Tornado Game - 10 Years Ago.

[MNCYWX]

[video=youtube;kt5ysZs_Nwo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kt5ysZs_Nwo[/video]

First and only tornado I have ever seen with my own eyes. I was walking to the game with my dad from Freddy Court, about the area where the horse pens used to be. Looked west and saw it passing by.

I still remember how cold it turned as the game went on... and how windy it was sitting in the upper deck. Also can't forget Curvey rumbling in the endzone with that pick.

Crazy to think what could have been with TENS of THOUSANDS of people in a wide open area tailgating or going into the game. 3 miles away from what would have been a major disaster.

Were you there? What was your experience?

 

[tejasclone]

Was already seated in the student section when the sirens went off and they tried to evacuate the stadium. They told us to seek shelter in Hilton... which would have been a 10 minute walk without all the people, cars, tailgating, etc in the way. We hunkered down under the balcony and returned to our seats when the storm passed. I was annoyed because I'd lost a pretty good seat by having to leave the stadium.

Game itself was so much fun. Colorado was ranked #22 and we needed to beat them to gain an inch in the North race (and we needed them to lose to Nebraska in Boulder, and for us to beat Kansas... 2/3 of those things happened).

Everyone remembers Curvey returning the pick six, but our defense scored twice in that game, when Paris returned a fumble recovery as well.

I also distinctly remember Mason Crosby landing one of his field goals on the roof of the Jacobsen.

 

[19clone91]

Everyone says they were sent to Hilton, but I somehow ended up with a large amount of people in the football practice field. Which now that I think about it, that building probably has the thinnest roof in Ames. Probably not a good place to be in a tornado.

Can't believe that was already 10 years ago. Probably the greatest game/ experience I've ever been to.

 

[MNCYWX]

Was already seated in the student section when the sirens went off and they tried to evacuate the stadium. They told us to seek shelter in Hilton... which would have been a 10 minute walk without all the people, cars, tailgating, etc in the way. We hunkered down under the balcony and returned to our seats when the storm passed. I was annoyed because I'd lost a pretty good seat by having to leave the stadium.

Game itself was so much fun. Colorado was ranked #22 and we needed to beat them to gain an inch in the North race (and we needed them to lose to Nebraska in Boulder, and for us to beat Kansas... 2/3 of those things happened).

Everyone remembers Curvey returning the pick six, but our defense scored twice in that game, when Paris returned a fumble recovery as well.

I also distinctly remember Mason Crosby landing one of his field goals on the roof of the Jacobsen.

And he kicked a pretty long field goal too... 57 yarder.

 

[wxman1]

We were just walking into the stadium when it started to really get interesting. I remember looking west of the stadium and the funnel was taking shape. Like any weather nerd does I stood there and watched it the whole time. There was also a guy on top of the press box watching it and I just thought "I want his view". We were a couple of rows from the top of the west stands and people were losing their hats during the game when they stood up.

 

[throwittoblythe]

I was in the band at the time. We got all the way to the north side of the stadium and were told to turn and go back to Hilton. No one knew why, we were told to break formation and go back as quickly as possible.

I remember doing pep band songs to keep everyone entertained. That was a good time.

If I remember right, our kicker had hit like a 40 yarder right before Crosby's. Everyone was going crazy because that was a long FG for an ISU kicker. Then Crosby cranks a 57 yarder. "Oh, that's what a good kicker looks like"

 

[awd4cy]

Yesterday reminded me a lot of that day. I remember getting there well after many had evacuated to Hilton. There were still a lot of people that just stayed in the lots.

 

[MNCyGuy]

I was in the band at the time. We got all the way to the north side of the stadium and were told to turn and go back to Hilton. No one knew why, we were told to break formation and go back as quickly as possible.

I remember doing pep band songs to keep everyone entertained. That was a good time.

If I remember right, our kicker had hit like a 40 yarder right before Crosby's. Everyone was going crazy because that was a long FG for an ISU kicker. Then Crosby cranks a 57 yarder. "Oh, that's what a good kicker looks like"

That was my freshman year in the band, so my buddy and I were both alternates that week and at the very end of the whole band. We got word from the directors and staff that there was a tornado warning and we were turning back to wait in Hilton. Somehow we interpreted that as "the band needs to run to Hilton" and we probably got about halfway down the parking lot sprinting, moving barricades, yelling at people to get out of the way, etc. before we bothered to turn around and see the rest of the band calmly meandering their way towards the arena. Good memories though.

 

[hunttr82]

First Iowa State game I attended. I remember the sky turning color and my parents saying that wasn't good. We took cover in a parking garage.

 

[JWIL4CY]

Wow I can't believe this was 10 years ago. I was in the student section and then got evacuated to Hilton until it passed.

 

[501Clone]

Remember it like it was yesterday. My brother was wasted and said we'll be fine and kept drinking. Turned out he was right.

Busch Light truly is a mans best friend.

 

[flynnhicks03]

Remember it like it was yesterday. My brother was wasted and said we'll be fine and kept drinking. Turned out he was right.

Busch Light truly is a mans best friend.

Same with us. We never left G6. The police were driving through with their sirens on, but we'd had enough to drink that we weren't too worried about it. It was pretty scary the next day to see how close some of action was.

 

[SuperTrooper]

We stayed in C6 watching all the people go by. We did just in the minivan to get out of the wind.

It's amazing it never did rain at the stadium that day with the tornado so close.

 

[Farnsworth]

Man this makes me feel old.

I was a student at the time in the student lots. Cops kept coming by with their lights flashing telling everyone to go to Hilton, I remember most people just tailgating harder while it happened. I know I have a bunch of pictures with friends with the police cars driving through.

 

[klamath632]

“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!”

 

[Sigmapolis]

I was a freshman in the marching band. Spooky, stormy day, and, just as we're about to enter the Jack... I was at the back of the band, one of the alternatives for pregame... one of the drum major comes around back and starts screaming "GO BACK GO BACK!" So I got to be part of the crew moving stuff out of the way for everybody (barricades, trash cans) running back to Hilton.

We were soaked by the time we got there, dried off in the bathroom, then went and played a nice little show for people inside the arena shelter.

One of the best, back-and-forth football games I've ever seen from there. That last Pick 6 was the loudest I've ever heard Jack Trice, even if it wasn't a very well-attended game. The guy running down the field, watching the pursuit on the video-board, and swerving just at the right moment because he knew it was coming was absolutely classic.

Then the whole "Iowa State brought its mascot on the field" line.

Then we kicked the lantern over against KU the next week. Sure, we would have been SLAUGHTERED by Texas in the Big 12 championship game, but finally getting over that "won the north" hump would have been nice. We should have gone 11-1 or 12-0 that season anyways given the way the schedule setup, the strength of that defense, and how we JUST KEPT LOSING CLOSE GAMES.

That was ten years ago. Damn. I feel old. What's happened in those ten years to me?

 

[SaraV]

I was tailgating...probably in C4...with friends. I SOOOOO wanted to stick around and watch for a tornado, but with all of the trees to the west of the lots and not having a clear sightline, I wouldn't see a tornado until it was too late. Plus, my friends were a bit more afraid of the whole thing.

I remember the band going past, headed towards Hilton, picking up barriers and carrying them, all the while chanting "The band is seeking shelter...the band is seeking shelter..."

 

[carvers4math]

We got to the stadium fairly close to game time because one of the kids had a thing. Went to park in one of the grass lots and no one was taking money because they had been evacuated. Sat on the hill by the student section and had stuff blowing at us the whole game. I was jumping up and down screaming on the hill during Curvey's return, and my then 11 year old told me to settle down.:wacko:

 

[cyrocksmypants]

Well, this means my ten year graduation anniversary is next month. God I'm old.

 

[ISUcyclones11]

Is there a map of where the tornado went?