Iowa History Daily: On February 5, 1909, the University of Iowa Hawkeyes traveled west to Ames to meet the Iowa State Cyclones on the hardwood for the first men’s basketball game between the two rival schools. In the Margaret Hall Gym, the Hawkeyes topped the Cyclones in 30-27 shootout.
Under the direction of third year head coach Clyde Williams, the Cyclones went on to finish second in the Missouri Valley North Division with a 9-7 overall record. Featuring a seven man roster anchored by forward Howard Herbert, the Cyclones boasted players from cities around the state including Sioux City, Des Moines, and Denison.
The Hawkeyes entered the contest under head coach John Griffith, and featured the playmaking of Walter ‘Stub’ Stewart who also starred for the football team. A nine-time letter winner at Iowa, Stewart served as captain for the Hawkeye football, baseball, and basketball teams during his time in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes competed in the Western Conference and finished the season with an 11-3 record on the season.
Iowa State didn’t claim a victory over Iowa in men’s basketball in the first ten tries, waiting to get a win in the CyHawk series until 1917 when they Cyclones took home a dominating 24-12 victory. After playing frequently in the early era of college basketball, the two schools did not meet from 1935 to 1970 before renewing the annual rivalry. Iowa leads the all-time series 48-28. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar
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