Even in the bitter cold, he runs two miles three or four times a week. Before heading out for his run, he does 40 minutes of exercises. He focuses on his abdominal muscles by doing crunches, because he knows the hard work will pay dividends later. He’s in preparation for the current ISU basketball season, but is not even a member of the team — he’s just a fan.

He is William “Wild Bill” Yungclas, a 64-year-old retired ISU admissions counselor, and undoubtedly the ISU women’s basketball team’s most vocal and dedicated supporter.

It could almost be said that cardinal and gold flow through Yungclas’ veins. He is the fifth generation in his family to attend Iowa State and proudly displays the 1921 letter sweater his mother earned from playing basketball at Ames College (which would later become Iowa State).

Being the son of two ISU alumni, there was no question where Yungclas would attend college.

“Of course I went to Iowa State and got both my bachelor’s and master’s here,” Yungclas said. “My bachelor’s was in zoology, then I finished a master’s in counselor education in 1975.”

Yungclas worked at the ISU admissions office from the summer of 1968 until he retired in the summer of 1998. It was during that time Yungclas’ love of ISU women’s basketball began.

“I think it was probably the 1985-86 season,” Yungclas said. “Our daughter Missy was in fifth grade and had started to play [American Athletic Union] basketball. I thought it would be a good idea for her to see how better players [played basketball], and we could talk about what was going on.”

When Yungclas first started attending the women’s games at Hilton Coliseum, it didn’t cost a thing.

“You just walked in and sat down and there would be about 300 to 400 people,” Yungclas said. “The first night we just happened to sit down in the first row across from the Iowa State team and we just stayed there from that point on.”

Yungclas said when Missy got into high school, his wife Barbara started attending games with him and has been going ever since.

Cardinal and Gold

If you’ve attended an ISU women’s game, you’ve seen Yungclas, or at least heard him, from his home in Section 23. Cardinal pants, gold blazer, cardinal and gold tie, ISU visor — Yungclas takes pride in his Cyclone game attire. He said on game days, he gets dressed toward evening in his outfit, “which is sort of a ritual in and of itself.”

“You just do the routine and it’s sort of a process you go through to work off your nervousness before the game,” Yungclas said. “Get the pants on, get the shirt on, get the tie on. I just go through it all and finally I’m ready to go.”

Yungclas has been wearing the same outfit since the opening of Hilton Coliseum in 1973. A couple of years ago, his original suit wore out.

“I had to have this [outfit] tailor-made about five and a half years ago,” Yungclas said. “My old [suit] was finally wearing out and they don’t sell them anymore, so I had to have it made.”

ISU head coach Bill Fennelly said he’s never considered following Yungclas’ Cyclone garb.

“It’s kind of like his Superman outfit, I guess,” Fennelly said. “He’s a lot different in person, he’s mild-mannered and then all of a sudden, on game night, he puts on that outfit and turns into a crazy man. I think only Wild Bill could wear that and get away for it.”

Yungclas doesn’t remember who or when people began calling him “Wild Bill.” So does he think it’s a fitting nickname?

“I suspect so,” Yungclas said. “I try to be as wild as possible.”

Rituals

Athletes and fans alike have their own superstitions, and Yungclas is no exception.

“At tournament time, part of [the ritual] is getting sick,” Yungclas said. “My wife always tells me that every time we go to tournaments, I’m always saying, ‘Oh man I’m sick, oh man I can’t eat, I must have had something bad in the restaurant.'”

Barbara tells Bill not to worry and points out that it’s his nerves. A key for Yungclas is being rested, especially on game day.

“It’s nice now that I’m retired — if it’s [a game day] I can still have my nap,” Yungclas said.

At least a half-hour before a game, Yungclas arrives at Hilton Coliseum and mingles with the crowd and opposing coaches.

“I just walk around and try to talk to some of the fans and fire people up,” Yungclas said.

“Sometimes if I know the opposing coaches, I’ll visit with them a little bit and have a little fun with them and welcome them to Hilton. They’ll say something like ‘don’t yell too much’ and I’ll tell them, ‘You know I’m going to be yelling over there like a banshee, but it’s nothing personal, I do it to everybody.'”

Basketball is an enduring season, and Yungclas said he knows he needs to be in the best shape possible to fulfill his role in the crowd. That includes running on alternate days that do not coincide with game days.

“I normally do not run on a game day, because I want all my energy to go into the game,” he said. Stomach crunches are a must for that all-important vocal projection.

“Being able to yell [so long and hard], you have to have a strong diaphragm, so gut muscles are important,” Yungclas said. “I do a lot of sit-ups and leg lifts to keep my stomach strong.”

Yungclas said it takes a lot of hard work to keep in shape, and he’s starting to notice his age now, especially after big games.

“I’m projecting so hard it pulls muscles in my stomach and rib cage,” Yungclas said. “After the Texas Tech game [a 64-63 ISU win Jan. 14], which was on a Wednesday night, I was still sore on Sunday.

“Usually that doesn’t happen because I try to stay in shape and I’m doing this all the time, but I am noticing it’s getting harder and harder for me to yell as hard as I do for two hours.

“That’s the reason for working out and having some reasonable conditioning. Someday I’m going to be too old to do this.”