The 1954 Iowa State Cyclones football team represented Iowa State College of Agricultural and Mechanic Arts (later renamed Iowa State University) in the Big Seven Conference during the 1954 college football season. In their first year under head coach Vince DiFrancesca, the Cyclones compiled a 3–6 record (1–5 against conference opponents), finished in sixth place in the conference, and were outscored by their opponents by a combined total of 182 to 151.[1][2] They played their home games at Clyde Williams Field in Ames, Iowa.
| 1954 Iowa State Cyclones football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big Seven Conference |
| Record | 3–6 (1–5 Big 7) |
| Head coach |
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| Captain | Max Burkett, Weldon Thalacker |
| Home stadium | Clyde Williams Field |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 3 Oklahoma $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 10 | – | 0 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nebraska | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Colorado | 3 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri | 3 | – | 2 | – | 1 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas State | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa State | 1 | – | 5 | – | 0 | 3 | – | 6 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kansas | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 10 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The team's regular starting lineup on offense consisted of left end Mel Wostoupal, left tackle Ralph Brown, left guard Herb McDermott, center Elmer May, right guard Weldon Thalacker, right tackle Jim McMaulley, right end Barney Alleman, quarterback Jerry Finley, left halfback Gary Lutz, right halfback Bruce Alexander, and fullback Max Burkett.[2] Max Burkett and Weldon Thalacker were the team captains.[2]
The team's statistical leaders included Max Burkett with 528 rushing yards and 30 points (five touchdowns), John Breckenridge with 236 passing yards, and Mel Wostoupal with 151 receiving yards.[3] No Iowa State players were selected as first-team all-conference players.[4]
The November road game at Kansas State marked the first time that the Cyclones flew to a road contest.[5]
Schedule
edit| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 18 | 2:00 pm | South Dakota State* | W 34–6 | 9,782 | ||
| September 25 | 12:30 pm | at Northwestern* | L 14–27 | 32,056 | ||
| October 2 | 2:00 pm | at Nebraska | L 14–39 | 29,522 | ||
| October 9 | 2:00 pm | Kansas |
| W 33–6 | 8,696 | |
| October 16 | 2:00 pm | No. 17 Colorado |
| L 0–20 | 14,779 | |
| October 23 | 1:30 pm | at Missouri | L 14–32 | 18,869 | ||
| October 30 | 2:00 pm | Drake* |
| W 35–0 | 7,642–8,000 | [6][7][8][9] |
| November 6 | 2:00 pm | No. 3 Oklahoma |
| L 0–40 | 10,209 | |
| November 13 | 2:00 pm | at Kansas State | L 7–12 | 14,347 | ||
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References
edit- ^ "1954 Iowa State Cyclones Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 21, 2017.
- ^ a b c "2017 Iowa State Football Fact Book" (PDF). Iowa State University. 2017. p. 147.
- ^ 2017 Fact Book, pp. 112-113.
- ^ 2017 Fact Book, p. 75.
- ^ Bryson, Bill (November 14, 1954). "Iowa State Underdog in Season Finale". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. p. 11. Retrieved July 25, 2022 – via Newspapers.com
.
- ^ Wilson, Brad (October 30, 1954). "Repeat Upset Over Cyclones Drake's Hope". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. p. 9. Retrieved May 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Wilson, Brad (October 30, 1954). "Drake--- (continued)". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. p. 11. Retrieved May 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Wilson, Brad (October 31, 1954). "Cyclones Romp, 35-0". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. p. 1S. Retrieved May 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ Wilson, Brad (October 31, 1954). "Iowa State Rolls Up 28-0 Lead At Half (continued)". The Des Moines Register. Des Moines, Iowa. p. 8S. Retrieved May 24, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
