homecoming games: fun facts
Cyclones entering the field for the 1985 Homecoming game against the University of Kansas.
Since its beginnings, all Homecoming events ultimately lead to that Saturday football game on our home turf when students, alumni, community members, and all Iowa State fans come together to root for the Cyclones. While we can't possibly describe each and every play, in addition to the excitement and energy of the Cyclone fans, below are a few fun facts about several Homecoming games.
First Homecoming game win: November 10, 1917 game against Kansas State University (10-7).
First radio broadcast for a Homecoming game: 1921, when we played the University of Nebraska.
First Homecoming tie: November 7, 1925, against Grinnell College with a final score of 9-9.
The Dirty Thirty's Homecoming game: The Cyclones beat Kansas State with a huge win at the 1959 Homecoming: 26-0. The 1959 football team would become known as the "Dirty Thirty". By the start of the 1959 season, the Iowa State Football Team was down to thirty members from its original fifty-five. Although the team was lacking in number, they more than made up for it in perseverance and "hard-nosed" play. Led by Coach Clay Stapleton, the team had given Iowa State its best season in twenty years, with a record of 7-3.
Jack Trice Stadium groundbreaking: The groundbreaking for the new Jack Trice Stadium took place on October 26th during the 1973 Homecoming celebrations. It opened on September 20, 1975.
First night game: Homecoming 1984 was a bit different for ISU football fans. Iowa State played Oklahoma in the first night game at Iowa State, televised by ESPN at 6:45 pm. While some Cyclone fans were left scrambling to change their plans for the evening, local merchants appreciated the time change because earlier game times usually fell during their business hours. The change also presented some challenges for ISU, including lighting. An Oskaloosa business provided lighting that allowed more light for ESPN cameras, players, and fans. The Cyclones practiced with the extra lighting for two days so that it would not pose any problems for the team during the game, and postgame the lights were turned toward the parking lots to help fans better navigate their way out of the stadium.
homecoming games
Wondering who the Cyclones have played since the first 1912 Homecoming? Included below is a table for all Homecoming games (except for 1918, when Homecoming was cancelled due to the Spanish Influenza epidemic which hit campus that fall and caused all football games to be cancelled for the rest of the season - please visit our History of Iowa State online exhibit for more information on the epidemic).
Year |
Date |
Football Game Opponent |
Score |
|---|---|---|---|
1912 |
11/16/1912 |
University of Iowa |
L (7-20) |
1913 |
11/1/1913 |
University of Iowa |
L (7-45) |
1914 |
11/14/1914 |
University of Iowa |
L (6-26) |
1915 |
10/30/1915 |
University of Nebraska |
L (0-21) |
1916 |
11/18/1916 |
University of Iowa |
L (16-19) |
1917 |
11/10/1917 |
Kansas State University |
W (10-7) |
1918 |
|
Flu Epidemic (No Home Games) |
|
1919 |
11/15/1919 |
Kansas State University |
W (46-0) |
1920 |
11/20/1920 |
University of Iowa |
L (10-14) |
1921 |
11/19/1921 |
University of Nebraska |
L (3-35) |
1922 |
10/14/1922 |
University of Missouri |
L (3-6) |
1923 |
11/17/1923 |
University of Nebraska |
L (14-26) |
1924 |
10/18/1924 |
University of Missouri |
L (0-7) |
1925 |
11/7/1925 |
Grinnell College |
Tie (9-9) |
1926 |
11/13/1926 |
Drake University |
W (13-7) |
1927 |
10/29/1927 |
Kansas State University |
W (12-7) |
1928 |
11/3/1928 |
University of Oklahoma |
W (13-0) |
1929 |
10/26/1929 |
University of Kansas |
L (0-33) |
1930 |
11/1/1930 |
University of Oklahoma |
L (13-19) |
1931 |
10/24/1931 |
University of Missouri |
W (20-0) |
1932 |
10/15/1932 |
University of Kansas |
L (0-26) |
1933 |
10/28/1933 |
University of Missouri |
W (14-7) |
1934 |
11/3/1934 |
University of Kansas |
Tie (0-0) |
1935 |
10/26/1935 |
University of Missouri |
Tie (6-6) |
1936 |
10/31/1936 |
University of Oklahoma |
Tie (7-7) |
1937 |
10/30/1937 |
University of Missouri |
L (0-12) |
1938 |
10/22/1938 |
University of Kansas |
W (21-7) |
1939 |
10/28/1939 |
University of Missouri |
L (6-21) |
1940 |
10/26/1940 |
University of Oklahoma |
L (7-20) |
1941 |
10/18/1941 |
University of Missouri |
L (13-39) |
1942 |
10/31/1942 |
University of Oklahoma |
L (7-14) |
1943 |
11/6/1943 |
University of Missouri |
L (7-25) |
1944 |
11/4/1944 |
University of Oklahoma |
L (7-12) |
1945 |
10/20/1945 |
University of Nebraska |
W (27-7) |
1946 |
10/26/1946 |
University of Oklahoma |
L (0-63) |
1947 |
10/25/1947 |
University of Missouri |
L (7-26) |
1948 |
10/16/1948 |
University of Colorado |
W (18-7) |
1949 |
10/15/1949 |
Kansas State University |
W (25-21) |
1950 |
10/14/1950 |
University of Kansas |
L (21-33) |
1951 |
10/13/1951 |
Kansas State University |
W (32-6) |
1952 |
10/18/1952 |
University of Colorado |
L (12-21) |
1953 |
10/17/1953 |
University of Missouri |
W (13-6) |
1954 |
10/16/1954 |
University of Colorado |
L (0-20) |
1955 |
10/22/1955 |
Kansas State University |
L (7-9) |
1956 |
10/20/1956 |
University of Colorado |
L (0-52) |
1957 |
10/26/1957 |
Kansas State University |
L (10-14) |
1958 |
10/11/1958 |
University of Kansas |
L (0-7) |
1959 |
10/24/1959 |
Kansas State University |
W (26-0) |
1960 |
10/15/1960 |
University of Colorado |
L (6-21) |
1961 |
10/28/1961 |
Kansas State University |
W (31-7) |
1962 |
10/13/1962 |
University of Kansas |
L (8-29) |
1963 |
11/2/1963 |
Oklahoma State University |
W (33-28) |
1964 |
10/17/1964 |
University of Colorado |
L (7-14) |
1965 |
10/30/1965 |
Oklahoma State University |
W (14-10) |
1966 |
10/15/1966 |
University of Colorado |
L (21-41) |
1967 |
10/21/1967 |
University of Missouri |
L (7-23) |
1968 |
10/26/1968 |
University of Kansas |
L (25-46) |
1969 |
10/25/1969 |
University of Kansas |
W (44-20) |
1970 |
10/31/1970 |
University of Oklahoma |
L (28-29) |
1971 |
10/23/1971 |
University of Kansas |
W (40-24) |
1972 |
11/4/1972 |
University of Oklahoma |
L (6-20) |
1973 |
10/27/1973 |
University of Kansas |
L (20-22) |
1974 |
10/19/1974 |
Kansas State University |
W (23-18) |
1975 |
11/1/1975 |
University of Colorado |
L (27-28) |
1976 |
10/30/1976 |
Kansas State University |
W (45-14) |
1977 |
10/29/1977 |
University of Kansas |
W (41-3) |
1978 |
11/4/1978 |
Kansas State University |
W (24-0) |
1979 |
10/20/1979 |
University of Kansas |
L (7-24) |
1980 |
10/11/1980 |
Kansas State University |
W (31-7) |
1981 |
10/17/1981 |
University of Missouri |
W (34-13) |
1982 |
10/30/1982 |
Kansas State University |
L (3-9) |
1983 |
10/15/1983 |
University of Colorado |
W (22-10) |
1984 |
10/20/1984 |
University of Oklahoma |
L (10-12) |
1985 |
10/12/1985 |
University of Kansas |
W (22-21) |
1986 |
10/4/1986 |
University of Wyoming |
W (21-10) |
1987 |
10/31/1987 |
University of Colorado |
L (10-43) |
1988 |
10/22/1988 |
University of Kansas |
W (42-14) |
1989 |
10/14/1989 |
University of Colorado |
L (17-52) |
1990 |
10/6/1990 |
University of Kansas |
T (34-34) |
1991 |
10/26/1991 |
Oklahoma State University |
T (6-6) |
1992 |
10/17/1992 |
University of Kansas |
L (47-50) |
1993 |
10/23/1993 |
Oklahoma State University |
W (20-17) |
1994 |
10/15/1994 |
University of Kansas |
L (23-41) |
1995 |
10/21/1995 |
University of Colorado |
L (28-50) |
1996 |
9/28/1996 |
University of Missouri |
W (45-31) |
1997 |
10/25/1997 |
Baylor University |
W (24-17) |
1998 |
10/10/1998 |
University of Missouri |
L (19-35) |
1999 |
10/30/1999 |
University of Texas |
L (41-44) |
2000 |
10/21/2000 |
Texas A&M University |
L (7-30) |
2001 |
10/20/2001 |
Oklahoma State University |
W (28-24) |
2002 |
10/12/2002 |
Texas Tech University |
W (31-17) |
2003 |
10/18/2003 |
University of Texas |
L (19-40) |
2004 |
10/9/2004 |
Texas A&M University |
L (3-34) |
2005 |
10/22/2005 |
Oklahoma State University |
W (37-10) |
2006 |
10/21/2006 |
Texas Tech University |
L (26-42) |
2007 |
10/20/2007 |
University of Oklahoma |
L (7-17) |
2008 |
10/25/2008 |
Texas A&M University |
L (35-49) |
2009 |
10/17/2009 |
Baylor University |
W (24-10) |
2010 |
10/30/2010 |
University of Kansas |
W (29-16) |
2011 |
10/22/2011 |
Texas A&M University |
L (17-33) |
Balloon celebration at the 1985 Homecoming game against the University of Kansas. The game was a win for the Cyclones: 22-21.