Iowa State Cyclones at MidAmerican Field at Jack Trice Stadium
A Big 12 Conference member since 1996, Iowa State is one of the oldest college football programs in the Midwest. The Ames-based team has appeared in 14 bowl games, including a 2017 Liberty Bowl victory over the Memphis Tigers, and won two conference championships. Iowa State's head coach is Matt Campbell, who has held that position since 2016 and won Big 12 Coach of the Year after the 2017 season.
The Cyclones play at MidAmerican Field at Jack Trice Stadium, a 61,500-capacity venue named after Iowa State's first black athlete. The stadium experience offers several beloved traditions, such as a circa-1890 victory bell ringing after wins and a tornado siren that wails in celebration of home field achievements.
Iowa State Cyclones Football History
Iowa State's football program coalesced in 1892 as an independent team, when the school was still known as Iowa Agricultural College. The Cyclones joined the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association in 1908, and stayed with the conference throughout name changes, including to the Big Eight. One of the team's earliest head coaches was Pop Warner, the future founder of the youth football program that bears his name. Other notable head coaches include Earle Bruce, who later found great success at the Ohio State University, and Dan McCarney, who led the Cyclones to five bowl games in the 2000s. Notable Cyclones alums include running back Troy Davis, a 1996 Heisman Trophy finalist and College Football Hall of Famer who holds multiple Iowa State rushing records, and wide receiver Allen Lazard, the school's all-time career receptions leader.
Iowa State boasts multiple long-standing rivalries dating back more than a century. Every year, the team faces cross-state foe the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series, where the winner of the game earns control of the Cy-Hawk Trophy. The two teams first met in 1894, but made the match-up an annual affair starting in 1977. Since 1917, Iowa State has also squared off annually against longtime conference rival the Kansas State Wildcats.
