Iowa State Cyclones

Iowa State Cyclones
The athletic teams of the Iowa State University are called the Iowa State Cyclones, or simply 'Clones. The university is a member of the Big 12 Conference. Fielding 16 varsity teams in 11 sports, the university competes in NCAA Division I. The mens sports included basketball, cross country, football, Golf, track and field and wrestling. The womens sports included basketball, cross country, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis,track and field and volleyball. A number of club sports are also played in Iowa State. A varsity baseball team was fielded Iowa State through the 2001 season.

Iowa State Cyclones basketball:
The Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball team represents Iowa State University (ISU). It has the honor of competing in the Big 12 Conference of NCAA Division I.Currently, the head coach of ISU men's basketball is Greg McDermott. He was hired on March 21, 2006, following the firing of previous head coach Wayne Morgan. T.J. Otzelberger, Jean Prioleau, and Jeff Rutter are McDermotts assistant coaches The ISU Director of Basketball Operations is Ron Smith.

Tim Floyd Era (1994-98)
Following Johnny Orr's retirement, Tim Floyd from the University of New Orleans (UNO) was hired as the next men's basketball head coach by the Iowa State. Under Floyd, the performance of the team was encouraging. A 23-11 overall mark and a 6-8 mark in conference play was recorded by Floyd's first ISU team.They advanced to the second round of the 1995 NCAA Tournament but they lost to the No. 2 seed North Carolina Tar Heels. Senior Fred Hoiberg showed outstanding performance. He averaged 19.9 points per game. Seniors Loren Meyer and Julius Michalik averaged 15.7 points and 9.0 rebounds per game and 14.3 points and 5.4 rebounds per game, respectively.

Larry Eustachy Era (1998-2003)
Iowa state filled the head coaching position vacated by Tim Floyd by hiring Larry Eustachy from Utah State. Eustachy led the Cyclones to 15-15 overall record and a 6-10 record in Big 12 play in his first season.Sophomore Marcus Fizer averaged 18 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Michael Nurse and Martin Rancik both averaged 10.3 points per game.The worst overall men's basketball record since the 1990-91 season was produced by the 2001-02 Cyclones. They finished 12-19 overall record and 4-12 in conference play. Tyray Pearson averaged 18.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.

College basketball:
Dr. James Naismith invented the game of basketball in 1891. The first recorded game involving a college basketball team took place in Pittsburgh area town of Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania on April 8, 1893. In this game, a team from Geneva College defeated nearby New Brighton YMCA .

On February 9, 1895, the first intercollegiate game was played in which the Minnesota State School of Agriculture defeated Hamline College by a score of 9 to 3. On January 18, 1896, the first intercollegiate game involving the now familiar five-player format occurred in Iowa City, Iowa in which the University of Chicago defeated the University of Iowa 15 to 12. Before that time, seven to nine players were usually included in each team.

By the turn of the 20th Century, leagues began to form when numerous colleges were fielding basketball teams. In 1906, the NCAA was founded in Chicago. The first NCAA Men's College Basketball Championship tournament was held at Northwestern University's Patton Gymnasium in Evanston, Illinois in 1939. 5,500 fans attended this tournament. That year, Oregon was successful in winning the national championship after beating Ohio State 46 to 33 in the final game.

In those days, the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) was also a thriving tournament. In fact, the NIT was formed the year before the NCAA created their championship tournament. By the early 1950s, the NCAA had taken over as the dominant tournament and the NIT became a place for postseason play for those teams that couldn't quite make the "Big Dance".

Iowa State Cyclones football:
The Iowa State Cyclones represent Iowa State University in college football. The team competes in the northern division of the Big 12 athletic conference in Iowa State .

The 1971 teams was picked to finish last in the Big Eight but overcame odds to get a Sun Bowl bid to give the Cyclones their first bowl bid ever in Major's fourth season at Iowa State. George Amundson successfully led the team.

The season was finished with an 8-3 record and a No. 18 rankingBruce was proud to be selected as the Big 12 Coach of the year and had four players garner all conference honors, including Luther Blue, a Split End, who was an All-American.