Cy the Cardinal

Cy the Cardinal
Cy the Cardinal
	Cy the Cardinal 2018 Big 12 Media Days
University	Iowa State University
Conference	Big 12
Description	Cyclones
First seen	1954

Cy the Cardinal is the mascot of Iowa State University's sports teams.

Iowa State became the Cyclones after a series of tornadoes (then called cyclones) ravaged the area in 1898.^[2] Because a cyclone was difficult to depict in costume, a cardinal was selected from the cardinal and gold of the official school colors.^[3] A cardinal-like bird was introduced at the 1954 homecoming pep rally. A contest was conducted to select a name for the mascot, and the winning entry of Cy was submitted by 17 people. The first to submit the name, Mrs. Wilma Ohlsen,^[4] won a cardinal and gold stadium blanket.

Over the last half century, Cy has undergone several makeovers and redesigns. The first Cy was approximately 8 feet (2.4 m) tall with a bulging chest made mostly from chicken wire and aluminum.^[3] Cy was again transformed when ISU Athletics changed the school's logo and color combinations.

Due to the size and weight of the original costume, there were some physical requirements for students who wanted to fill the role of Cy. Applicants needed to be 5’11” (180.3 cm) to 6’2” (188 cm) and weigh 175 to 210 pounds (79.4 to 95.25 kg). When Cy first was introduced, only one student served as Cy. Now Cy is performing in public about 200 days a year, and four to six students share mascot duties. Today, physical attributes are not as important because the costume is available in three sizes.^[5]

Cy makes appearances at various Cyclone sporting events such as football, men's and women's basketball, volleyball, wrestling, soccer, softball, and gymnastics. In addition to sporting events, Cy is often requested to make various appearances across the state of Iowa for a number of events. Cy also competes each year at the NCAA College Mascot Nationals in Daytona Beach, Florida.^[6]

Recognition

Cy has won two national mascot challenges since 2007; the CBS Sportsline Most Dominant College Mascot on Earth in 2007,^[7] and the CapitalOne Bowl National Mascot of the Year in 2008.^[8]

References

^ "Origin of Cy". Cyclones.com. 11 August 2006. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
^ "HISTORY AND TRADITIONS" (PDF). Retrieved August 13, 2024.
^ ^a ^b "History of the Iowa State Cyclones Mascot | College Football Network". 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
^ "Can You Name This Cardinal?". www.ameshistory.org. Retrieved 2023-11-27.
^ "Everyone Loves Cy!". historicexhibits.lib.iastate.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
^ "Spirit Squad". Iowa State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-04-10.
^ "About Cyclone athletics". Iowa State University Relations. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2011.
^ "Cy Wins National Mascot Challenge". Cyclones.com. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2011.

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[origin-1] "Origin of Cy". Cyclones.com. 11 August 2006. Archived from the original on 14 March 2012. Retrieved 4 August 2011.

[2] "HISTORY AND TRADITIONS" (PDF). Retrieved August 13, 2024.

[:0-3] "History of the Iowa State Cyclones Mascot | College Football Network". 2023-02-07. Retrieved 2023-11-27.

[4] "Can You Name This Cardinal?". www.ameshistory.org. Retrieved 2023-11-27.

[5] "Everyone Loves Cy!". historicexhibits.lib.iastate.edu. Retrieved 2020-04-10.

[6] "Spirit Squad". Iowa State University Athletics. Retrieved 2020-04-10.

[7] "About Cyclone athletics". Iowa State University Relations. Archived from the original on 7 August 2011. Retrieved 4 August 2011.

[8] "Cy Wins National Mascot Challenge". Cyclones.com. 1 January 2009. Retrieved 4 August 2011.

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v t e Iowa State Cyclones football
Venues	Clyde Williams Field (1915–1974) Jack Trice Stadium (1975–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games Iowa Kansas State Missouri Nebraska
Culture & lore	History Cy the Cardinal "ISU Fights" Iowa State University Cyclone Marching Band 2011 Oklahoma State game
People	Head coaches All-Americans NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

v t e Iowa State Cyclones men's basketball
Venues	Margaret Hall Gymnasium (1907–1912) State Gymnasium (1913–1947) Iowa State Armory (1947–1971) Hilton Coliseum (1971–present)
Rivalries	Iowa "Big Four" Iowa (Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series)
Culture & lore	Cy the Cardinal "ISU Fights" Iowa State Pep Band ISU Holiday Classic
People	Head coaches NBA players Statistical leaders
Seasons	List of seasons 1907–08 1908–09 1909–10 1910–11 1911–12 1912–13 1913–14 1914–15 1915–16 1916–17 1917–18 1918–19 1919–20 1920–21 1921–22 1922–23 1923–24 1924–25 1925–26 1926–27 1927–28 1928–29 1929–30 1930–31 1931–32 1932–33 1933–34 1934–35 1935–36 1936–37 1937–38 1938–39 1939–40 1940–41 1941–42 1942–43 1943–44 1944–45 1945–46 1946–47 1947–48 1948–49 1949–50 1950–51 1951–52 1952–53 1953–54 1954–55 1955–56 1956–57 1957–58 1958–59 1959–60 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25 2025–26
NCAA Final Four appearance in italics

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National	United States

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Cy the Cardinal

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