Jay Chapman of Urbandale, Iowa, is a die-hard Iowa State Cyclones fan as the leader of the ISU Alumni Pep Band and president of the Cyclone Gridiron Club. His fandom is among the stories being highlighted as part of the USA TODAY Network’s search for the nation’s ultimate sports fan. A select number of fans will advance to a bracket-style competition this fall to crown a champion.
For decades, Jay Chapman has been adding to the magic of Hilton Coliseum in Ames, Iowa.
Chapman was there when the magic started, as men’s basketball coaching icon Johnny Orr began a mission to create an electrifying atmosphere inside Hilton.
It was the 1980s, and something special was brewing at the arena — Orr stepping onto the court with a fist pump, the pep band rocking the crowd, mascot Cy bopping through the stands, the student section firing up. It was the beginning of a magic that is still synonymous with Hilton.
Chapman has been under the Cyclones’ spell ever since he committed to the university for its aerospace engineering program. Today he leads the ISU Alumni Band and is president of the Cyclone Gridiron Club.
The alumni pep band plays at Hilton when school is not in session and the students in the regular pep band are on break. A trumpet player himself, Chapman leads the alumni group, which he helped organize in 1993, shortly after he earned his master’s degree from ISU.
Although high school bands would play during breaks prior to the creation of the alumni pep band, Chapman knew there were enough former Cyclone musicians in the area to field a band.
“I knew it would be a challenge, but I also knew there were enough alums in the area to make it happen,” he said.
With as many as 55 instrumentalists performing, today’s alumni pep band creates a sizzling background for about a dozen gigs a year, including volleyball, wrestling, gymnastics, and men’s and women’s basketball.
“We are just a natural extension of the pep band fun,” Chapman said.
Chapman finds the love of his life in marching band
A love story began when a young trumpet player/drum major named Jay met a pretty clarinet player named Karen as they were playing in the highly acclaimed ISU Marching Band.
Jay Chapman and Karen Heldt-Chapman both graduated from Iowa State and have devoted much of their personal time to the Cyclones ever since. They are involved in the alumni pep band as well as several other ISU groups. They love to travel together to a large number of games across the country.
“We don’t have kids, but we like to say Iowa State players are our kids,” Chapman said. “We like to support them as much as we can.”
Chapman watched Bill Fennelly bring magic to the women’s program
Before coach Bill Fennelly came to Ames in 1995, attendance at Iowa State women’s basketball games was scant.
In earlier years, if a game were to be televised on Iowa Public Television, the whole crowd would sit on one side of the floor to make it look more full, Chapman said.
At halftime, everyone in the crowd could try to shoot a free throw in an attempt to win a bag of popcorn.
“That’s how different things were before Bill Fennelly got here,” Chapman said. “It’s almost hard to describe how much he has done for this program.”
The alumni pep band was one of the elements that helped Fennelly create the magic for the women’s basketball program, similar to what Orr did for the men’s team.
“I love our pep band. They are a huge part of the magic that has been created for our program at Hilton,” Fennelly said. “It is so special that we have our alumni pep band that is led by Jay. He is a passionate Cyclone fan and has done a great job with the pep band. Our players and fans love what they do.”
Chapman has felt that love from the fans.
“In the last 30 years, there’s not a game that I haven’t had at least one person come up afterwards and say thanks for what you’re doing,” he said. “It’s really a ton of fun, and we try our best to keep the magic going when the students aren’t in town.”
Iowa State’s ultimate fan
Ames Tribune reporter Ronna Faaborg can be reached at rfaaborg@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: This Cyclone super fan helps create Hilton Magic with the Iowa State Alumni Pep Band
Reporting by Ronna Faaborg, Ames Tribune / Ames Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
