Iowa State Cyclones

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.