There are days when sports fans have vivid memories etched into their minds that never go away. Sept. 12, 1998, is one of those days for Iowa State fans.
There are many reasons that day is significant to those who bleed cardinal and gold. Yes, Iowa State ended its 15-game losing streak to Iowa in football — but the impact of the victory went far beyond a single football game.
Iowa State’s dominating 27-9 victory at Kinnick Stadium — a game where it was a four-touchdown underdog — changed the course of the Cyclone football program, and possibly, the entire Iowa State athletics program.
Mired in mediocrity and stuck in neutral, Iowa State needed a jolt, a surge of energy to get itself out of a rut. Inspired by head football coach Dan McCarney, who never quit working and fighting despite experiencing setback after setback, an optimistic group of Cyclones made the trek east on Interstate 80 to alter history.
Twenty-five years later it’s hard to put in perspective the magnitude of that Cyclone victory. Iowa State has defeated Iowa 11 times and appeared in 13 bowl games since that unforgettable day, earning respect on the gridiron and reigniting a true rivalry in the Iowa Corn Cy-Hawk Series.
The signature win still resonates because virtually NOBODY thought the Cyclones had a chance. But thanks to McCarney, the players did, and that’s all that mattered.
“As a head coach, when you see your players and coaches give so much effort every day, all year round, with no reward and nothing to show for it, it hurts,” McCarney said. “You think about all those Iowa State teams that didn’t have success. All those players and fans wanted to tell their kids or grandkids how they beat Iowa, but they never got the chance to do it. These guys were the first group to do it, and it was just a phenomenal feeling.”
The state of the program
McCarney took the reins of the Iowa State football program in 1995, a year after the Cyclones recorded their first winless season (0-10-1) since 1930. There was no doubt McCarney’s background brought new interest to the Iowa State-Iowa rivalry.
A native of Iowa City who played and coached at Iowa, McCarney was plucked from Wisconsin by Iowa State Athletics Director Gene Smith. As the Badgers’ defensive coordinator, McCarney played a huge role in reversing Wisconsin’s fortunes.
McCarney’s first two years in Ames, highlighted by the incredible exploits of two-time All-American running back Troy Davis, provided excitement and awareness, but the Cyclone head coach was dealt a massive rebuilding project. Turning the program around wasn’t going to happen overnight.
The Cyclones struggled in his third year (1997), posting a 1-10 record. One of those losses was a 63-20 annihilation at home against Iowa. Down 35-0 in the second quarter, the Cyclones never had a chance.
The lead grew to 49-6 and it was 56-20 late in the fourth quarter when Randy Reiners hit Damon Gibson on a 48-yard touchdown bomb to make it 63-20, a series record for points by the Hawkeyes.
Jesse Beckom, a walk-on linebacker for the Cyclones, was sitting out the season after transferring to Iowa State from an NAIA school. Beckom lives in Celina, Texas, and is a Marketing Program Manager for Atlassian Corporation. He hasn’t forgotten that game and the final scoring play.
“That was my first Iowa State-Iowa game. I had no idea about the rivalry,” Beckom said. “I wasn’t able to dress out that game, but I was there on the sidelines. I remember that long bomb. When I saw that happen, I couldn’t tell you how pissed off I was for my teammates. They throw a bomb for a big ‘eff you’ to Iowa State. At that moment I told myself when I’m stepping on the field next year, we aren’t losing to these dudes. In my mind, they were going to regret that one. I held that for the whole year. You aren’t going to embarrass us again like this.”
McCarney got into coaching immediately following his Iowa playing career. He was a part of two amazing turnarounds at Iowa and Wisconsin and coached in numerous memorable victories. The 1997 loss was possibly the lowest point of his career.
“It was one of the most embarrassing losses I have ever been a part of,” McCarney said. “Iowa hung over 60 on us. It was a mismatch. It was ugly. (Iowa) Coach (Hayden) Fry came up to me after the game and said ‘we didn’t mean to run the score up on you. My quarterback called an audible on that last touchdown pass.’ No, he didn’t. I knew that. I knew the game. I knew what was going on. There is nothing you can do about it except bow your neck and put yourself in a position to never let that happen again.”
It was Iowa State’s 15th-straight loss in the series with its instate rival, but that wasn’t the only dubious streak the Cyclones had on their resume. Heading into 1998, it had been seven years (23-22 win at Missouri, Nov. 2, 1991) since Iowa State won a road game – a streak that reached 31 games.
“I always tell people it wasn’t just stunning because we beat the Hawks,” longtime Iowa State sports information director Tom Kroeschell said. “This was our first road win in seven years. It was 31-straight games. I know, I was at most of them.”
But the streak that everyone talked about was the one against Iowa. How brutal was Iowa’s dominance over the Cyclones? Well, in that 15-game stretch 12 of the games weren’t even close. In 10 of the 15 contests, Iowa won by more than 17 points.
It was slightly competitive in the fourth quarter a few times. Iowa State managed to hold a lead in a game a mere three times. Two of the leads were early in the first quarter (1987 and 1995) — both eventual blowouts. And only once in 15 games did Iowa State lead after intermission (1989).
In 900 minutes of game action during the 15-year nightmare, the Cyclones held a lead for only 31 minutes (3.5%).
Todd Bandhauer is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Colorado State University. He was Iowa State’s starting quarterback in 1997 and 1998, and the first signal-caller in Cyclone history to pass for over 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.
He still has nightmares from the 1997 loss to Iowa.
“That game (1997) sucked. We got our butts kicked,” Bandhauer said. “I remember throwing a couple of picks and getting hit late an awful lot. I think today I would have generated a lot more offense on penalties for late hits.”
Disappointing start to the season
A new season always brings optimism for a better year. Starting fresh in August with fall camp, the Cyclones felt that way going into 1998.
McCarney and his staff drastically upgraded the talent, which sometimes is hard to see when playing in the rugged Big 12 Conference. But there was reason for hope. Iowa State’s returnees included Big 12 passing leader Bandhauer, 1,000-yard rusher Darren Davis on offense, and a group of talented, but young, defensive players.
The Cyclones yearned for a strong start in their 1998 season opener against TCU at Jack Trice Stadium — mainly to help squash job security rumors about McCarney, who was in the fourth season of his five-year contract.
TCU seemed like an opportune initial foe. The Horned Frogs were coming off a 1-10 season like the Cyclones, with first-year coach Dennis Franchione at the helm.
It didn’t go well. Only 33,000 fans showed up to watch the Cyclones struggle in a 31-21 loss. TCU scored the final 17 points and sacked Bandhauer four times. Davis gained 103 yards, but that total shrunk to 69 after being caught behind the line of scrimmage for 34 negative rushing yards behind a porous offensive line.
Charley Bogwill, ISU’s starting center in 1998, is a Solution Architect at Sammons Financial Group in West Des Moines. Bogwill and the rest of the offensive line knew they had to get better.
“As a line, we were all very disappointed we did not have a very good showing, that’s for sure,” Bogwill remembered. “Pete Hoener (ISU offensive coordinator) laid it out — it’s going to be a real long season if this is going to keep happening and we better figure it out and essentially get our shit together.”
The post-game media coverage and sports columns weren’t kind.
“Saturday’s made-for-right-foot-forward home opener backfired on Iowa State. Sleepy Texas Christian, a woeful 1-10 team last season, withered in the prairie sun, 31-21, in a non-conference football game before a crowd of 33,005 at Jack Trice Stadium. Home against a moribund program with a first-year coach, leading 21-14 late in the third quarter, pointing at winnable games on the schedule, and the Cyclones stub their toe on perhaps the tiniest pebble in the Western Athletic Conference.” – Marc Morehouse, Cedar Rapids Gazette.
“On a weekend when most Americans enjoyed life, liberty and the pursuit of Roger Maris, Iowa State’s football team struck out. Looking. The Cyclones watched still another team knock them down in the fourth quarter, still another visitor make an opening afternoon at home miserable. A Cyclone team that badly wanted to start 1998 in high style already finds the season wearing last year’s clothes.” – Jim Sullivan, Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier
Kroeschell remembers McCarney never wavering.
“If you remember, TCU had won just one game the year before,” Kroeschell said. “In hindsight, that loss wasn’t that bad (TCU finished 7-5 and beat USC in the Sun Bowl). People thought this was a game we should win, especially when considering they won once in 1997. We didn’t play great. After the game, I’m taking Coach Mac to the press conference. We get to the top of the stairs, and he tells me, ‘We have got to stay positive.’”
Fanning the flames during rivalry week
Reeling from the TCU loss, it was time for Iowa State to hit the reset button and begin preparation for the Big Game. The oddsmakers already were counting out the Cyclones. The line grew to 28 points and few believed Iowa State had any chance at all.
Iowa romped in a 38-0 blanking of Central Michigan in its season opener, further validating the sentiment around the state.
The Cyclones suffered another blow in the TCU game. Marc Cortez, one of ISU’s most experienced offensive linemen, tore a tendon under his kneecap, ending his football career.
“It was really upsetting to lose Marc,” Bandhauer said. “I just hated Iowa. I hated everything about them. Coach Fry was a psychology major, and he was a genius. He was old school and would pin coaches against each other and take subtle shots at the other team in the press. He was a master at that. But there was something else that made me hate them. I grew up in rural Florida (Crystal River). Iowa State is a land-grant university. I now teach at a land-grant university. I just feel like land-grant universities are the salt of the Earth, like true Americana. Usually, the flagship university in a state is not land-grant. I’ve always been partial to the underdog, blue-collar mentality, and fostered a hatred of the Hawkeyes.”
With the loss of Cortez, Bogwill and the offensive line needed to refocus.
“It was emotional when he (Cortez) got hurt at the and of the TCU game,” Bogwill said. “It happened in meaningless minutes at the end of the game and we all just felt terrible. I remember our prep week for Iowa being intense. The media were talking about (Iowa All-American defensive lineman) Jared DeVries needing one more sack to break the school record and how easy he was going to get it. That was a big motivation for us. Sometimes the small things are all you need. We were not going to let this guy get the sack record.”
What did the statewide media think about Iowa State’s chances? It was unanimous that the streak was going to jump to 16 games.
“Taxes and an Iowa whipping of Iowa State in football are two constants in a world gone mad. Is there any way, shape or form the Cyclones can rise from college football’s sick bed and soar past the Hawks today? The answer is uh-uh, no, absolutely not, are you outta yer everlovin’ mind?” – Mike Hlas, Cedar Rapids Gazette
“Iowa State hasn’t defeated Iowa on the football field in 15 years, and it’s not going to happen today, either. That’s no bold prediction. An Iowa victory is a gimme. The Hawkeyes’ streak against Iowa State will hit 16, and here are 16 reasons why.” – Nancy Clark, Des Moines Register
“It’s probably no coincidence that so many Iowa State football fans also root for the Chicago Cubs. But you could make a strong case that backing the Cyclones is even tougher than cheering for a team that hasn’t won a championship since 1908. Either job is thankless. Get your hopes up at the start of the season, thinking this one might be different. Watch, unsurprised, as things go south again.” – Adam Thompson, Ames Tribune
Beckom faced the same dour mood around campus. “I was in a dissertation class during the week. There’s me and a bunch of other football players in this class of over 100 people. That Thursday before the game, the professor says, ‘We got the Big Game this weekend. It’s Iowa State-Iowa. Well, I guess we know who is going to win that one,’ and laughed at us. He knew the football players were there and everyone in the room looked over at us.”
The letter from Tezzy
The Cyclones stayed positive despite diminished odds and clouds looming over the program.
They found inspiration from their injured brother. Cortez, who was in the hospital recovering from surgery, wrote a letter to his roommate, tough-nosed senior fullback Joe Parmentier — telling him to wait until the team arrived at the hotel before opening it.
“If Marc Cortez doesn’t get hurt, I don’t know if we win that game, plain and simple,” Parmentier said. “I believe that. His contribution was his inspiration. We were roommates and still best friends. Myself, Jamie Kohl and Cory Kluver — we all helped him when he had previous surgeries. We had been through the highs and lows with him. I went to the hospital after he had surgery and he handed me the letter.”
Parmentier, a Lieutenant in the New York City Fire Department, followed instructions and opened the letter in a Cedar Rapids hotel room. “I still get teary-eyed thinking about it,” Parmentier said.
It read: “I came across a quote the other day by Michael Jordan. He said that the people who say it’s just a game, those are the people he can’t play with. It isn’t just a game. Just like the T-shirt says, ‘Football is Life.’ But every life comes to an end. My life ended before I was ready. It hurts me now when people don’t appreciate what they have. I realize now that God gave me a gift. The gift of football. You must cherish that gift, because it can be taken away at any time. Enjoy every play, every series, every hit, every touchdown, because you never know which one will be your last. I know this. I want nothing more (than) to be out there Saturday on the field with you, to fight alongside you. Just remember this: every snap you take, every time you hit someone, every yard you gain, every big block you make, I’ll be there with you. I’ll be in the huddle alongside you, fighting to bring a victory home!
“Cherish the gift God has given you, Tezzy.”
Parmentier immediately showed the letter to McCarney.
“JoPa came up to me and says, ‘I got a letter here from Tezzy,’” McCarney remembered. “I told him to read it to me. He read that thing and he could barely get through it. Neither one of us could. I could hardly swallow. We both knew how much Iowa State football meant to Tezzy. It was over for him. This guy had every injury, you name it. It was an incredible message. I don’t know if there was a dry eye in that room. It was exactly what we needed and a great message from a guy who had respect from everyone.”
Cortez’s letter was the juice the Cyclones needed.
“I remember almost nothing about that week except the night before at the hotel when Joe read the letter from Marc,” Bandhauer said. “It was like, man, we have to win this freaking game. Marc was my buddy. You can’t underestimate having that little extra motivation beyond basic hatred.”
“That’s one of those milestone moments, because you felt every word of it,” Beckom said. “For those of us unfamiliar with the series, Tezzy encapsulated it perfectly. It got us all going and put things in perspective. There wasn’t any doubt inside that Iowa State locker room we were going to win this game despite what all the newspapers were saying.”
“I had great confidence that day,” McCarney added. “I just knew if we weren’t good enough, we would at least play our asses off and go down scratching and clawing. That message really resonated with all of us because we had so much respect for Tezzy.”
Special teams set the tone early
The sun was beaming at Kinnick Stadium. The temperature for the 11:05 a.m. kickoff was a sultry 88 degrees with nary a hint of breeze.
McCarney had his guys ready, and the Cyclones didn’t want to fall in a hole early.
The defense did their job, and so did Kevin Wilson.
Wilson, a senior wide receiver from North Canton, Ohio, was a special teams guru for the Cyclones on the kickoff and punt units. Iowa State stuffed Iowa on its first possession and forced a punt from the Hawkeyes’ 25-yard line.
Wilson saw Iowa punter Jason Baker field a high snap and he came off the left edge firing on all cylinders. Wilson’s motor reached another gear, blocking Baker’s punt. It was recovered at the Iowa 14-yard line by the Cyclones’ Ryan Sloth.
“We told our punt block team we were going to block a punt,” McCarney said. “We really sold it to our guys that they could get one. That was the biggest play of Kevin Wilson’s career and I think it’s one of the biggest plays in the history of the Iowa State-Iowa rivalry. He had the courage to make a play.”
Beckom and the defense were resting on the sideline after stopping Iowa on its first series. He remembers the surge of adrenaline after Wilson’s block.
“Everyone just erupted,” Beckom reminisced. “We were all looking at each other like, ‘Let’s go, let’s (effing) go!’ It was full speed ahead and let’s tear the whole damn thing down. We are coming for you, and we aren’t letting up until we see triple zeroes on that clock in the fourth quarter.”
The Cyclones were in business.
After gaining just one yard on back-to-back Davis carries, everyone in the stadium expected a pass on third-and-long near the Iowa goal line. But Cyclone offensive coordinator Pete Hoener went back to Davis, dialing up a perfectly executed draw play. Davis dashed virtually untouched into the end zone.
Iowa State 7, Iowa 0 … 12:18 remaining in the first quarter.
“We were all pumped because we were going from a long field to a short field after Wilson’s block,” Bogwill said. “We were telling Darren to just run between the tackles because we were going to have paths for you.”
Double D and JoePa pile on points
It was 10-3 early in the second quarter, but Iowa State already was dominating the game.
Davis put on a performance for the ages, controlling the clock and field position with his shiftiness and spin moves. He ended the game with 244 rushing yards, the eighth-best single-game rushing effort by a Cyclone at the time.
“Darren was tremendous,” Bandhauer said. “I mean, his spin move was unbelievable. I could not believe how well our offensive line played because on a lot of his runs he didn’t even get touched.”
Riding Davis, the Cyclones were knocking at the door again early in the second quarter with the ball at the Iowa 1-yard line. The drive was aided by a key fourth-down conversion when Bandhauer connected with tight end Andy Stensrud for 21 yards.
Parmentier wanted the ball, and he let the coaches know about it.
“I never asked for the ball in my career,” Parmentier said. “We were at the one and I looked up at the press box where the coaches booth was, and I started banging my fists on my chest. I wanted it and they saw it. Boom, touchdown, but anybody could have fallen in.”
Iowa State 17, Iowa 3 … 10:21 remaining in the second quarter.
Laser focus that never lets up
A Jamie Kohl 24-yard boot in the closing seconds of the first half gave the Cyclones a 20-3 halftime lead. Iowa State was in total control.
“I just remember Coach Skladany (ISU defensive coordinator) telling us, ‘Don’t let these (effing) guys off the hook,’” Beckom recollected.
Iowa State was to receive the second-half kickoff and didn’t want to let up. Deep down, with the defense playing lights out, the Cyclones knew a score to begin the second half might put the game out of reach.
Mission accomplished.
Behind a Davis 39-yard scamper, efficient passing from Bandhauer, and a resurgent offensive line, the Cyclones again found their way to the Iowa 1-yard line.
Parmentier, who had written Cortez’s No. 73 on his wrists, got the call again. He dove over the pile for the touchdown that put an exclamation point on an impressive 80-yard second-half-opening drive.
Iowa State 27, Iowa 3 … 12:57 remaining in the third quarter.
When Parmentier scored for the second time, Bandhauer, who finished the game 11-of-16 for 125 yards, let out a yell heard all the way to Ames.
“When Joe jumped over that pile, it was awesome,” Bandhauer said. “I just raised my arms and screamed.”
It was also sweet redemption for Bogwill and the offensive line. The line kept Bandhauer clean all day, denying DeVries’ the school sack record on that Saturday.
“Everyone on the line was sky high,” Bogwill said. “We graded out very well — not just because we won, but everyone was executing and everyone did a great job knowing their assignments, taking the looks they were given and making the right calls. I don’t think we gave up another sack until later in the year.”
Parmentier had a touchdown reception during his Cyclone tenure, but his pair of rushing touchdowns that day were the only two of his career.
“I have a neighbor — nice guy, but he’s an Iowa fan,” Parmentier said. “He waves the Iowa flag on Saturdays. I always have my Iowa State flag flying every Saturday. He still doesn’t know that 60 percent of my career touchdowns came against the Hawkeyes. I know I was 1-3 against Iowa, but the last one, we got it. They can never get me again.”
Defense smothers the Hawkeyes
Holding a 27-3 lead, the Cyclone defense took care of the rest.
The Hawkeyes never seriously threatened and their offense was virtually shut down the entire game. Iowa recorded 271 yards of total offense with the Cyclone defense holding their rivals to a mere 42 rushing yards, the fewest for an ISU opponent in six years.
The Cyclone defenders were aggressive, tallying six sacks and racking up eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage for 43 negative yards. Defensive end Reggie Hayward, a sophomore at the time and future NFL star, seemed to be in the Hawkeye backfield the entire game.
There were plenty of stars and big plays, but perhaps nobody had a bigger impact than Beckom, who led the team with 10 tackles and tied the school record with three sacks from the linebacker position.
Skladany’s defensive plan put pressure on freshman Iowa quarterback Kyle McCann, using stunts and a bevy of linebacker blitzes.
“Coach Skladany told me before the game, ‘Jesse, we are going to call your number. (Effing) get there,’” Beckom said. “It was like my ears were pinned back when they called a blitz. I don’t care what it takes, I’m going to get him. Coming from a walk-on, I’m going to earn my scholarship.”
McCarney lauded the defensive effort.
“I think we had a half-dozen sacks that day and they only rushed for about 40 yards,” McCarney remembered. “Coach Skladany did an amazing job. Jesse Beckom looked like an All-Big 12 player that day. When you hold the Hawks to 40 yards and that’s their heart and soul — and was for many, many years — there was no doubt that clearly the best team in Kinnick Stadium was the Iowa State Cyclones that day.”
Stunning performance snaps the streak
Iowa State 27, Iowa 9 … Final
Shocked Iowa fans filed out of Kinnick Stadium, but for the handful of Cyclone fans in attendance and the Iowa State players and staff, the postgame celebration was 16 years in the making.
Many in the media corps were flummoxed and couldn’t believe what they just witnessed.
“It was so stunning in its magnitude,” Kroeschell said. “Many people don’t know about this game now. It wasn’t a close game where Iowa turned it over five times. Iowa State dominated the whole game. I think many people in the press box already had their stories written. I just remember how stunning it was for everybody.”
Bogwill was the first to secure the Cy-Hawk trophy.
“I ran over there and grabbed it and it felt so good to take some hardware home,” Bogwill remembered. “Hell, we had never seen the thing before. I think I was six years old the last time we had it. That photo is still in my office.”
Parmentier pirated a flag from the ISU marching band. “I picked up this Cyclone flag and just started running around the stadium. I was already exhausted. It was really a hot day, but I didn’t care. I don’t even remember giving it back,” he said.
Beckom was absolutely thrilled for the seniors and coaches who had endured nothing but misery during their Cyclone careers.
“The guys who had been there four years, you could kind of sense the relief of stress off their backs,” Beckom said. “The joy in the coaches, man. I just remember seeing Coach Mac and Coach Skladany jumping up for joy. It set the tone of possibilities of what Iowa State could become if you believe and work hard in the process.”
Nobody understood this rivalry better than McCarney. He knew how important this win was.
“I just remember the few fans there that day, I’ll never forget the joy on their faces,” McCarney said. “To do it over there at Kinnick Stadium, after all those years, it was sensational. We went back up to the old, pink locker room. I don’t know how the hell my dad (P.J.) and his friends got into the locker room, I just remember their faces were bright red. It was just a great locker room, and that day ranks right up there as one of best in my career. It will always be one of my favorites.”
Kroeschell began gathering players for the postgame press conference and Bandhauer, a seasoned pro, was selected. Kroeschell reminded him to be humble.
Bandhauer, who wore so many scars, tried his best to listen to Kroeschell’s advice. He failed.
“Oh man, I was like 21 and I think, in general, I was pretty good interacting with the press. I mean, I’m a professor now. I love to talk,” Bandhauer laughed. “I remember standing there before I started talking, saying to myself, hell yeah, we just beat those bastards! I was doing fine until a reporter brought up last year’s game and how they threw a bomb in the final minutes, and ‘do you have anything to say about that.’ I think I said something like ‘last year was in the past, but today, Hayden Fry, we kicked your guys’ ass.’ To be honest with you, that was probably the zenith of my career.”
Every Cyclone played a part
It wasn’t just the household names who shined on that sunny day, making the victory even more memorable. The Cyclones were led by unsung heroes. To name a few:
Kevin Wilson, who caught just one pass in his career but made possibly the biggest play by a Cyclone in the Cy-Hawk series with his first-quarter blocked punt.
Joe Parmentier, who rushed for 48 yards in 36 career games, but scored his only two rushing touchdowns of his career.
Jesse Beckom, a walk-on from an NAIA school who had to earn a scholarship, did just that by tying the school single-game sacks record (3.0).
Charley Bogwill, an oft-injured center who had to learn to snap left-handed after injuring his right elbow, rallied a maligned offensive line unit that opened gaping holes for Darren Davis’ 244-yard performance.
Marc Cortez, who watched the game from a Mary Greeley Medical Center hospital bed but inspired an entire team with a moving reminder to not take anything for granted.
Carl Gomez, a sophomore punter who averaged 46.6 yards on five boots and pinned Iowa deep into its own territory on multiple occasions.
Celebration follows the Cyclones home
These Iowa State players had never experienced a winning bus or plane ride home. It was uncharted territory, and everyone was euphoric.
“I remember sitting with Andy Stensrud and we were just looking at each other like we can’t believe how good this feels,” Bandahuer said. “Andy is an Iowa kid, and his dad (Mike) was an Iowa State legend. I knew it was special for him. I remember this huge boulder being lifted off our backs as we were driving to Ames. It felt so good.”
“I remember everyone singing and having a great time,” Bogwill said. “It was electric in the locker room, and even better on the bus. We were rolling out of the stadium and there were Iowa fans flipping off the bus. We were happy to give it right back at them.”
The trip home for McCarney was unforgettable. He honored it by toasting a good friend.
After the 1997 season ended, his close colleague Jay Norvell (current head football coach at Colorado State) accepted a job with the Indianapolis Colts after assisting McCarney on his first three Cyclone staffs.
The McCarney-Norvell relationship goes way back. They coached together at Iowa and Wisconsin, and McCarney brought him to Iowa State when he first got hired.
On his last day at Iowa State, Norvell handed McCarney an expensive bottle of Dom Perignon champagne and told him, “Mac, there is going to be a special occasion and I want you to keep this for that day.”
McCarney took it home, put it in his cabinet, and didn’t touch it until the day before the Iowa game.
“I was getting ready to leave on Friday to go to Iowa City after 15 years of losing and getting our ass kicked, and I took that bottle and put it in my Nike bag on the bus,” McCarney said. “I just had this great feeling. I took it to the stadium. I pulled out that damn bottle of Dom on the bus, popped it open, and started passing it around to the coaches. Maybe a couple of players took sips, too.”
McCarney and the Cyclones were shocked when the buses pulled into the Olsen Building, next to Jack Trice Stadium. Over 1,000 raucous Cyclone fans were waiting the team’s arrival.
The stadium scoreboard was lit up: Cyclones 27, Hawkeyes 9 … We Win!
“We really didn’t know what to expect,” McCarney said. “There were just mobs and mobs of people. We could hardly get off the buses there was so many people. It was one of the more meaningful days I’ve ever been through just to see how much it meant to those fans. They had the cannon out there and somebody handed me a damn sledgehammer and I went over and hit that fricking cannon. The joy that everybody had was something we all could share and be proud of.”
Parmentier also felt the support of Cyclone Nation. “Everyone was at the stadium waiting for us. It was wonderful,” he said. “It was the best moment of my college career, it really was.”
Two days prior to the game, starting defensive backs Jamarcus Powers and Jeff Waters asked McCarney if they beat Iowa would he get a tattoo. McCarney said no but agreed to dye his hair gold because both defenders were sporting golden locks.
McCarney was reminded of the friendly wager when they got home.
“The next day (Sunday) we had an afternoon meeting,” McCarney remembered. “Margy (McCarney’s wife) got gold hair spray and fixed me up. When I walked into the meeting, the team went nuts. It took me about 15 shampoos to clean it off.”
The resurgence of Cyclone Nation
Could a crystal ball predict the course of Cyclone football if ISU doesn’t win that day?
We do know that McCarney received a contract extension, and two years later led the Cyclones to a school-record-tying nine wins and ISU’s first-ever bowl victory — one of five bowl appearances in a six-year span. The Cyclones also initiated their own dominance in the Cy-Hawk rivalry, winning the next four games, including two more in Iowa City, to amass a five-game winning string in the series.
We also know that soon after that historic victory, the Iowa State Athletics Department came out of hibernation and grew leaps and bounds with facility updates and massive improvements across multiple sports.
Perhaps the most significant result from that late summer triumph was the resurgence of school pride throughout – and beyond — Cyclone Nation. It’s something that has grown exponentially, spawning generations of Cyclone fans.
“It was an honor to bring some respect, bring some success to Iowa State,” McCarney said. “The meaning of that victory after so much negativity, adversity, losses, humiliations and embarrassment was important. The really great things in life and things worth accomplishing are usually difficult, and it was difficult. I look back on it now and I know it meant so much to so many people.”
Forever True, ISU 
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