Editor’s Note: This is the last article in a series of three chronicling the activities, memories and Hilton Coliseum rantings of ISU alumnus, former employee and women’s basketball fan William “Wild Bill” Yungclas.

He may not actually put on a Cyclone uniform, but William “Wild Bill” Yungclas still plays an important role on the ISU women’s basketball team.

Yungclas said that role is to help give the team a home-court advantage that’s as good as any other in the country.

“I just try to stay out of their way and not be a distraction to them, because my job is to be supportive when they’re playing the game and give them a home-court advantage,” Yungclas said. “With the exception of maybe four arenas, I think Iowa State is one of the best places to play in the country.”

Even Yungclas’ wife, Barbara, a retired Ames preschool and kindergarten teacher, has a role — she is the official statistic keeper for the Yungclas household.

“I have to keep score, so I have to watch and see if the basket goes in,” Barbara said. “[After the game] we look over it and compare it with the newspaper when I get done.”

Barbara is not quite as animated as her husband at the games. “He does enough for both of us,” she said.

Favorites

The Yungclases haven’t had one favorite player or coach to pass through Hilton Coliseum — they’ve all been favorites.

“That’s been the important thing about it since we started going. We just love all those players from the very first year as if they were our daughters or granddaughters,” Yungclas said. “We think they are such neat people, and it’s always been that way. Iowa State has just drawn some of the nicest young women in the country to come [play].”

Relationships between the Yungclases and the ISU women’s basketball team have led to many long-lasting bonds. The Yungclases have been invited to at least four former Cyclone players’ weddings.

Three different coaches have held the reins for Iowa State since Yungclas began cheering for the Cyclones.

“[The coaches are] like your own kids — you like them for different reasons, but you love them all,” Yungclas said. “We started out with Pam Wettig; we knew her very well. [Then came] Theresa Becker, we just love Theresa and still do. [Next, Bill] Fennelly came, and we think the world of him and, of course, the job he’s done here at Iowa State.”

Memorable moments

One game that sticks out in Yungclas’ mind is the Cyclones’ 1998-99 NCAA Tournament victory over Connecticut in the Sweet Sixteen in Cincinnati.

“Connecticut, that one was a lot of fun,” Yungclas said. “Connecticut and Tennessee are sort of the consummate women’s basketball programs. I never in a million years thought we’d beat [Connecticut].

“We watched the Connecticut players sit. It was like deer in the headlights; they were just shocked. They couldn’t believe somebody could do that to them.”

Besides memorable game moments, Yungclas said he remembers reaching certain attendance levels at Hilton Coliseum.

“We stayed so small for so many years, and when Fennelly got here it went up to 1,700 to 2,000 [fans],” Yungclas said. “I used to think ‘oh if we could have a thousand people here, then if we could just have 2,000 to 5,000.'”

“For a couple of those [NCAA] tournament games we had 12,000 people and it literally brought tears to my eyes to think that we finally had the kinds of crowds that we’d always wanted to support the team, that’s what it’s all about.”

Hilton Magic

Fennelly said every program has to have something to identify with, and Yungclas has become a symbolic part of the Cyclones and is part of the reason that Hilton Magic exists.

“He was here supporting this program and this team before I was here and before we won games, before other people started showing up,” Fennelly said. “He figured out that this was something special way before a lot of people knew it, before the players and even the coaches sometimes.”

Yungclas’ passion and the way he approached supporting women’s basketball gave Iowa State credibility, Fennelly said. As they Cyclones gained credibility, they also accumulated a following.

“He gave our fan base a reason to come,” Fennelly said. “I think in the beginning, more people came to see him than us because we weren’t really good. He brought people into the stands and encouraged people to come and support the team.”

Yungclas may have brought fans in, but he still has a goal of bringing more fans in to experience Hilton Magic.

“I’m still living for the day when we sell out a game for women’s basketball at Hilton Coliseum. We’ve got to 13,000-plus, but never that 14,075 or whatever it is that it takes to fill every seat,” Yungclas said. “I hope that while I’m still able to be there and yell, that we’ll do that some day.”

The ISU women’s basketball team is 8-4 at Hilton Coliseum this season, and Fennelly said Yungclas is “part of the program and part of what Hilton Magic is all about.”

“It’s neat to have people who have supported you, win, lose or draw,” Fennelly said. “He wants to win like the next guy, but he’s a fan like you want your fans to be: Supportive, and [he has] great belief in the kids.”

Fennelly said whatever the outcome of the game is, Yungclas has the Cyclones’ back, and that is what has made him so important to Iowa State.

“People notice his clothes and when he screams, but truly what you should notice is the dedication he’s giving to this university and the commitment he’s made to the young people who have represented this school,” Fennelly said. “It’s not how loud he is, it’s not what he wears. It’s what’s in his heart that makes him so special.”