TomTerrific
Member
Like Hawk fans everywhere I'm anxiously awaiting the start of what should be a magical Hawkeye football season. In the meantime, I've been thinking about the UI-ISU rivalry and especially the attitude of some Hawk fans that ISU is our "little brother." At first glance, this appears to be the case since we outspend the Clones almost 2 to 1 in terms of athletic budgets. In addition, our annual fundraising for Hawkeye athletics far surpasses that of ISU. Likewise, we have a much larger fan base both state-wide and nationally, and the exposure of Hawk teams via the Big Ten TV package far exceeds that of ISU as well. Furthermore, it could be argued that the tradition of athletic success on a national scale favors the Haweyes. I could go on, but you get the picture.
So how do these advantages translate when it comes to head-to-head competition between the two athletic programs in recent years? A look at the Cy-Hawk series causes me to conclude that the Hawks have significantly underachieved given the resources of the two programs. In fact, the Cy-Hawk series, which dates back to 2004, is currently tied with each school having three series titles. Neither school has won the Cy-Hawk trophy in consecutive years. ISU leads the series with a 79-61 points advantage as of the end of the 2009-10 school year meaning that the Cyclones have more than held their own when it comes to wins and losses against the Hawks.
While the banter back and forth between UI and ISU fans makes for entertaining reading while waiting for the football season to start, a few posts or two (better yet lots of letters) also need to be directed at those in charge of the UI athletic program asking why our "little brother" is able to do more with less.
So how do these advantages translate when it comes to head-to-head competition between the two athletic programs in recent years? A look at the Cy-Hawk series causes me to conclude that the Hawks have significantly underachieved given the resources of the two programs. In fact, the Cy-Hawk series, which dates back to 2004, is currently tied with each school having three series titles. Neither school has won the Cy-Hawk trophy in consecutive years. ISU leads the series with a 79-61 points advantage as of the end of the 2009-10 school year meaning that the Cyclones have more than held their own when it comes to wins and losses against the Hawks.
While the banter back and forth between UI and ISU fans makes for entertaining reading while waiting for the football season to start, a few posts or two (better yet lots of letters) also need to be directed at those in charge of the UI athletic program asking why our "little brother" is able to do more with less.
