If I Were A Cyclone Fan…

Matt Gogerty

If I were a Cyclone fan, there are plenty of things I’d be happy with regarding the football program, but there’s also a lot of things I would want to see changed.  From logos, to traditions to facilities I think there’s plenty of room for improvement (are you listening Jamie Pollard?).  Let’s just cut right to the chase and get down to business.

First of all I don’t really like the new I-State logo and haven’t from the get-go.  I find it boring and unoriginal, and while it’s an upgrade from the “Cy in a blender” logo I really think they could have come up with something much better.  Since the creative minds seemed to be lacking from this process, I think they should go back to the old Cyclone logo that they used from 1983-1994 and just stick with that one.  I think that one had the most originality and actually gave the Cyclones an identity, plus I think it simply looked the best.  Come on, remember those yellow helmets with that red logo (1983-1986) or the yellow one’s that just said Cyclones on them (1987-1994)?  Those were both way cooler than the current ones.  (At the bottom of this article I have included pics showing these as well as the logo from that era)

Next up, I would want to see the south end zone bowled in.  I know this is a popular idea among most Cyclone fans, at least the ones I know.  This would not only add more seats which could generate more revenue, but would also drastically improve the overall appearance of Jack Trice Stadium and make it feel more like a Division 1 venue.  I realize this will cost big money, but this is still something that I think needs to be done, especially with the increasing attendance numbers.

While we’re on the topic of improving Jack Trice Stadium, I’d also like to give my 2 cents worth regarding the new jumbotron.  Sure it’s pretty good sized and a HUGE improvement from what they currently had, but let’s lose the gigantic logos on the size and expand the screen to where the logos went to.  We all know we’re @ Iowa State University by the time we make it into the stadium as there’s plenty of reminders of that everywhere around you, so why waste the space on the new jumbotron with those giant logos?  If you’re going to claim to have one of the largest jumbotron’s in college football, at least utilize all of the space on there with the actual screen for God’s sake. 

Many teams around the country have game day traditions that they do as well during home games.  This is not only fun for the fans, but also helps to give the University an identity and something that opposing fan bases can recognize them for.  For example, at Camp Randall Stadium Wisconsin has the “Jump Around” tradition that they do at every home game between the 3^rd and 4^th quarters, where they play the House of Pain “Jump Around” song and everybody jumps up and down to it.  The fans love it and I think most would agree that this is a pretty cool and original tradition.  The Cyclones on the other hand have their “Sweet Caroline” tradition that they do in between the 3^rd and 4^th quarters, where the crowd sings along to the Neil Diamond song.  This absolutely has to be one of the lamest and cheesiest traditions in all of college football.  Heck, if I were a Cyclone player I would want this tradition ended right now.  How are you supposed to keep your game face on and intensity at a high level when this starts blaring over the loud speakers?  Shouldn’t the objective be for opposing teams to find Jack Trice an intimidating place to come play?  This isn’t a baseball game @ Fenway that we’re at, it’s a battlefield on the gridiron!  

One last annoying little tidbit, that yes, even if I were a Cyclone fan would annoy me, is the obnoxious “That’s another Cyclone first down” chant.  Goodness gracious, is it really that big of a deal that the team advanced another 10 yards down the field?  Was that really that big of an accomplishment?  I think that most fans are aware when the ball has advanced beyond what was needed for a first down, and that you don’t really need to advertise it over the loud speaker every single time.  This is Division 1 (FBS) football in the Big 12 Conference, one of the most powerful in all of the BCS.  I agree it’s great when you can move the ball and continue to get 1^st downs, but can’t we set the bar a little bit higher?  You shouldn’t need an obnoxious chant over the loud speaker to get the crowd into the game. 

Look, I know there are plenty of Iowa State fans that actually do like the current logo, some that think Jack Trice is just fine the way it is, and I suppose there’s even a few that actually enjoy singing the Sweet Caroline song (again, it’s football people), but none-the-less these are all things that I would definitely want to see changed if I were a Cyclone fan.

(Images referenced to in 2^nd paragraph)