Cy the Cardinal is the

mascot A mascot is any human, animal, or object thought to bring luck, or anything used to represent a group with a common public identity, such as a school, professional sports team, society, military unit, or brand name. Mascots are also used as fi ...

Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...

's sports teams. Because a

cyclone In meteorology, a cyclone () is a large air mass that rotates around a strong center of low atmospheric pressure, counterclockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere as viewed from above (opposite to an anti ...

was difficult to depict in costume, a

cardinal Cardinal or The Cardinal may refer to: Animals * Cardinal (bird) or Cardinalidae, a family of North and South American birds **''Cardinalis'', genus of cardinal in the family Cardinalidae **''Cardinalis cardinalis'', or northern cardinal, the ...

was selected from the

and

gold Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile met ...

of the official school colors. A cardinal-like bird was introduced at the 1954

homecoming Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni or other former members of an organization to celebrate the organization's existence. It is a tradition in many high schools, colleges, and churches in the United States, Canada and Liberia. ...

pep rally. A contest was conducted to select a name for the mascot, and the winning entry of Cy was submitted by 17 people. The first to submit the name, Mrs. Wilma Ohlsen, won a cardinal and gold stadium

blanket A blanket is a swath of soft cloth large enough either to cover or to enfold most of the user's body and thick enough to keep the body warm by trapping radiant body heat that otherwise would be lost through convection. Etymology The term ...

. Over the last half century, Cy has undergone several makeovers and redesigns. The first Cy was approximately tall with a bulging chest made mostly from

chicken wire Chicken wire, or poultry netting, is a mesh of wire commonly used to fence in fowl, such as chickens, in a run or coop. It is made of thin, flexible, galvanized steel wire with hexagonal gaps. Available in 1 inch (about 2.5 cm) diameter, ...

and

aluminum Aluminium (aluminum in American and Canadian English) is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one third that of steel. It has ...

. Cy was again transformed when ISU Athletics changed the school's logo and color combinations. Due to the size and weight of the original costume, there were some physical requirements for students who wanted to fill the role of Cy. Applicants needed to be 5’11” (180.3 cm) to 6’2” (188 cm) and weigh 175 to 210 pounds (79.4 to 95.25 kg). When Cy first was introduced, only one student served as Cy. Now Cy is performing in public about 200 days a year, and four to six students share mascot duties. Today, physical attributes are not as important because the costume is available in three sizes. Cy makes appearances at various Cyclone sporting events such as football, men's and women's basketball, volleyball, wrestling, soccer, softball, and gymnastics. In addition to sporting events, Cy is often requested to make various appearances across the state of Iowa for a number of events. Cy also competes each year at the NCAA College Mascot Nationals in

Daytona Beach, Florida Daytona Beach, or simply Daytona, is a coastal Resort town, resort-city in east-central Florida. Located on the eastern edge of Volusia County, Florida, Volusia County near the East Coast of the United States, Atlantic coastline, its population ...

Recognition

Cy has won two national mascot challenges since 2007; the CBS Sportsline Most Dominant College Mascot on Earth in 2007, and the CapitalOne Bowl National Mascot of the Year in 2008.

References

Iowa State Cyclones Big 12 Conference mascots Iowa State Cyclones traditions 1954 establishments in Iowa {{Iowa-sport-stub

Recognition

See also

References