An old piece of Hilton magic may still have some miracles left in it, although not of the basketball variety.

Ron McMillen, president of Sigler Companies in Ames and owner of an original Big 8 Conference floor logo from Hilton Coliseum, has put the piece up for auction on eBay and plans to donate the proceeds to the American Red Cross for Hurricane Katrina relief.

McMillen bought the logo in 1993 following the Midwest floods that swamped the Iowa State Center and ruined Hilton Coliseum’s floor.

“The university sold pieces of the floor for a fundraiser,” McMillen said. “I thought the logo would be a very unique piece of history for an Iowa State fan to own, and I was just the highest bidder.”

He said the idea to auction off the logo came from some employees at Sigler Companies.

“Some of my employees have been doing a lot for hurricane relief,” he said. “They’ve organized some different sales and fundraisers to help out in the Gulf Coast.”

Loni Emery, a Sigler employee from Nevada, has helped organize several Katrina relief efforts and has played an important role in organizing the logo auction.

“We’ve raised more than $4,000 for the American Red Cross though garage and bake sales,” Emery said. “This auction is our latest fundraiser.”

Emery said she hopes the history of the logo combined with the gravity of the disaster on the Gulf Coast inspires ISU fans to bid for the floor section.

“It’s a neat piece of ISU memorabilia and it’s such an important cause. I hope people understand that,” Emery said.

As of Monday afternoon, the highest bid for the 6’8″ by 3’5″ logo was $750. The auction ends Sept. 17.

McMillen, a lifelong Cyclones fan, said it will be hard for him to give up the prized logo, but that the cause was too important.

“I grew up watching ISU football games through the fence at Clyde Williams Field,” he said. “My dad took me to basketball games when I was little. Of course, there’s part of me that loved to see the logo in my rec room, but this is a great cause. We all need to do our part.”

John McCarroll, executive director of university relations, said although the logo auction is not affiliated with the university, the auction presents an opportunity for Cyclone fans to show their support for the school as well as donate to an important cause.

McCarroll said the university cannot donate money directly to hurricane relief efforts but has tried to make a difference since the disaster.

“We’re not in a position to donate university money, but the Government of the Student Body has made donations, and we’ve been willing to open up housing for hurricane victims,” McCarroll said.