Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On December 31, 1971, the Iowa State Cyclones gained distinction as the “Iowa sports story of the year” by making the school’s first-ever bowl appearance. Led by legendary Cyclone George Amundson, Iowa State finished a memorable regular season 8-3 with an appearance in the Sun Bowl.
Head Coach Johnny Majors entered his fourth season with high hopes for the Cyclones. After starting the season 3-0, Iowa State stumbled against number five Colorado at Clyde Williams Field in Ames. Bouncing back to beat both Kansas and Kansas State, back-to-back losses to number two Oklahoma and top-ranked Nebraska slowed down the Cyclones. Finishing the regular season 8-3 earned Iowa State a match-up with LSU in El Paso, Texas.
Amundson, a standout for the Cyclones in both track and football, started his career in Ames as a quarterback before injuries forced him to tailback for the 1971 season. Setting a school record with 1,260 yards and 15 touchdowns, Amundson etched his name in Cyclone lore. The following year, as a senior, Amundson moved back to quarterback, where he became the first Cyclone to top 2,000 yards of total offense in a season.
Johnny Majors, named Big Eight Coach of the Year, led the program into the Sun Bowl as the first to ever do so in the program’s 79-year football history. The Cyclones showed up ready to roll and played stout defense during the first half to tail 6-3. A third-quarter offensive-explosion ultimately carried LSU to the victory. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
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