History of Iowa State Cyclones football
In 1894, college president William M. Beardshear spearheaded the foundation of an athletic association to officially sanction Iowa State football teams.
When Veenker joined Iowa State, the school's football team was coming off a winless season in 1930 and had lost 16 consecutive games dating back to October 1929.
In his first year, the 1931 team defeated Missouri 20–0, Oklahoma 13–12, and Kansas State 7–6, compiled a 5–3 record and finished in second place in the Big Six.
[13] In 1942 Iowa State hired former Green Bay Packers All-Pro guard and three time NFL champion Mike Michalske to be the new head coach.
In 1968 in an attempt to turn the team around, Iowa State hired former standout Tennessee running back and up-and-comer Arkansas assistant as the 24th head coach in program history.
The team was led by junior running back George Amundson, whom Majors called "the finest athlete I have coached in any job I have had."
[14] at Sun Bowl, El Paso, TX 1972 saw the loss of five starters and the move of George Amundson from running back to quarterback to replace Dean Carlson.
Iowa State led 14–3 after the first quarter and a Willie Jones Liberty Bowl record, 93-yard kickoff return gave the Cyclones a 21–17 halftime edge.
At the conclusion of the 1972 season Majors announced he would be leaving Iowa State to take the head coaching job at Pittsburgh.
[16] In order to continue the success experienced under Johnny Majors Iowa State hired Earle Bruce out of Tampa.
Despite future Minnesota Vikings star linebacker Matt Blair being a first team All-American, the Cyclones struggled to a 4–7 finish in Bruce's inaugural 1973 season.
[22] In order to continue the success found under Earle Bruce, Iowa State hired Oklahoma assistant Donnie Duncan.
Led by future NFL players Dwayne Crutchfield, Dan Johnson, Karl Nelson and Chris Washington, the Cyclones tied #5 Oklahoma 7–7 and downed #8 Missouri 34–13.
[44] Troy twice earned unanimous All-American honors and was the first NCAA Division I-A running back to rush for over 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons, a feat that has yet to be repeated.
Others were J. J. Moses, Reggie Hayward, Ennis Haywood, Tony Yelk, Mike Banks, Jordan Carstens, Tyson Smith and James Reed.
Sage Rosenfels threw his second TD pass of the game, a 9 yarder to Chris Anthony, as Iowa State made it 27–7 at halftime.
In an interesting side note, Paul Rhoads was the defensive coordinator for Pittsburgh in this game; he would later become the Iowa State head coach.
After reaching the 1-yard line on a 33-yard by Lane Danielsen to close the quarter, the Cyclones would score the game's first touchdown on a 1-yard run by Joe Woodley to give State a 10–0 lead.
With 5:31 remaining in the contest, Waine Bacon blocked a Yelk punt with the recovery occurring on the Iowa State 29-yard line.
Two plays later, Zow hit Terry Jones for a 27-yard touchdown reception, and the extra point gave the Crimson Tide a 14–13 lead.
Seneca Wallace would lead the Cyclones to a 6–1 start in 2002, including a near-win against the Florida State in the Eddie Robinson Classic in Kansas City, Missouri.
During the home game versus Texas Tech, Seneca Wallace scored on a 12-yard touchdown by running an estimated 120 yards backwards, forwards, and sideways on the field.
Seneca Wallace threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Jamaul Montgomery, and Iowa State took a 10–7 lead to halftime.
The Cyclones had a chance to win the Big 12 North Title but fell short after a Missouri defender intercepted a pass intended for Jon Davis in the end zone.
In the Independence Bowl, Iowa State prevailed for a 17–13 win as freshman quarterback Bret Meyer rolled up 236 yards of total offense.
[58][59] Rhoads had previously spent time at Iowa State as an assistant coach in the late nineties and was raised only 20 miles from Ames in Ankeny.
With only a few minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, Minnesota quarterback Marqueis Gray fumbled the ball at the Iowa State 15-yard line.
After Tulsa responded with a nine-play drive that resulted in a touchdown, Sam Richardson hit Ernst Brun, who scampered in for the 69 yard score to make it 17–7 at the end of the opening stanza.
On December 16, 2011, Iowa State signed Rhoads to a new ten-year contract worth $2 million annually excluding incentives.
Following a 38–35 loss to Kansas State on November 21, in which he came under heavy criticism for play-calling in the game's final 90 seconds,[74] Rhoads was fired as head coach, effective the conclusion of the season.
