100 Things Cyclone Fans Should Forget Before They Die: Chizik Coins

Commemorative coins have been used for thousands of years to do anything from remember a specific people, places, events, etc. Generally speaking, the subjects of the coins tend to be famous and/or historically significant, or they’re a picture of your beloved Yorkie.

However, no coin emblazoned with a cat-sized dog dressed up in a pink hair bow can compare to the abomination that was the commemorative coin for former Iowa State head coach Gene Chizik.

Listen. I understand that hiring Texas defensive coordinator Gene Chizik was a big deal at the time. The program had just lost the best coach in program history, and we needed someone to revive the momentum the program had at the turn of the century. Chizik was a big name that brought along the hopes of bringing a huge recruiting boost.

Well, as we all know, Chizik kicked off his Iowa State tenure by dropping the first two games of the season to KENT STATE and NORTHERN IOWA. AT HOME. After two horrific seasons at Iowa State, Chizik left Ames to head to Auburn, where he would win a National Championship in this first season. Aside from bringing in a two recruiting classes which helped Paul Rhoads to a bowl win in his first season, Chizik’s two year-long stint at Iowa State was an enormous failure, resulting in only 5 wins.

These coins will stand as an everlasting reminder of a catastrophic two years at Iowa State, and an extraordinarily hasty declaration of future success.

If you have a Chizik coin, or any good stories about them, please let us know in the comments!