Tournaments 

The Saturday afternoon football game might be the most important game of the week, but it’s not the only. 

Tournaments for Homecoming start the week prior to Homecoming. 

Since the beginning of Homecoming, athletic events have been a crucial part of the week. The first Homecomings had freshmen playing the reserve football team in a game to entertain returning alumni.

The next few years brought additions to these athletic events — with competitions like pushball, arm wrestling and powder puff football making appearances throughout the week.

In the late 1970s, athletic tournaments became an official aspect of Homecoming, including novelty events such as weightlifting and tug-of-war.

Today, tournaments now include activities like bowling, mud volleyball, pool, darts and flag football. Less athletic activities such as Nintendo 64 and foosball have also been added to the tournament lineup.

Tournaments encourage student participation and friendly competition between students. Students can easily get into the spirit of Homecoming after participating in tournaments the week before, and with the large variety of activities offered, there is something for every ISU student to enjoy.