In my family basement hangs a picture that has always captured my attention. The final, legendary Eddie Robinson Classic is a game that defined a season for Iowa State. The photo depicts a stunning mix of colors, cardinal and gold, and a player reaching to break the plain of a goal line. An opposing player, in impeccable form, charges at his left side. It's a truly magical moment. The type of thing that is captured in movies and makes you believe that miracles are possible. Games like these are why people love sports, so let's look back with head football coach Dan McCarney and athletic director Bruce Van De Velde on one of Iowa State football's most spectacular games...
BEGINNINGS
Everything began when Iowa State's football program was given the opportunity to play a season opener against Florida State at a neutral location in Kansas City's Arrowhead Stadium. The Seminoles were at a peak in their football hierarchy, ranked third in the AP Preseason Poll in 2002 and coached by one of the all-time winningest coaches the game has seen, Bobby Bowden.
Coach Dan McCarney told me that in 2002 there weren't "six or eight or ten or twelve games kicking off college football. It was Iowa State and Florida State." To have the opportunity to play in a game like this was extremely special, especially for a team like Iowa State whose track record at the time in college football was tenuous but improving.
Bruce Van De Velde, Iowa State's athletic director, knew how well Cyclones fans traveled, hoping Florida State fans would be in the minority come game time. Big games like these put schools on the map and garner positive publicity. Financial gain would also result in significant revenue for the athletic department.
Eddie Robinson is one of the winningest coaches in college football, along with Bowden. To have two all-time greats present for a game, with one coaching a team, is rare and nothing short of noteworthy. Robinson also had multitudes of success in his own right by building a powerhouse at Grambling State University when black players were not allowed to play for college programs in the South. His contributions to the game of college football are unmatched. McCarney said he was "a sensational mentor for any of us that ever got into the coaching profession."
THE GAME
Game time had arrived. It was 7pm on a warm night at the end of August when Iowa State and Florida State kicked off the Eddie Robinson Classic to a packed stadium and a crowd of over 40,000 Iowa State fans. McCarney described the atmosphere as one of his best memories of the game, saying, "Taking that team and walking them into Arrowhead Stadium...and to come out there and see the support. It's hard to put into words what that felt like."
The excitement of the game began to fizzle out as the Seminoles ran up the scoreboard on Iowa State to the point that it was 31-14 at halftime. Sometimes teams need to settle down and get into a rhythm. The first game for each team is always a huge test because each school's opponent has only been themselves thus far. Regardless, by halftime, it was starting to look like a hyped event that turned out to be an utter disappointment, unless the Cyclones could make a miraculous turnaround against one of college football's greatest powers.
During our discussion, McCarney told me that one memory immediately came back to him about the game. This memory happens to be another characteristic of any legendary football game: the halftime speech. Coach told his team, "You came to Iowa State because you believed in us, and we brought you here because we believed in you. You don't get these times back. There isn't going to be another Eddie Robinson Classic. We're gonna get one of these shots." McCarney proceeded to tell me that "there was no panic...in that locker room."
This team was steady and ready to make a comeback, and combined with McCarney's speech, the Cyclones were ready to show up big. Coach told me, "You could just feel that momentum change. ... This isn't going to be the men of Florida State and the little boys of Iowa State. This is gonna be a heck of a football game."
Quarterback Seneca Wallace, with quick feet and an accurate arm, led the unbelievable comeback trailing 38-31. Wallace threw for over 300 yards during the game. Wide receiver Lane Danielsen received for around 100 yards and running back Hiawatha Rutland ran for about 100 yards, according to McCarney. The Cyclones held Florida State to one score in the second half.
Time was running out for Iowa State with 0:28 seconds to go in the game. On 3rd &17, Wallace threw a bullet over the middle to Danielsen, in the middle of three defenders, securing the first down. It was now or never. The ball was snapped with 0:14 seconds on the clock. Wallace scrambled from the 30 yard line to the end zone and reached over the goal line to break the plain. Everybody was wondering whether or not Wallace secured the touchdown without going out of bounds, and if Iowa State would have the chance to possibly win the game. With instant replay not yet available to officials, Wallace was declared out of bounds. In the photo, it is still a debated topic among Cyclones fans whether or not Wallace did indeed break the plain with his foot inbounds.
The famous photo: QB Seneca Wallace reaches to break the plain of the goal line.
SIGNIFICANCE
Regardless of the outcome, the meaningfulness of the Eddie Robinson Classic cannot be understated. Two of the winningest coaches of all time. A miraculous comeback. A last-minute nail-biter. A Cyclones team that, according to Coach Bowden in his postgame interview, "would never die."
When I told McCarney Bowden's words, he said, "I just got some goosebumps. ... You never get a chance to listen to that kind of stuff. ... What a way to ride off into the sunset the rest of your life, look back on your years at Iowa State, look back on that game, look back on that season, to be remembered that way."
As for the rest of Iowa State's season, the team reached their highest ranking ever in program history, then and now, at #9 in the AP Top 25. McCarney believed the Eddie Robinson Classic helped propel his team to reach greatness later on in the season. Coach elaborated on how special it is to break heights like that and to allow players to take those memorable times with them for the rest of their lives. "We wanted to be relevant,...successful,...bring some honor,...credibility. ... Anytime you get those opportunities and the whole country's watching..."
Or maybe it was in the losing locker room at the Classic where a 2002 team was shaped. McCarney confessed that he doesn't know if he's "ever been more proud of a team and didn't know who was crying more, the players or the coaches. It was real. ... I knew we had a chance to go on and have a really good season and have some big victories because of the fiber and the character of that football team that I saw."
The story of the Eddie Robinson Classic is a special and miraculous game that will live on in the minds of Seminoles, Cyclones, and college football fans forever. The inside story and what it meant to Iowa State is one piece of that puzzle. This article was completed
REFLECTION
I completed this written article for my website and for Dan McCarney. The article was completed with the audience of college football fans in mind, especially Iowa State fans who vividly remember an iconic game. The objective is really to inform and show the behind-the-scenes look of such a special matchup.
This post was published Aug. 5, 2020. I utilized recording and a laptop for the interview. I interviewed my subjects, as well as structured the article in a journalistic, riveting format. This was an excellent experience for conducting a professional interview, and writing an article on a sports game with sources close to the event.
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