The Iowa State University baseball program started in 1892 and Clyde Southwick was their first player to make it to the Major League level. Names that appear on the chart above in bold print are in the Iowa State University Hall of Fame.
The Iowa State University official site has many Cyclone "traditions" including their alma mater, their fight song and the history of their team name:
"In 1894, a terrible tornado hit the Iowa town of Grinnell. During the summer and early fall of 1895, a number of 'Cyclones' continued to wreak havoc on the state of Iowa. Hence, when Iowa State's (then called Iowa Agricultural College) football team blew away highly-touted Northwestern that fall, the winners were likened to a cyclone. The name stuck as this group of Cyclones helped propel Iowa State into the world of big-time football."
Source: Traditions (link) webpage on Iowa State University Site
Did you know that there are eighteen former Iowa State University players who made it to "the show"? Send corrections to Baseball Almanac.
