Clyde Williams Stadium?

[swarthmoreCY]

I think with some of the major investments planned, JTS will be pretty nice. However, I enjoy history and ISU football, so naturally I am intrigued by Clyde Williams field. Only knowing of going to ISU games at JTS, it has fascinated me since my parents mentioned that ISU games were once played across from where Taco Bell stands. I can barley remember what that area was like before the new dorms/parking lots, let alone a college football stadium. For those who can remember, what was it like going to games at Clyde Williams stadium? There is an appeal to an old, yet renovated, stadium right on campus. However, from pictures I can see how the new stadium/location was needed. Parking must have been problematic, and it seems they would have needed to close Sheldon to expand.
From the Ames Public Library :

http://mbd.scout.com/mb.aspx?s=172&f=2481&t=6928242

 

[Aaron Jacobs]

That's the first time ive seen any of these pictures. It's amazing how the stands are almost right on top of Helser and Friley.

 

[WLCY]

I can remember going to Clyde. We walked down Lincoln Way and would walk through Friley Arch to get to the entrance for the students. Seating was 1st come and we would be lined up at the student entrance gate no later than 9am for a 1pm game. The gates would open at 11 or 11:30. You would be pushed into the entrance by the long line of students which made it easy to smuggle in alcohol.

The student section was the east side of the stadium. When the students would get to cheering and stomping up down the stadium would start to shake.

It was a great atmosphere for a college football game. Of course back then student season tickets for football and basketball were $10 a piece, with wrestling season tickets $5.

Parking was not very good, but most of the people would walk to the stadium. Tailgating hadn't really started back then.

 

[swarthmoreCY]

I can remember going to Clyde. We walked down Lincoln Way and would walk through Friley Arch to get to the entrance for the students. Seating was 1st come and we would be lined up at the student entrance gate no later than 9am for a 1pm game. The gates would open at 11 or 11:30. You would be pushed into the entrance by the long line of students which made it easy to smuggle in alcohol.

The student section was the east side of the stadium. When the students would get to cheering and stomping up down the stadium would start to shake.

It was a great atmosphere for a college football game. Of course back then student season tickets for football and basketball were $10 a piece, with wrestling season tickets $5.

Parking was not very good, but most of the people would walk to the stadium. Tailgating hadn't really started back then.

Thanks!

 

[AirWalke]

I had always wondered about the old football stadium, and wondered what it looked like when it was still on campus. Part of me wondered why they'd move the football facilities from such a great location on campus, but now I can understand why. It really was packed in there like sardines in a can. Parking would have been understandably difficult, but when half the campus-dwelling student population literally able to stumble out of bed in the morning to go to the games, it probably wouldn't be hard to get them to show up. :wink:

 

[seadog]

at half time we'd use the restrooms in Helser then go to Hy-vee one block south and get another 12 pack. Good times

 

[swarthmoreCY]

Parking would have been understandably difficult, but when half the campus-dwelling student population literally able to stumble out of bed in the morning to go to the games, it probably wouldn't be hard to get them to show up. :wink:

Until recently I think there would have been parking north of State Gym/Beyer (pic below looking north in '68), but they still would have needed more. Tailgating would not have been as "professional", but would have engulfed the campus and surrounding neighborhood. Does anyone know when the track was removed? I went to hundreds of ISU events as a kid, but never really went around that part of campus. I can remember looking down Sheldon from Lincoln Way when it was pretty much all undeveloped.

It is arguable which location is better imo, but I think it is fair to say CW Field had better gates/fencing:

 

[ketelmeister]

at half time we'd use the restrooms in Helser then go to Hy-vee one block south and get another 12 pack. Good times

Only a 12 pack?

 

[DanCyn]

Clyde Williams was my introduction to ISU sports. It's when I became a fan. Seeing Luther Blue run the second half kickoff back for a touchdown versus KSU - priceless.

If I'm recalling correctly, the track wasn't removed until long after the stadium was gone - I used to run on it when I was an ISU student. At least I ran on an outdoor track behind state gym - whether that was the original or not, I don't know. I always assumed it was.

For the record, when the new stadium was opened, student seating was still first come first served, and you could bring alcohol in. It was also a massive race up the hill - carrying our wineskins full of Whiskey of course - to get the best seats.

Wish I had more history. What I can tell you is that my brother was one of the guys that stormed the field before a game and took away the big flag the Nebraska cheerleaders were carrying and ran back to the ISU student section with it. The crowd went wild. His favorite story to this day. Of course, stories evolve over the years, but I choose to believe. Maybe why I'm still a Cyclone fan...

 

[IsUaClone2]

My memories include:

Clyde Williams being one of the loudest stadiums in the Big 8. Opposing quarterbacks would sometimes ask the referees to stop the clock (not a timeout) until the crowd quieted down. I don't believe that is legal now.

If a student wanted to sit on the 50 yard line you could sit in the card section but you had to perform at halftime. This feature was canceled when the students started sailing the cards onto the field. This was before Frisbees and the cards were stiff cardboard. Somebody could have gotten hurt.

Parking was a problem but you also have to remember that fewer students had cars so it was more of a problem for visitors and alumni which were a smaller proportion of the available seats. I'd guess the students had a quarter to a third of all seats at CW.

After I graduated and Johnny Majors came, he would permit the crowd to come in the locker room after the game if we won. A player told me you didn't want to come in if they lost anyway. I met a lot of the players and especially their parents. I enjoyed road trips and bowl games a lot more with the parents insight. The Amundsen's and Krefle's were extraordinarily gracious and insightful.

You could bring in unopened glass bottles. We didn't have screw off caps then but if you were careful you could remove the cap from a bottle of pop, mix your drink, and put the top back on.

The ramps leading to the student sections were open on the east side. This was interesting in that girls usually wore skirts to the game. You always had to check to see if someone you knew was coming down.

 

[KCy]

The track was removed to make the dorms that are there now. It was there in my early years at ISU so around 2000. I don't have anything significant to share other than I love the history of ISU athletics as well and I did an art project on them. If you are really interested there are a lot of archived photos in the library. Pictures of the basketball court in the armory are pretty cool too.

 

[Al_4_State]

I think if they would have upgraded and remodeled Clyde Williams, we would have an Iowa City-esque tailgate set up now a days. A couple on campus lots would be available for donors, etc, but streets like Hyland, Sheldon, West, Lincoln Way, etc would have all sorts of house parties, etc. It would be fun if you had established real estate in the area.

I currently prefer our set up for tailgating to having a stadium in that neighborhood, but it definitely would have been cool.

I always thought the area where the Towers are would make a great spot for a new stadium, if 40 years from we decided to build one. There are large grass practice fields to the east and the west, and it's very close to the Welch Ave bars and Campustown. It would be like the atmosphere we currently have combined w/Lincoln and Iowa City.

 

[Dryburn]

It was a great place to watch football. I lived in the Towers (Wallace) my first year, then off-campus after that. We would walk to CW early in the morning of each football game. Once I moved off-campus, we would usually just drive to the Towers and park somewhere on the streets around the Towers, then walk. Parking was a problem. People would rent out their lawns and stuff to park cars.

When the gates opened, everyone would sort of push their way in to get to the best seats, but it really wasn't that big a deal because most of the student section seats were pretty good. We would carry our bottles of Brass Monkey or Boone's farm in wrapped in blankets, or under our coats.

It was loud! Great atmosphere. Especially for a kid coming from a small rural Iowa town of under 1000, which did not even have high school football at the time. This was a new experience. Best memory was of the 23-23 tie with Nebraska. The place went crazy! Then the extra point kick was missed, and everyone was in shock.

I don't recall much tailgaiting, but back then the alumni/donors and students didn't really mix much as I recall. The alumni and donors were on the west side of the stadium, and the students on the east. Student support was really strong back then. Seemed like everyone went to the games.

 

[Bobber]

What was the seating capacity? Looks kinda weird to me especially relative to Memorial Stadium.

 

[Wx4Cy]

Can someone give me a landmark? Where is this from campus town or the Union?

 

[Aclone]

Can someone give me a landmark? Where is this from campus town or the Union?

Across the street from where Taco Bell is now. That old auto parts store (used to be Bronko's, I think) is what used to be the Hy-Vee.

 

[theshadow]

Re: Clyde Williams Field

The track and playing surface were torn up in 2001 to make way for the new housing. That area was the band's practice field through the 2000 season. There was a pic in the Ames Trib of them practicing on a rock-hard iced-over field in preparation for the Insight.com Bowl.

Other fun fact: The track actually went underneath the south end zone seating.

Reference points:
Intersection in upper left is Lincoln Way and Welch.
Intersection in upper right is Lincoln Way and Sheldon.

That's State Gym on the left side of this pic:

 

[superdorf]

Some great photos. I lived in Helser in the late 90's and the field was still intact at that point. We used to play football out there from time to time.

 

[CyBobby]

I remember going to the K State game when steve grogin was quarterbacking the wildcats...

We parked in someones back yard a couple blocks west of clyde williams and then walked down to a pizza joint for a couple of beers and pizza...


The stadium was full and it was fun to watch the game but the facilities were not good esp the restrooms...

It was probably past time for Ia State to upgrade to a new football stadium when they built jack trice....

 

[Dryburn]

What was the seating capacity? Looks kinda weird to me especially relative to Memorial Stadium.

Seating capacity was like 35 or 36,000 I believe. As you can tell from the pics, most of the seating was in the east and south sides. The west side of the stadium was pretty small.