Iowa State University. Dept. of Athletics. Football.

Iowa State Agricultural College (Iowa State University) played its first organized game of football against State Center (1892) under coach and team captain Ira Brownlie. Football had been played at Iowa State since the 1870s, but only on an intramural level. In 1894, the team became part of an officially organized athletic association and competed with other colleges in the state of Iowa. The "Cyclone" nickname came from a game Iowa State played at Northwestern in 1895. Head football coaches have included: Clyde Williams (1907-1912); George Veenker (1931-1936); Clay Stapleton (1958-1967); Johnny Majors (1968-1972); Earle Bruce (1973-1978); Jim Walden (1987-1994); Dan McCarney (1995-2006); Gene Chizik (2007-2008); and Paul Rhoads (2009- ).