Iowa State Media Relations
AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State Letterwinners Club unveiled the Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2023 today. Five former Cyclone coaches and stars will be inducted into the Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday Sept. 22 in a ceremony at the Sukup End Zone Club in Ames.
All five inductees will be honored at halftime of the Iowa State-Oklahoma State game on Saturday Sept. 23.
To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, athletes and coaches must be 10 years removed from their final season of competition at Iowa State. The ten-year waiting period can be waived if a coach or administrator ends his/her career in the Iowa State University intercollegiate athletics program.
Registration to purchase tickets for the banquet will open at a later date on cyclones.com.
Public tickets are $50 and athletic alumni are encouraged to join us for the entire weekend with reunion benefits.
The Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 1997. A total of 204 Cyclone legends have been bestowed the highest honor by the Iowa State Athletics Department via a selection committee comprised of Iowa State administrators and athletic alumni.
2023 Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees
Joan Gearhart (1970-82) – Women’s Golf
AMES, Iowa – The Iowa State Letterwinners Club unveiled the Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame class of 2023 today. Five former Cyclone coaches and stars will be inducted into the Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday Sept. 22 in a ceremony at the Sukup End Zone Club in Ames.
All five inductees will be honored at halftime of the Iowa State-Oklahoma State game on Saturday Sept. 23.
To be eligible for the Hall of Fame, athletes and coaches must be 10 years removed from their final season of competition at Iowa State. The ten-year waiting period can be waived if a coach or administrator ends his/her career in the Iowa State University intercollegiate athletics program.
Registration to purchase tickets for the banquet will open at a later date on cyclones.com.
Public tickets are $50 and athletic alumni are encouraged to join us for the entire weekend with reunion benefits.
The Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 1997. A total of 204 Cyclone legends have been bestowed the highest honor by the Iowa State Athletics Department via a selection committee comprised of Iowa State administrators and athletic alumni.
2023 Iowa State Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees
Joan Gearhart (1970-82) – Women’s Golf
- Started the Iowa State women’s golf program from scratch (1970)
- The first woman in Iowa State history hired as a head coach
- Led Iowa State to three AIAW National Tournament appearances (1972, 1975, 1982)
- Won two AIAW Regional Tournaments and claimed 23 tournament titles in career
- First club professional at Veenker Memorial and the first woman club professional in Iowa
- Coached Barb Thomas to All-America honors (1980)
- One of 40 Master Life Teaching Professionals in the LPGA
- Inducted into the NGCA/WGCA Coaches Hall of Fame (1996)
- Has commemorative brick in the Walk of Champions at the World Golf Village
- First woman inducted into the South Dakota Athletics Hall of Fame
- Graduated as ISU’s all-time leading scorer in 1976 with 1,752 points
- Three-time All-Big Eight (1974, 1975, 1976)
- First Team All-Big Eight (1975)
- Honorable Mention All-American – AP (1975), CSAF (1976)
- Big Eight Newcomer of the Year (1974)
- School record 28.3 points per game in 1974-75
- Led the Big Eight and fifth nationally in scoring (28.3) in 1974-75
- Owns school record for 30-point games in a season (13) and career (18)
- The 61st pick in the 1976 NBA Draft
- Member of ISU’s 15-man All-Century Team (2008)
- Two-time All-American (1970, 1972)
- NCAA Champion on the parallel bars in Hilton Coliseum (1972)
- Two-time Big Eight champion on the parallel bars (1971, 1972)
- Member of three Big Eight champion teams (1970-72)
- Member of 1971 NCAA Championship team
- Team finished runner-up at NCAA Championship twice (1970, 1972)
- Three-time NCAA Champion (2012-13)
- 11-time All-American (2009-13)
- USTFCCA National Female Cross Country Athlete of the Year (2012)
- Honda Award winner for Cross Country (2012)
- Nine-time Big 12 Champion (2011-13)
- Two-time Iowa State Female Athlete of the Year (2012, 2013)
- Outstanding Performer at Big 12 Indoor Championship (2012, 2013)
- Outstanding Performer at Big 12 Cross Country Championship (2012)
- Owns school mark and established fastest world time in 5,000-meter indoor run (2013)
- Only Cyclone to win three titles at a Big 12 Championship (2013 Indoor)
- Finished fifth in the 10,000-meter run at the Rio Olympics (2016)
- Won the Paris Marathon (2018)
- Iowa State’s first two-time 1,000-yard rusher (1972, 1973)
- Two-time First Team All-Big Eight running back (1972, 1973)
- Big Eight Offensive Newcomer of the Year (1972)
- Led the Big Eight in rushing in 1972 with 1,260 yards, ranking 10th nationally
- Ended career as ISU’s all-time leading rusher and third-most in the Big Eight (3,010)
- Played six seasons in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints (1975-80)
- Third among NFL rookies in rushing in 1975 with 668 yards
- Tallied 1,902 career rushing yards in the NFL, the third-most by a Cyclone
