Clyde Williams Stadium?
- Thread starter swarthmoreCY
- Start date
This is from 1901. This is around where the library currently is.
stellar! I must have searched the internet for an hour and came up with nothing! Kudos!
I went to games as a kid for the last couple of years at Clyde Williams - the south end zone stands were tremendous - you were basically sitting right above the end zone. We should copy that for the south addition at Jack Trice.
These photos are just awesome. Always neat to see a little bit of the past that most of us here weren't even born early enough to see.
Next topic on old facilities should include the former basketball facilities. I would love to see some photos of what games looked like before Hilton was built.
Next topic on old facilities should include the former basketball facilities. I would love to see some photos of what games looked like before Hilton was built.
Same here. I knew that the stadium used to be there... Just never thought about it.
I loved football at Clyde Williams. I got to go to a few games while in high school and sat on the west side. Couldn't wait to go to college and sit on the south or east side.
My freshman and sophomore years the center was from my high school and everyone from my hometown would sit together in the south bleachers and yell his name and he would wave at us.
Oranges being thrown on the field were a major problem, especially when one almost hit the buffalo from Colorado and he went crazy.
I don't think my ticket was ever punched because just crowded the gates to the point that they just opened them up to everyone so that no one was hurt.
My freshman and sophomore years the center was from my high school and everyone from my hometown would sit together in the south bleachers and yell his name and he would wave at us.
Oranges being thrown on the field were a major problem, especially when one almost hit the buffalo from Colorado and he went crazy.
I don't think my ticket was ever punched because just crowded the gates to the point that they just opened them up to everyone so that no one was hurt.
My parents had season tickets to the games back in the late sixties and I got to attend a few games at Clyde Williams at about age eight or nine. I can remember picking up sandwiches before the game at Hickory Park when it was on East Lincolnway. We used to park north and west of the stadium under some big Oak trees. I remember throwing the football around with a friend I'd take to the game and it was at that early age a Cyclone fan was born. I remember the seats were just painted 2x10's or something similar. It was a fun time but I remember being pretty excited to hear about a new stadium being built. Great Thread!!
State Gym:
The ISU Library has a set of old hoops photos on Flickr that include State Gym and the Armory:
[LINK]
This is from 1901. This is around where the library currently is.
Judging from the bottom right corner, it appears that there was hilltop seating long before the hillside seating at JTS. There also appears to be a crew working in a trench - presumably excavating for a building foundation. Great find.
Clyde Williams held about 28,000 when I attended in the mid 70s. Football was pretty low-key back then. In fact, I was able to score a "press pass" to walk the sidelines and shoot photos for a black and white photography class I was taking (believe it was JLMC 318). Shot some photos (which I still have) of OU's Joe Washington (he was a stud who later played in the NFL) sport'n his silver cleats. As I recall the field was mowed fairly long and got watered several days the week prior to the game in an attempt to slow him down. If I'm remembering correctly (and I'd like to think I am), he still gained 200+ yards.
Kind of fun tradition had us tossing oranges onto the field when ISU scored its first TD (Big 8 champ received an automatic beth in the Orange Bowl). I rememer K-State players picking oranges off the field and throwing them back at the fans in the stands. Pretty crazy times. Then we moved into the new place and oranges, bottles, etc were banned. So was my "press pass."
Kind of fun tradition had us tossing oranges onto the field when ISU scored its first TD (Big 8 champ received an automatic beth in the Orange Bowl). I rememer K-State players picking oranges off the field and throwing them back at the fans in the stands. Pretty crazy times. Then we moved into the new place and oranges, bottles, etc were banned. So was my "press pass."
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I find it somewhat alarming that ISU invested to expand the stadium in '61 and '66, only to move to JTS after 1974.
Page four of this PDF has good insight into the planning and operation for Clyde Williams Field and JTS up to 1980.
http://www.lib.iastate.edu/spcl/exhibits/150/campus/ISU%20Campus%20and%20Its%20Buildings%20-%20South%20Hall%20-%20Workshop.pdf
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I would assume the picture was taken from the top of Morrill Hall since that is about the angle of where that picture could have been taken, and its one of the few buildings that would have existed.
This is a pretty good read. The old-timey talk cracks me up too. I especially like the description of the South Studio: "A temporary shed of the cheapest construction possible...it has been allowed to remain although it is not as well built a structure as many a barn or cheap warehouse in the State".
The scary part is that South Studio wasn't horse stable or maintenance shed, it was the home of the chemistry labs for over a decade.
The discussion of the football stadium and State Gym are pretty interesting too. With as many times as his name is mentioned, I'm surprised there isn't something bigger named after Thomas Sloss, but I supposed it makes sense that his former residence is named for him.
I've told this one before, every game students would pile out of the bleachers to make a tunnel for the players to run through. For the Colorado game, we came armed with oranges and apples, and before returning to our seats, we pelted the buffalo they brought out and he got loose. Pandemonium broke out, and it was a wonder no one go killed. But we showed them it was our house the buffalo had come to.
Another highlight was passing girls up the stands during the game. Girls seemed to like it, as did the guys who helped with the passing.
Another highlight was passing girls up the stands during the game. Girls seemed to like it, as did the guys who helped with the passing.
And now they won't even let some dude bring a plastic horn into the stands for the 1st down cheer. This makes me sad. :sad:
