page_title: Iowa State Cyclones
section_title: Mascot
hierarchical_section_title: Iowa State Cyclones / Traditions / Mascot
caption_attribution_description: English: Cy the mascot during a game
context_page_description: 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 in 12 sports.
  The "Cyclones" name dates back to 1895. That year, Iowa suffered an unusually high number of devastating cyclones. 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.
context_section_description: Iowa State uses a cardinal, Cy, as its mascot instead of an actual tornado or Cyclone.  Prior to the football match up against the University of Colorado on November 12, 2005 a tornado touched down in Ames, Iowa and forced fans to either stand out in the parking lot and watch the storm or flee to shelter in Hilton Coliseum.  It created such an atmosphere that Iowa State was able to win over the favored Buffaloes 30–16.  When asked about the event, Colorado coach Gary Barnett said, "I thought we had a pretty good mascot. But when we showed up at Iowa State and they had a real tornado, that's the real deal."
caption: Cy during a football game
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