ISU fans most optimistic?

[CloneFan65]

After perusing the forum it finally hit me what I love about being an ISU fan. ISU fans have to be the most optimistic fans in college sports. (Despite a few posters that are creamed for their negativity on here.) Here are just a few examples:

We're excited to go to any bowl game that will invite us. That's one of the reasons why we travel so well as a fan base. Many of the other major university only travel well if it's a BCS bowl game.

Johnny Orr is a hero in Ames. I even heard someone mention building a statue outside Hilton or him. Under Johnny we never made it past the Sweet 16, and during his time at ISU they only had the sixth best conference record in the Big 8.

Read the thread on the Texas game. ISU fans can look at a loss like that and say, "Boy if it weren't for all those turnovers, penalties, and dropped passes we could have won that game." Now that's optimism.

Sometimes we may be a little overly optimistic, but I'll take that over negativity any day.

 

[cycloneworld]

I don't think 1 person on this board thought that if those things happened that we would have won the Texas game, it would just have been more competitive. Sorry to rain on your parade.

 

[CloneFan65]

I don't think 1 person on this board thought that if those things happened that we would have won the Texas game, it would just have been more competitive. Sorry to rain on your parade.

One person mentioned we might have been able to win, but you're right, most of us understood we would have still lost.

And leave my parade out of it.

 

[CHim]

I think the infamous "Parker Penalty" was bigger than any of those things you mentioned. That one allowed them to open the game up. I think without that, and if we could have learned how to tackle their d-lineman of a running back it would have been an awesome game to watch.

 

[C.John]

Concerning being an optimistic fan, as a life long Chicago Cubs fan, I know all about being optimistic. Wait til next year is a mantra I know and embrace. I know the past is the past and we all live in the now, but those of us who cheered on the Clones for the duration of the Walden era tend to be more forgiving of D-Mac's overall record. We know that he had nothing when he took over, and we are grateful for success we have enjoyed during the last 6 years. Do we wish to take the next step? Ofcourse, but we also enjoy what we have accomplished. Do I wear cardinal colored glasses? Yes I Do. I will forever be one of your optimistic Cyclone Fans.

 

[cycloneworld]

Concerning being an optimistic fan, as a life long Chicago Cubs fan, I know all about be optimistic. Wait til next year is a mantra I know and embrace. I know the past is the past and we all live in the now, but those of us who cheered on the Clones for the duration of the Walden era tend to be more forgiving of D-Mac's overall record. We know that he a nothing when he took over, and we are grateful for success we have enjoyed during the last 6 years. Do we wish to take the next step? Ofcourse, but we also enjoy what we have accomplished. Do I wear cardinal colored glasses? Yes I Do. I will forever be one of your optimistic Cyclone Fans.

I became a Cyclone fan in 2000 when I began school at ISU. Now I'm a die-hard and I feel exactly like you...and I didn't even suffer through the 0-11, 1-10 days...

 

[EggMcClone]

I think Cyclone fans can also be some of the most pessimistic. There's a pretty widespread belief that after anything good that happens something worse is right behind the corner. Basically, because it always happens. Win two Big 12 titles - go in the tank for a few years and have the coach fired in a national scandal.

Put yourself in a position to win the Big 12 North by beating an also-ran - choke the game away in overtime. Twice.

I think our football crowds expect bad things to happen. In Lawrence last year as soon as things started going south everybody shut up and just waited for the inevitable. Sort of like the Red Sox before they won it all. They blew a play or something and they just thought it was already over.

 

[Cyclonesrule91]

I went to school there from 1986-1991 so I was there in the thick of the Criner and Walden years and we are light years ahead of where we could have even dreamed of then. There have been many times when I have been frustrated with the actions of a player(Sam Mack, Levon White) or the results of games(Iowa kicking our butts all over the field), but within a day or two I am as pumped about the next game and can't wait for it to arrive.

I would also agree that we can be more forgiving of D-Mac because of our experiences in the past, but I don't think we suffer from total blind optimism.

 

[chuckd4735]

I don't think 1 person on this board thought that if those things happened that we would have won the Texas game, it would just have been more competitive. Sorry to rain on your parade.

I am one person who will say if ALL those things did not happen me might of won!

 

[threemuch]

I went to school there from 1986-1991.

I was there from 87-91, and although I am very happy with our moderate levels of success (trust me, they are much more fun than total failure), I would never color myself an optomist.

I don't get to see too many games because of geographic challenge, but the ones I do, I never really believe we will win until it is over. I always feel a little twang in the pit of my stomach that says,"Don't get your hopes up, chump, they can still blow it!"

History has shown this little voice to be right pretty often. I generally try to drown it with alcohol prior to any Cyclone sporting event.

Clone fans worship Johnny Orr because that is all we have. Name another coach in hoops or football that was even memorable in the last 30 years? 50?

 

[St8Grad]

I would also agree that we can be more forgiving of D-Mac because of our experiences in the past, but I don't think we suffer from total blind optimism.

'Blind Optimism'...that's the best way I've heard it. Thx.

 

[Todd Blythe]

cyclone fans look at every game as a big game even if it is a 1 aa team, we also have nothing to lose to the big schools so why not believe in winning

 

[Cyclonepride]

I'm a Cyclone fan from around 1980, so I've been through the perpetual beat downs.......years of them. So the McCarney era is the best I've known. I used to just take my medicine and hope for better in basketball season. Now that I can look forward to both, it's all good.

 

[C.John]

I used to just take my medicine and hope for better in basketball season.

True words from an long time Clone. Been there done that.

 

[Oldgeezer]

I have 50 years of Cyclone athletics under my belt. I am an optomistic person by nature, I always look for the silver lining. I am excited about the future of ISU basketball, but not foorball. I was there for the "Dirty Thirty" years, and I remember the Earl Bruce era. They were both better than the current "run", I know ISU can do better. Bill Stranigan probaby did more to rescue ISU Bball at the time than Johnny Orr, but Orr did it with more show and for a longer time.