Gleason Firetruck Maintenance Fund
Donation protected
What does a 1957 International Firetruck have to do with creating community in a Midwestern college town during football season? A lot. Just ask any Cyclone fan in Ames, Iowa, on game day.
Tim Gleason, an Iowa State University (ISU) alum, bought the beat-up red vehicle at an auction in 1994. His initial objective - to use it as a tailgate vehicle at home games. His wife, Cheryl (also an ISU alum), hand painted the white bumpers gold. "We really tried to Cyclone it up," Gleason said.
That year also happened to be Dan McCarney's first at the helm of the Cyclone football program. McCarney, who inherited a team that went 3-8 the previous season, was looking for ways to bring a new level of excitement to the program on and off the field.
"Back then, very few people were waiting to greet the team when they arrived at the stadium by bus from their hotel," Gleason said. Things began to change when McCarney, who learned about the firetruck from some of his players, asked Gleason to join the bus procession and lay on the truck's horn to announce the team's arrival.
A tradition was born.
Two years later, then ISU Athletic Director Gene Smith asked Gleason to start blowing the firetruck's horn 20 minutes before kickoff for five minutes straight to signal fans to begin moving toward the stadium.
The tradition grew.
Then there was the time the truck was driven - still with its original motor - all the way to Hawkeye country in 1998 to help the Cyclones end their 15-year winless streak in the annual ISU v. University of Iowa series.
Then there were the bowl game trips - four in all, including one in which Gleason drove the firetruck all the way to Shreveport, LA, for ISU's second appearance in the Independence Bowl. "We used a flatbed to transport the firetruck to the first two bowl games, and we lost both games, so I wanted to break the bad karma by driving it there," he said. The end result? ISU 17, Miami (Ohio) 13.
Today, after 2O+ years of community service to Cyclone lovers at home and across the nation, the firetruck needs the public's help. The original motor was replaced in 2000, and the replacement motor died last year (the truck finished out the 2015 season with a borrowed motor).
Funds raised through this campaign will help cover the cost of a new motor, and any remaining donations will be used to prepare the firetruck for its next generation of service to the Cyclone community. Long-term plans call for taking the body off its original chassis and putting it on a modern chassis.
Help the tradition continue - donate today!
Tim Gleason, an Iowa State University (ISU) alum, bought the beat-up red vehicle at an auction in 1994. His initial objective - to use it as a tailgate vehicle at home games. His wife, Cheryl (also an ISU alum), hand painted the white bumpers gold. "We really tried to Cyclone it up," Gleason said.
That year also happened to be Dan McCarney's first at the helm of the Cyclone football program. McCarney, who inherited a team that went 3-8 the previous season, was looking for ways to bring a new level of excitement to the program on and off the field.
"Back then, very few people were waiting to greet the team when they arrived at the stadium by bus from their hotel," Gleason said. Things began to change when McCarney, who learned about the firetruck from some of his players, asked Gleason to join the bus procession and lay on the truck's horn to announce the team's arrival.
A tradition was born.
Two years later, then ISU Athletic Director Gene Smith asked Gleason to start blowing the firetruck's horn 20 minutes before kickoff for five minutes straight to signal fans to begin moving toward the stadium.
The tradition grew.
Then there was the time the truck was driven - still with its original motor - all the way to Hawkeye country in 1998 to help the Cyclones end their 15-year winless streak in the annual ISU v. University of Iowa series.
Then there were the bowl game trips - four in all, including one in which Gleason drove the firetruck all the way to Shreveport, LA, for ISU's second appearance in the Independence Bowl. "We used a flatbed to transport the firetruck to the first two bowl games, and we lost both games, so I wanted to break the bad karma by driving it there," he said. The end result? ISU 17, Miami (Ohio) 13.
Today, after 2O+ years of community service to Cyclone lovers at home and across the nation, the firetruck needs the public's help. The original motor was replaced in 2000, and the replacement motor died last year (the truck finished out the 2015 season with a borrowed motor).
Funds raised through this campaign will help cover the cost of a new motor, and any remaining donations will be used to prepare the firetruck for its next generation of service to the Cyclone community. Long-term plans call for taking the body off its original chassis and putting it on a modern chassis.
Help the tradition continue - donate today!
Organizer and beneficiary
Teresa Gleason
Organizer
Ames, IA
TIM GLEASON
Beneficiary