Worst experience at Jack Trice?

I'm going to go out on a limb here and say all these games took place before November 1st.

Absolutely. ISU does a poor job of drawing late in the season. It's a combination of A) the team usually being bad, and B) a lot of people not wanting to freeze their arse off while standing on cold, wet, muddy grass hillsides, which kills walk ups and what not.

A huge draw for ISU is the tailgating (because the football has been bad more often than not) and it will take time and success before more people want to go out in crappy weather conditions to watch the team.

If Rhoads keeps putting a solid product on the field, and the south endzone gets finished, it will help ISU's late season attendance.

I'm not sure what any of that has to do with comparing ISU's attendance with Northwestern, or whether or not ISU needs opposing fans to generate ticket sales.
 
Last edited:
Absolutely. ISU does a poor job of drawing late in the season. It's a combination of A) the team usually being bad, and B) a lot of people not wanting to freeze their arse off while standing on cold, wet, muddy grass hillsides, which kills walk ups and what not.

A huge draw for ISU is the tailgating (because the football has been bad more often than not) and it will take time and success before more people want to go out in crappy weather conditions to watch the team.

If Rhoads keeps putting a solid product on the field, and the south endzone gets finished, it will help ISU's late season attendance.

I'm not sure what any of that has to do with comparing ISU's attendance with Northwestern, or whether or not ISU needs opposing fans to generate ticket sales.

Nothing really, neither team draws worth a $hit, but you pull out 6 of the most attended games to make it look like ISU is getting 45,000 plus every game and that couldn't be further from the truth.
 
I was pretty riled up, and it's the off-season.

Notice that the Hawk fan agreed with me, too.

I agree with you as well, there is a lot of idiots in this thread from both sides. I've been to JTS twice and have never had a problem. If you stay away from the student lot and keep your mouth shut except to cheer you probably won't have a problem most of the time. If someone wants to start yelling how the Hawks suck, etc... just agree with them and they shut up pretty quickly when they see they aren't getting a reaction from you.
 
I agree with you as well, there is a lot of idiots in this thread from both sides. I've been to JTS twice and have never had a problem. If you stay away from the student lot and keep your mouth shut except to cheer you probably won't have a problem most of the time. If someone wants to start yelling how the Hawks suck, etc... just agree with them and they shut up pretty quickly when they see they aren't getting a reaction from you.

I actually agree. I went to the 2009 game and from the moment we pulled in at 6:15 to tailgate we never had any issues. I walked around the grass lot wearing my Hawk gear and never got any lip from anybody. I'm sure it didn't hurt that the lot was pretty well split (maybe 60/40 ISU to Iowa fans). I'm sure it didn't help either that Iowa decimated ISU that day. I guess I will see what happens this year as I have a group of 6 Iowa fans going again.
 
Let's have some fun with statistics, shall we?

2010 NU average attendance: 36,449
2010 ISU average attendance: 45,395

Iowa was not on ISU's schedule.

Let's look at some ISU attendance figures over the past few years for non-Iowa games.

2009 Army: 50,352
2009 NDSU: 48,831
2008 Kent State: 49,805
2008 KU: 47,847
2007 OU: 49,511
2007 Texas: 52,060

ISU doesn't need Iowa to sell tickets. ISU needs to be more competitive to sell tickets.

Of course Iowa was not on Iowa State's home schedule in 2010, but Nebraska was. And Iowa State's athletic department has in the past had a policy of withholding single game tickets (other than the opposition's allotment) for the Nebraska and Iowa games, driving some opposing fans to buy season tickets and creating a forced subsidization of crappy programs (Minnesota has done the same to Iowa fans in football and Iowa has done it to Illinois fans in basketball ever bince the tailspin that has happened when we lost Coach Alford). Then, the Iowa State administration, many of whom graduated from the Enron School of Accounting, include the 5,000+ no shows who couldn't unload their unwanted tickets on stubhub in the attendance figures.

You should be proud that Iowa State can report those huge attendance numbers when they have those $50 ticket packages that include 4 tickets, parking, 4 hot dogs and 4 sodas for games in September. In September, everyone in Evanston is either (a) prepping for the Bears game, (b) getting twisted at a Cubs or Sox game, (c) enjoying the last nice days of the year over at the Lake, or (d) one of the 10 million other things to do in Chicagoland, thus the 'Cats can't even come close to selling out an early September game against the likes of Army or NDSU.

But oh, you sold 47k tickets when the fair weather Kansas fans finally travelled to see their team when they had high expectations. Oooh, that's huge.

When the B10 schedule changes to 9 games and Iowa drops ISU, let's see how ISU's attendance looks then without Iowa and Nebraska fans chipping in to keep the program afloat. I'm guessing a MAC membership is in the works following the inevitable dissolution of the Big 12, ISU and Northern Illinois will be a great rivalry that will draw national attention on par with Texas-Oklahoma, OSU-Michigan and UCLA-USC.
 
Why in the world would something like this get you riled up?

Its a message board, get a grip bud.

I take pride in ISU fans being good to most road fans. I know that when Iowa is in town, our fans will be on their worst behavior, but some of these guys were accusing ISU of being the worst fans in college football, and that's ridiculous.

I agree with you as well, there is a lot of idiots in this thread from both sides. I've been to JTS twice and have never had a problem. If you stay away from the student lot and keep your mouth shut except to cheer you probably won't have a problem most of the time. If someone wants to start yelling how the Hawks suck, etc... just agree with them and they shut up pretty quickly when they see they aren't getting a reaction from you.

I had a rough time at Kinnick from '02-'06 as an ISU fan. No problems in '08 or '10. Part of that was undoubtedly my mellowing out in "old age". I didn't give an Iowa fans crap in '09 either. As I noted on CF, my girlfriend and I really took some heat cheering for UNI in '09. That probably had to do with us sitting right next to the student section. It was a drunk ~20 year old that was giving us a hard time.
 
I'm not sure what any of that has to do with comparing ISU's attendance with Northwestern, or whether or not ISU needs opposing fans to generate ticket sales.

ISU does need opposing fans to generate ticket sales. If ISU's football program continues in its current state as a regular 4-8 to say 7-5 team and loses forced season ticket sales to Iowa and Nebraska fans, the attendance figures will be like Northwestern's, who doesn't rely on tying arrangements for fans of well travelled teams to buy up tickets to games with no demand.

I hate to say Northwestern and Iowa State are in the same universe in terms of the quality of football, as Northwestern has actually won some conference hardware in the past 20 years and can beat Iowa fairly consistently, but in terms of fan support, tradition, etc., the programs are peas in a pod. Aside from Northwestern's success on the field (which is far higher than ISU's), Northwestern has (i) a very small student body (many of whom study on Saturdays rather than going to games), (ii) a campus setup that has many of its grad students in Downtown Chicago (thereby further hurting students' ability to attend games), (iii) competition from other events in Chicago, (iv) a much smaller alumni base, (v) successful alums who can find jobs anywhere in the country and aren't relegated to living in Boone, Ames, Polk City or Ankeny, and (vi) an ethical athletic department that doesn't seek to fleece Michigan, Iowa, Wisconsin or Illinois fans with tying arrangements that are of questionable legality.

Heck, Northwestern even had GameDay show up last year - how many times has GameDay been to a game hosted by the Clowns?
 
I agree with you as well, there is a lot of idiots in this thread from both sides. I've been to JTS twice and have never had a problem. If you stay away from the student lot and keep your mouth shut except to cheer you probably won't have a problem most of the time. If someone wants to start yelling how the Hawks suck, etc... just agree with them and they shut up pretty quickly when they see they aren't getting a reaction from you.


I agree. It is not difficult to diffuse a lot of these kinds of situations. Like you said, just ignore, shake your head & keep moving.

Now if I take a random beer can to the side of my head for no reason, that's another story & it may be on.
 
I agree. It is not difficult to diffuse a lot of these kinds of situations. Like you said, just ignore, shake your head & keep moving.

Now if I take a random beer can to the side of my head for no reason, that's another story & it may be on.

What? Why? I would just pick it up and say thanks for the beer.
 
What? Why? I would just pick it up and say thanks for the beer.

What if it was a can of warm Natty Ice that became slightly punctured on impact and you were standing on Melrose and would be arrested for possession of an open beer within seconds of picking it up? Then what?
 
Okeefe4prez:

Those game I posted did not rely on opposing fans, nor where there 5,000 empty seats (or any empty seats). Kent State for example, probably brought about 50 fans. Texas, OU, KU, etc all filled their 4,000 seat visitor sections (or whatever it is) but that's common for teams to do. I was at all of those games, and I can tell you that they aren't relying on visiting fans. I wish I had taken pictures, because there's no way you'll take my word for it.

ISU has done a lot better job than most traditionally down trodden programs of getting fans into the game, and getting butts in the seats. Especially when you consider ISU is in a small population state that has home to a more successful (and therefore more popular) program.

If the Big 10 goes to 9 games, the Iowa game probably will get dropped, and we'll see what happens. I think that as long as ISU is fielding a competitive team, the Clones will see a mostly full house. If the Big 12 does disintegrate and ISU ends up in the MAC (neither of which I think will happen), my life will go on without college football. It's hardly the end of the world.
 
What if it was a can of warm Natty Ice that became slightly punctured on impact and you were standing on Melrose and would be arrested for possession of an open beer within seconds of picking it up? Then what?


I guess I would first look around for Larry Eustachy.
 
And if you're going to an ISU game that isn't against Iowa, and you're wearing Iowa gear, you're a ****** bag.

I've been to non-ISU games at Kinnick, and I never wear ISU gear. What's the point? You're just saying "hey, I'm a confrontational ***** that's intentionally trying to disrespect the vast majority of people around me". I have Hawk fan buddies that come to JTS, and if Iowa isn't playing, they wouldn't dream of wearing Iowa gear.

For the record, the KSU game I was at, I was not rooting against ISU. And I had a red sweatshirt on with it half zipped down and an Iowa shirt under it. When I got hot from being outside on a nice day in a sweatshirt, I took it off. Its a miracle how that sort of thing works. Anyways, the ISU fans around me that day were very polite, congratulated me on Iowa's win that day and said "we'll get you next year." I had a great time at Jack Trice that day. The second game I was at, I didn't wear Iowa gear. I wore a red Texas Rangers t-shirt. I got plenty of comments like "hows your visit to Iowa?" and "Longhorns suck!" I even got a "F the Rangers from some drunk guy" which I laughed at because I'm not from Texas so I enjoyed chatting with plenty of fans there. However, the incident at the Utah game I witnessed was disturbing. I know it happens everywhere so I'm not denying that our fans don't do the exact same thing. And for the record the ISU fans that I was surrounded by were embarrassed this ******* was a part of your fan base.

So I'm not a "****** bag" as you seem to think. I'm not complaining about your fan base. I don't have any problems with ISU whatsoever. And for the most part, I simply do not care what happens in Ames. If someone gets arrested, it happens. The same stuff happens in Iowa City too. Its hypocritical for somebody of a fan base to attack another fan base, based on something so silly, something that most fans really aren't involved in or can't control at all.

BTW I enjoyed both visits to JT, and would not turn down a ticket there to another game if offered one. I love college football and love being around it. I would watch a game in about any stadium, even if Iowa isn't playing the home team of that stadium.
 
After the 2001 game at Jack Trice a friend and I were walking back to our car when a drunk man dressed as Santa Claus saw us in our Hawkeye gear and started throwing full cans of Miller Lite at us. Thankfully his aim was way off and we elected to never return.
 
After the 2001 game at Jack Trice a friend and I were walking back to our car when a drunk man dressed as Santa Claus saw us in our Hawkeye gear and started throwing full cans of Miller Lite at us. Thankfully his aim was way off and we elected to never return.


Minus the Santa outfit, I hear the same stories out of Iowa City. Apparently there is a gang of beer chuckers throughout Iowa.

I realize its **** beer, but its beer nonetheless and should have been drunk not thrown.
 
Top