones.

My only experience in Iowa was when I flew to Minneapolis in the late 90s to buy a car and immediately drove it back to Austin. In Iowa I was astounded by how the drivers in the left lane promptly moved over to the slow lane as I approached, every time. It was enchubbening.

I was at a happy hour yesterday with some former co-workers and the new IT director was there. She has an I-State logo tattoo on an inside bicep. She named her first son Ames, which isn't bad IMO.

[BRLA 106]

7 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Lets get the bad out of the way:

were the second most popular team in Iowa, despite being the largest university, and being the university who's mission is most aligned with what drives our state.  This has created the typical Ag school inferiority complex amongst a large percentage of our fanbase.  We frequently jab at Iowa fans for not going to Iowa and shit like that.  But we're nowhere near Aggy in terms of being obsessed with the other school.  We also don't jerk off into Mason jars, beat women, create non-sense language, or fuck sheep.

We also have a total conspiracy theory/martyr mind set.  Our history is littered with "shoulda woulda coulda" moments that featured controversial officiating.  We nearly lost our existence as an athletic department during the 2010-11 conference realignment because of a bunch of cunt schools.  Iowans in general have a mindset that the rest of the country doesn't appreciate us, and all of that bleeds into our fans' savagely booing the officials, regardless of whether the call wasn't correct.  The worst things I've publicly uttered were directed at refs during Iowa State games.  Ive noticed a lot of other fanbases, particularly KU basketball fans, hating this about us.

The Manhattan Project happened at Iowa State as well, so I think that explains a lot of the shit luck.

 

The good:

We're one of the top Ag schools in the country.  Our most similar fanbases/schools are KSU and OK State, but we bury both of them academically.  We were the first school created by the Morril Act.  The university predates Ames, and at the time it was built, it wasn't literally two buildings in the middle of nowhere out on the prairie.  George Washington Carver did most of his peanut research in Ames.  The guy who designed Central Park designed our campus, and it's frequently regarded as one of the most beautiful in the country.  Ames is a typical Midwestern college town.  It's pastoral, clean, and well maintained.  It frequently makes "best places to live" lists, but is also frequently knocked as boring despite having some great bars, restaurants, and cultural venues.

ISU is distinctly Iowan.  70% of students are Iowa natives, and frequently small town kids.  More of our alumni stay in state after graduation than any other school.  Our mission is making Iowa a better place, and we take it seriously.  Its this sense of pride that drives our notorious loyalty.  That and our Rodney Dangerfield complex.  We pack Jack Trice and Hilton because we love ISU, and we really believe we can impact the outcome. That and the party is a good time.

Our tailgate scene is fucking wild.  It is a celebration of everything ISU.  We like to drink.  A lot.  It's ingrained in the culture of the upper Midwest.  Most Iowans claim German, Czech, or Irish backgrounds, which means booze has been bred into us for years.  We've been known to drink bars in Kansas City (and Memphis this year) dry.  It also makes us a friendly lot.  Because we feel that outsiders have either a negative opinion of Iowa, or don't even realize we exist, we go all out to make a good impression.  If you've been to a game in Ames, you know what I mean.

We aren't much for silly traditions, because we've had pragmatism beaten into us for a century, but the one tradition that we really take pride in is the legacy of Jack Trice.  If you don't know the story, he was our first black athlete, and he played at a time when that wasn't socially accepted.  He was stomped during a fumble pile up while playing Minnesota in 1923.  Presumably due to the color of his skin.  He died of those injuries a few days later.  Jack was a hell of an athlete, a great student, and the definition of a self made man.  He was a true bad ass motherfucker.  To this day, the stadium is the only one in FBS football named after a black man.

Loyalty, a little inferiority complex, and a lot of booze.  Every yard for ISU.

I like you guys a LOT and I'm glad we are in a conference with y'all.

[BRLA 106]

6 hours ago, Smax said:

this "tell me" thing is stupid

go away...

[Al_4_ISU 12623]

22 minutes ago, Walser said:

Thanks for the insight Al. I didn't realize a lot of Iowans had a Dangerfield complex. Also thanks to ISUCyclones.

My only experience in Iowa was when I flew to Minneapolis in the late 90s to buy a car and immediately drove it back to Austin. In Iowa I was astounded by how the drivers in the left lane promptly moved over to the slow lane as I approached, every time. It was enchubbening.

I was at a happy hour yesterday with some former co-workers and the new IT director was there. She has an I-State logo tattoo on an inside bicep. She named her first son Ames, which isn't bad IMO.

We aren’t aggressive about it, but it lurks in the collective psyche.  We’d never let outsiders know how much we like ourselves, unlike say Texas where it’s celebrated.  Midwestern passive aggressive modesty, FTW.

Eisenhower allegedly said “the United States needs Iowa, but Iowa doesn’t need the United States”.  His wife was from Boone, which makes it suspect, but that mindset is prevalent.

[kopp0e 1135]

The Cyclones may have changed the trajectory of Oklahoma State's BCS fortunes, on one amazing night that may have kept Gundy from his 1st shot at a national title ...

 

[Jkwellborn 7032]

I was at a happy hour yesterday with some former co-workers and the new IT director was there. She has an I-State logo tattoo on an inside bicep. She named her first son Ames, which isn't bad IMO.

Was she ever on isuskanks?

Isu cost ok state a championship.

[Ace000087 18]

I've always said that the BIGXII conference goes from Ames to Austin on I-35.  Then West Virginia fucked that up. 

[Longboard Horn 41350]

Question: does ISU still kit have a baseball team?

[Longboard Horn 41350]

ISU fans are always so friendly. @Al_4_ISU let’s have a beer at Scholz Biergarten when y’all come play us in Austin.

[Dean Gullberry 38]

9 hours ago, Longboard Horn said:

Question: does ISU still kit have a baseball team?

Nope got rid of it back when I was in school.  Late nineties/early aughts... But we still have more appearances in the college world series than Iowa.

9 hours ago, Longboard Horn said:

ISU fans are always so friendly. @Al_4_ISU let’s have a beer at Scholz Biergarten when y’all come play us in Austin.

I will be there with a group this year.  Haven't been to Austin since the 2010 Garrett Gilbert game.  I've heard the city has changed a little..  Bart Scott Can't Wait gif.

[Al_4_ISU 12623]

15 hours ago, kopp0e said:

The Cyclones may have changed the trajectory of Oklahoma State's BCS fortunes, on one amazing night that may have kept Gundy from his 1st shot at a national title ...

 

I still get goosebumps.  John Walters’ call of the Quinn Sharp miss is beautiful.

[DeadArmadillo 907]

On 6/23/2018 at 9:14 AM, kopp0e said:

Whom the stadium in Ames is named in honor of: Jack Trice

Which one is Trice?

[Longboard Horn 41350]

On 6/23/2018 at 10:36 AM, Machinator said:

We travel to Ames in odd-numbered years.

Oops my mistake.

[kopp0e 1135]

51 minutes ago, DeadArmadillo said:

Which one is Trice?

The tallest guy in the picture, second from the left is Jack Trice (in the picture your referring to), the 'Clones have a throwback jersey to the era that Trice played in:

[Ace000087 18]

18 hours ago, kopp0e said:

The Cyclones may have changed the trajectory of Oklahoma State's BCS fortunes, on one amazing night that may have kept Gundy from his 1st shot at a national title ...

 

Tom Herman was our OC at ISU for that game.  

[kopp0e 1135]

13 minutes ago, Ace000087 said:

Tom Herman was our OC at ISU for that game.  

He's shown plenty of examples of being a coach who is a game changer, and I look forward to seeing UT return to it's rightful place among the top program under his watch...

[zlavydra 2142]

12 hours ago, Longboard Horn said:

Question: does ISU still kit have a baseball team?

We owe them a big thanks for Alan Bomer. 

[Hurtlocker 2219]

On 6/23/2018 at 10:05 AM, Al_4_ISU said:

We also don't jerk off into Mason jars, beat women, create non-sense language, or fuck sheep.

This is the single greatest comparison ever made.

[Hurtlocker 2219]

4 hours ago, kopp0e said:

The tallest guy in the picture, second from the left is Jack Trice (in the picture your referring to), the 'Clones have a throwback jersey to the era that Trice played in:

I think I like the throwbacks better than the non-throwbacks.

[kopp0e 1135]

2 minutes ago, Hurtlocker said:

I think I like the throwbacks better than the non-throwbacks.

Agreed...

Although I did like the former Cy-Hawk mascot logo...

On another note, I found an old chart of longest current streaks without a win, something changed on here last year; any guesses..?

 

[ImissWallyPryor 9046]

On 6/23/2018 at 9:05 AM, Al_4_ISU said:

Lets get the bad out of the way:

were the second most popular team in Iowa, despite being the largest university, and being the university who's mission is most aligned with what drives our state.  This has created the typical Ag school inferiority complex amongst a large percentage of our fanbase.  We frequently jab at Iowa fans for not going to Iowa and shit like that.  But we're nowhere near Aggy in terms of being obsessed with the other school.  We also don't jerk off into Mason jars, beat women, create non-sense language, or fuck sheep.

We also have a total conspiracy theory/martyr mind set.  Our history is littered with "shoulda woulda coulda" moments that featured controversial officiating.  We nearly lost our existence as an athletic department during the 2010-11 conference realignment because of a bunch of cunt schools.  Iowans in general have a mindset that the rest of the country doesn't appreciate us, and all of that bleeds into our fans' savagely booing the officials, regardless of whether the call wasn't correct.  The worst things I've publicly uttered were directed at refs during Iowa State games.  Ive noticed a lot of other fanbases, particularly KU basketball fans, hating this about us.

The Manhattan Project happened at Iowa State as well, so I think that explains a lot of the shit luck.

 

The good:

We're one of the top Ag schools in the country.  Our most similar fanbases/schools are KSU and OK State, but we bury both of them academically.  We were the first school created by the Morril Act.  The university predates Ames, and at the time it was built, it wasn't literally two buildings in the middle of nowhere out on the prairie.  George Washington Carver did most of his peanut research in Ames.  The guy who designed Central Park designed our campus, and it's frequently regarded as one of the most beautiful in the country.  Ames is a typical Midwestern college town.  It's pastoral, clean, and well maintained.  It frequently makes "best places to live" lists, but is also frequently knocked as boring despite having some great bars, restaurants, and cultural venues.

ISU is distinctly Iowan.  70% of students are Iowa natives, and frequently small town kids.  More of our alumni stay in state after graduation than any other school.  Our mission is making Iowa a better place, and we take it seriously.  Its this sense of pride that drives our notorious loyalty.  That and our Rodney Dangerfield complex.  We pack Jack Trice and Hilton because we love ISU, and we really believe we can impact the outcome. That and the party is a good time.

Our tailgate scene is fucking wild.  It is a celebration of everything ISU.  We like to drink.  A lot.  It's ingrained in the culture of the upper Midwest.  Most Iowans claim German, Czech, or Irish backgrounds, which means booze has been bred into us for years.  We've been known to drink bars in Kansas City (and Memphis this year) dry.  It also makes us a friendly lot.  Because we feel that outsiders have either a negative opinion of Iowa, or don't even realize we exist, we go all out to make a good impression.  If you've been to a game in Ames, you know what I mean.

We aren't much for silly traditions, because we've had pragmatism beaten into us for a century, but the one tradition that we really take pride in is the legacy of Jack Trice.  If you don't know the story, he was our first black athlete, and he played at a time when that wasn't socially accepted.  He was stomped during a fumble pile up while playing Minnesota in 1923.  Presumably due to the color of his skin.  He died of those injuries a few days later.  Jack was a hell of an athlete, a great student, and the definition of a self made man.  He was a true bad ass motherfucker.  To this day, the stadium is the only one in FBS football named after a black man.

Loyalty, a little inferiority complex, and a lot of booze.  Every yard for ISU.

+rep 

Excellent self-analysis. Your second paragraph describes what my son says about living around a lot of ISU and NU fans. The NU fans irrationally blame Texas for their failings and worship Tom Osborne to a fault, while the ISU fans think the whole world is conspiring against them.  It makes talking sports difficult.

And no, you’re nothing like aggy. 

Edited June 24, 2018 by ImissWallyPryor

[Al_4_ISU 12623]

17 minutes ago, ImissWallyPryor said:

+rep 

Excellent self-analysis. Your second paragraph describes what my son says about living around a lot of ISU and NU fans. The NU fans irrationally blame Texas for their failings and worship Tom Osborne to a fault, while the ISU fans think the whole world is conspiring against them.  It makes talking sports difficult.

And no, you’re nothing like aggy. 

It's nearly impossible for me to talk sports with Nebraska fans.  They blame you for Big 12 instability, I blame them.

 

15 hours ago, Longboard Horn said:

ISU fans are always so friendly. @Al_4_ISU let’s have a beer at Scholz Biergarten when y’all come play us in Austin.

I'd love to get back to Austin for a game.  I went in 2010 and had a blast.  Probably won't happen unless we open conference play against each other due to work.

Edited June 24, 2018 by Al_4_ISU

[kopp0e 1135]

15 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

It's nearly impossible for me to talk sports with Nebraska fans.  They blame you for Big 12 instability, I blame them.

 

I'd love to get back to Austin for a game.  I went in 2010 and had a blast.  Probably won't happen unless we open conference play against each other due to work.

In a weird way, it almost feels as if (some) Nebraska fans are on a bender to out-aggy aggy, even by posting hundreds of post on the 'burglars site of "breaking away from Texas", some of them are just completely eaten up by inferiority complex, hey it's not the fault of UT nor OU that NU can't use prop48 any longer (as the B1G/ SEC & PAC don't allow it either) Just sad...

[SnowAggy 154]

On 6/23/2018 at 9:05 AM, Al_4_ISU said:

Lets get the bad out of the way:

were the second most popular team in Iowa, despite being the largest university, and being the university who's mission is most aligned with what drives our state.  This has created the typical Ag school inferiority complex amongst a large percentage of our fanbase.  We frequently jab at Iowa fans for not going to Iowa and shit like that.  But we're nowhere near Aggy in terms of being obsessed with the other school.  We also don't jerk off into Mason jars, beat women, create non-sense language, or fuck sheep.

We also have a total conspiracy theory/martyr mind set.  Our history is littered with "shoulda woulda coulda" moments that featured controversial officiating.  We nearly lost our existence as an athletic department during the 2010-11 conference realignment because of a bunch of cunt schools.  Iowans in general have a mindset that the rest of the country doesn't appreciate us, and all of that bleeds into our fans' savagely booing the officials, regardless of whether the call wasn't correct.  The worst things I've publicly uttered were directed at refs during Iowa State games.  Ive noticed a lot of other fanbases, particularly KU basketball fans, hating this about us.

The Manhattan Project happened at Iowa State as well, so I think that explains a lot of the shit luck.

 

The good:

We're one of the top Ag schools in the country.  Our most similar fanbases/schools are KSU and OK State, but we bury both of them academically.  We were the first school created by the Morril Act.  The university predates Ames, and at the time it was built, it wasn't literally two buildings in the middle of nowhere out on the prairie.  George Washington Carver did most of his peanut research in Ames.  The guy who designed Central Park designed our campus, and it's frequently regarded as one of the most beautiful in the country.  Ames is a typical Midwestern college town.  It's pastoral, clean, and well maintained.  It frequently makes "best places to live" lists, but is also frequently knocked as boring despite having some great bars, restaurants, and cultural venues.

ISU is distinctly Iowan.  70% of students are Iowa natives, and frequently small town kids.  More of our alumni stay in state after graduation than any other school.  Our mission is making Iowa a better place, and we take it seriously.  Its this sense of pride that drives our notorious loyalty.  That and our Rodney Dangerfield complex.  We pack Jack Trice and Hilton because we love ISU, and we really believe we can impact the outcome. That and the party is a good time.

Our tailgate scene is fucking wild.  It is a celebration of everything ISU.  We like to drink.  A lot.  It's ingrained in the culture of the upper Midwest.  Most Iowans claim German, Czech, or Irish backgrounds, which means booze has been bred into us for years.  We've been known to drink bars in Kansas City (and Memphis this year) dry.  It also makes us a friendly lot.  Because we feel that outsiders have either a negative opinion of Iowa, or don't even realize we exist, we go all out to make a good impression.  If you've been to a game in Ames, you know what I mean.

We aren't much for silly traditions, because we've had pragmatism beaten into us for a century, but the one tradition that we really take pride in is the legacy of Jack Trice.  If you don't know the story, he was our first black athlete, and he played at a time when that wasn't socially accepted.  He was stomped during a fumble pile up while playing Minnesota in 1923.  Presumably due to the color of his skin.  He died of those injuries a few days later.  Jack was a hell of an athlete, a great student, and the definition of a self made man.  He was a true bad ass motherfucker.  To this day, the stadium is the only one in FBS football named after a black man.

Loyalty, a little inferiority complex, and a lot of booze.  Every yard for ISU.

Longboard, 

Sorry for the extended radio silence.  Al covered a lot of ground so I'll add a few points.

First, Frederick Law Olmsted did not design our campus.  His sons continued his Landscape Architecture practice and were hired as consultants for a time.  However, the campus is indeed beautiful and earned the American Society of Landscape Architects Centennial Medal in 1999.  Three university campuses were honored; Yale, UVA, and ISU.  With regard to the Manhattan project; iirc the enrichment of the uranium used occurred on campus in Ames.  We got the nickname "Cyclones" from the sports page of the Chicago Tribune when in 1896 we took a road trip to Evanston and beat the dogshit out of Northwestern (0-31?).  The headline made a reference to the ISU team blowing into town like an Iowa cyclone.  Tornado season had been particularly active that year...  The Atanasoff-Berry computer was designed and built at ISU.  It was the first electronic computer.

The football team is probably best known for it's former coaches including; Pop Warner, Johnny Majors, Earle Bruce, Jimmy Johnson, Jackie Sherill, Pete Carroll, John Fox, and one Tom Herman.

You'll be glad to know we've got a couple industrial design grads at Vans.  Saw some pics of them reviewing projects last semester.

[Al_4_ISU 12623]

The guy doing my campus tour was full of shit.

[Hurtlocker 2219]

This guy still there?