Like a few others...I grew up in NE Iowa during the 80's with Hawk fans on both sides of my family and friends. My dad (and mom's family) liked all the state schools, so wasn't negative on ISU and UNI, which were two schools I considered for engineering and accounting, respectively. I picked ISU for engineering. I was a dual fan of ISU and Iowa my freshman year, slowly dumping my Iowa allegiance after one year due to constant arrogant Hawk fans talking down to me for going to ISU and not Iowa (which they also were also not attending.)
Why are you an Iowa State Fan?
- Thread starter HogueNation
- Start date
I became a fan when I started school in 2009.
During my senior year of HS (in the Dayton, OH area) my dad lost his job & eventually found a new one at HNI in Muscatine. I finished out high school living with my friend's family. I thought I wanted to go into computer engineering, so ISU was the natural choice and the only school I applied for - turns out I changed my major to finance before I even started. I remember being 100% sold as soon as I took my campus visit. ISU wasn't ever on my radar growing up in Ohio, but I'm very thankful it's where I ended up.
During my senior year of HS (in the Dayton, OH area) my dad lost his job & eventually found a new one at HNI in Muscatine. I finished out high school living with my friend's family. I thought I wanted to go into computer engineering, so ISU was the natural choice and the only school I applied for - turns out I changed my major to finance before I even started. I remember being 100% sold as soon as I took my campus visit. ISU wasn't ever on my radar growing up in Ohio, but I'm very thankful it's where I ended up.
things I love...
1. my daughter
2. ISU
3. Wife
4. pizza
1. my daughter
2. ISU
3. Wife
4. pizza
Born into it, grew up in Husker country surrounded by the most arrogant and awful fan base in the country, dealing with that only solidified my Cyclone allegiance. Every time one of these threads pops up I'm always amazed at how many here grew up Hawk fans, mostly because growing up where I did, there weren't many Hawk fans, like 95% were Husker fans. (they are crawling out of the woodwork now though, the Huskers fall from glory timed with Iowa's first Orange Bowl season caused the Hawk bandwagon to nearly time over).
My grandparents moved to Ames in '55, and my dad grew up there. Grandma worked as a secretary for the English department for about 20 years. Dad went there for a year in Aero E, realized he really just wanted to fly planes (not design them), became a flight instructor instead. However, he was always a die-hard fan, and took me to my first game at Hilton when I was 4 - during Johnny Orr's last season. I've been hooked ever since, as has our whole family - my brother, sister, and I have all since graduated from ISU.
Born in eastern Iowa. My parents and 2 siblings are hawk fans. I was a huge hawk fan as well until I was around 7 or 8 years old. I remember watching the elite 8 team with Fizer and Tinsley and instantly falling in love with that team. Then the following fall watching Seneca Wallace play made me turn into a full blown cyclone fan. Today I'm still living in eastern iowa and am constantly out-manned when debating about the two schools at family gatherings.
Was passed on.
Didn't attend...part of me wishes I did to experience a bigger school...part of me wishes I would have experienced something outside of Iowa.
Still love visiting Ames as I have strong connections there in and outside the university. I've had debates with an old high school friend who held that people that didn't attend ISU don't understand what it's like there, which is true, however they had no idea about the other things in Ames that made it special to me.
Even with all of the futility in football I still offer no apologies for being the guy at the bar asking for the Iowa State game.
Didn't attend...part of me wishes I did to experience a bigger school...part of me wishes I would have experienced something outside of Iowa.
Still love visiting Ames as I have strong connections there in and outside the university. I've had debates with an old high school friend who held that people that didn't attend ISU don't understand what it's like there, which is true, however they had no idea about the other things in Ames that made it special to me.
Even with all of the futility in football I still offer no apologies for being the guy at the bar asking for the Iowa State game.
First and foremost, my family passed it on. Was born in Ames and lived the first few months of my life in Pammel Court with my parents (both graduates). From that point, we always lived fairly close to Ames and began attending football games once JTS was opened with my parents and siblings and have attended them ever since (approaching 40 years). Fast forward, post-military, parents were still in central Iowa, and it was a convenient choice for college.
Siblings are both fans as well even though neither hold degrees from ISU (one even graduated from Iowa)!
Now with a wife and kids, the natural order of things has been to pass this along to them and have even added basketball games to the Cyclone slate. They are bigger fans than I am, which can require tempering.
To quote a T-shirt that we wear from time to time to football games, “It’s what we do.”
Have some stereotypical hawk fans as friends that have a hard time comprehending why I am into Iowa State and not root for Iowa in anything. Given their lack of connection to a university, I don’t have the heart, or the time, to explain it to them. Besides, they wouldn’t understand anyways.
The culture and connection our fanbase has to the university is what I really enjoy and this ultimately defines us. Think about where this could go if we had some sustained excellence on the field of play / court, etc. This is what excites me the most as a fan and an alumnus . My only concern is that this sustained success (or lack of humility) could transport us down the path of our EIU counterparts and ruin all the good stuff (culture) that we presently have.
Siblings are both fans as well even though neither hold degrees from ISU (one even graduated from Iowa)!
Now with a wife and kids, the natural order of things has been to pass this along to them and have even added basketball games to the Cyclone slate. They are bigger fans than I am, which can require tempering.
To quote a T-shirt that we wear from time to time to football games, “It’s what we do.”
Have some stereotypical hawk fans as friends that have a hard time comprehending why I am into Iowa State and not root for Iowa in anything. Given their lack of connection to a university, I don’t have the heart, or the time, to explain it to them. Besides, they wouldn’t understand anyways.
The culture and connection our fanbase has to the university is what I really enjoy and this ultimately defines us. Think about where this could go if we had some sustained excellence on the field of play / court, etc. This is what excites me the most as a fan and an alumnus . My only concern is that this sustained success (or lack of humility) could transport us down the path of our EIU counterparts and ruin all the good stuff (culture) that we presently have.
Raised in NE IA, surrounded by Iowa fans but was a contrarian. My dad liked to say that I cheered for the Soviet Union touring youth teams in the late 70s/early 80s over Iowa -- the Soviet Union! My brother made the freshman FB team under Johnny Majors and then lettered 3 years on the baseball team. I saw his team play against Minnesota and Paul Molitor and saw the Stensrud era FB team take on OU with Elvis Peacock.
I went to 1 Lynn Nance and 2 Johnny Orr BB camps. Got a degree from ISU. I was there for the Hornacek/Grayer era (and Barry Stevens' senior year) and got to see wins over Danny Manning's Jayhawks.
I lost touch for a bit because I live on the East Coast and there wasn't as much web content or as many BB games on the ESPN networks. I'm trying to make up for that by possibly my only good parenting -- my kids wear ISU gear to their school in New Jersey. Fahgeddaboutit.
I went to 1 Lynn Nance and 2 Johnny Orr BB camps. Got a degree from ISU. I was there for the Hornacek/Grayer era (and Barry Stevens' senior year) and got to see wins over Danny Manning's Jayhawks.
I lost touch for a bit because I live on the East Coast and there wasn't as much web content or as many BB games on the ESPN networks. I'm trying to make up for that by possibly my only good parenting -- my kids wear ISU gear to their school in New Jersey. Fahgeddaboutit.
The fact that you would even have to explain anything says it all. That's the difference between Cyclone fans and tavern hoks.
voted for family passed it on, but i also went to school here. Grandpa went to ISU, so did my parents, and few of my uncles, all of my immediate family went to ISU. My other grandpa taught at ISU and was on the athletic council.
2 of my uncles went to ISU. Went to a lot of football/basketball games in the late 70's/early 80's with them and my dad. I also graduated from ISU and played baseball there. My brother was a swimmer for ISU. My oldest son goes to ISU now. Growing up in the DSM area, most of my buddies were Hok fans. I was going to play ball there until the ISU coach called. Easy choice. My dad's blood pressure went down 100 notches. 
Grew up in northern Iowa. I don't remember hearing much about ISU or ISU sports. Hawk games were on the radio and on sometimes on tv.
My mother grew up down the street from Harold Nichols' family in Cresco. Our family was close with the Kurdelmeier family from Cresco. My grandmother still lived in Cresco, so whenever we went to visit her, we visited them. My mom was a HUGE wrestling fan for obvious reasons, and followed both ISU and Iowa wrestling closely, especially with Gary Kurdelmeier wrestling for the Hawks. So, that was how I got into following ISU sports. Gary was at Iowa, Nick was at ISU.
After high school I was interested in engineering, so enrolled at ISU. When Hilton opened in '71 I got a job there as an usher. Worked there as a student, and worked my way up to be on the management staff for the Center. Stayed there until '83. In those 12 years became a diehard fan of ISU wrestling and basketball. Not a huge fan of ISU football because once I was no longer a student, I never had time to go to the games. Never have been to a game at Trice.
One of the best times working at Hilton was when my parents came to an ISU/Iowa wrestling meet, and I was able to get them down to the locker room to meet/re-unite with Nick and the team.
My mother grew up down the street from Harold Nichols' family in Cresco. Our family was close with the Kurdelmeier family from Cresco. My grandmother still lived in Cresco, so whenever we went to visit her, we visited them. My mom was a HUGE wrestling fan for obvious reasons, and followed both ISU and Iowa wrestling closely, especially with Gary Kurdelmeier wrestling for the Hawks. So, that was how I got into following ISU sports. Gary was at Iowa, Nick was at ISU.
After high school I was interested in engineering, so enrolled at ISU. When Hilton opened in '71 I got a job there as an usher. Worked there as a student, and worked my way up to be on the management staff for the Center. Stayed there until '83. In those 12 years became a diehard fan of ISU wrestling and basketball. Not a huge fan of ISU football because once I was no longer a student, I never had time to go to the games. Never have been to a game at Trice.
One of the best times working at Hilton was when my parents came to an ISU/Iowa wrestling meet, and I was able to get them down to the locker room to meet/re-unite with Nick and the team.
I live in eastern Iowa, too, and am surrounded by obnoxious Hoks. Stay strong!
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Mom graduated from Iowa State and Dad became a big fan of Johnny Orr's teams. So I was born into Cyclone basketball fandom. Kelvin Cato, Marcus Fizer, and Jake Sullivan were like Gods to me. Growing up, one of the biggest highlights of the year, year in and year out, was making the 2 hour drive to Ames for one game a year.
I grew up on a farm so agriculture has always been a big part of who I am. Decided when I was a little kid I was going to go to Iowa State. Wanting a degree in agriculture just sealed it. Iowa State was the only school I applied for and I never went on a campus visit. Go Cyclones!
I grew up on a farm so agriculture has always been a big part of who I am. Decided when I was a little kid I was going to go to Iowa State. Wanting a degree in agriculture just sealed it. Iowa State was the only school I applied for and I never went on a campus visit. Go Cyclones!
