No More Wind Tunnel?

AMES, Iowa - The addition of the Sukup End Zone Club and the bowling in of the south end zone will dramatically change the aesthetic landscape at Jack Trice Stadium.

The outstanding facility improvement will enhance the appearance, atmosphere and capacity of the stadium, making it the third-largest venue (61,500) in the Big 12 Conference. Simply put, Jack Trice Stadium will be a big-time college football environment.

Cyclone fans will definitely enjoy the changes made to Jack Trice Stadium, but how will it impact the players on the field?

Throughout the years, the 40-year-old stadium was notoriously known for its breezy conditions, earning the moniker the “wind tunnel.”

Stories of swirling winds sweeping across its open ends were abundant. Just ask any quarterback, punter or kicker who had to endure the unpredictable gusts.

Heck, even coaches had to keep the wind in mind at the coin toss. Having to march your team against the wind at the wrong time could be a dire situation.

Nobody really knows for sure how much the protection on the south end will alter on-field conditions. Former Cyclone kicker Bret Culbertson is also in that camp.

“The question is,” Culbertson said. “Will it help kickers, hurt kickers, or will it stay the same?”

Culbertson is a great source to talk to on the subject. He ranks fourth all-time in career field goal percentage at Iowa State (69.1 pct.) and remembers dealing with the unpredictable winds in his four-year career (2004-07).

“I remember games I would be out there in warmups collecting my data, seeing where the wind is coming from, and one flag would be flapping violently on the left upright, but on the right upright it was totally dead,” said Culbertson.

Culbertson still believes it will be breezy on Saturdays in Jack Trice Stadium, it just might be different than what it was.

“If you are an Iowa State kicker you have to learn to play the wind,” Culbertson added. “The wind usually sneaks in from the northwest side. I don't know if it is going to swirl even more because it doesn't have the avenues to escape. I know it will change, I just don't know how. I still think there is going to be a wind factor. I don't think it is going to block the wind, it's just a matter of what is that wind going to do when it gets into the stadium?”

All-Big 12 kicker Cole Netten, a junior from Ankeny, Iowa, received the green light from Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads to practice on the field.

Netten has kicked in a pair of scrimmages in the new stadium. He may not have an answer until the season arrives.

“The two scrimmages we've had gave me very different results,” Netten said. “The second scrimmage was stormy out and it was swirling. It wasn't very pretty.”

Netten, who is ISU's career leader in field goal percentage (75.0 pct.), knows exactly what Culbertson is talking about with the headaches the swirling winds caused in the old configuration. He's entering his third season as the Cyclone kicker, earning honorable mention All-Big 12 honors in 2014.

“There was one game where the wind was changing so much I told Coach Rhoads to lick his finger and tell me to go in when he thinks it's getting calmer,” Netten laughed.

“Hopefully it will block it off,” Netten added. “I'll get a couple of more times to kick in Jack Trice Stadium before the season starts. I'm hoping it will stop it, but if the wind comes this way, it might bounce back. I do think it should be a little better.”

Stay tuned.

Players Mentioned

Cole Netten

Sponsors

Iowa State University Athletics