Along with winning football games over the past three seasons, a growing tradition has been taking over the pregame tailgate scene.

A fire engine owned by Tim Gleason and friends has led the team from Hilton Coliseum down the road leading to Jack Trice Stadium for the past six years.

“It started as kind of a coincidence. It was Dan McCarney’s first year when we needed a vehicle to tailgate with,” said Gleason, an Iowa State alumnus who graduated in 1981.

“We all decided, ‘well, we’ve got this old fire truck.’ It wasn’t painted then; it was kind of ugly looking. The team wasn’t that good, but we were with them.”

Gleason bought the fire engine in Des Moines and it put it in a warehouse for three or four years.

When his old tailgating van broke down, it was time to turn to the 1957 International R185, 1,000-gallon pumper.

Gleason and his friends Hank Kohler — ISU football player Andy Kohler’s dad — and Butch Hanson played summer softball with a few of the Iowa State football players and came up with the idea of sounding the siren from the time the first ISU football player got off the bus until the last person got off.

It became a tradition and has flourished ever since.

“Five years ago, we got our claim to fame,” Gleason said. “We were driving around with a bunch of people and stopped at Coach McCarney’s house. We rang the doorbell and he came out. We said we were going over to Iowa City to help the Cyclones end the 15-game losing streak. He said ‘if you drive it over there, I guarantee you we will win.'”

“Well, we drove it over there and they won and we haven’t lost to the damn Hawks since.”

A year after talking to McCarney, Gleason was approached by Frank Randall, assistant athletics director of operations.

“He asked us to lead the team, and we jumped at the opportunity,” Gleason said. “We leave two hours before kickoff, meet the team at Hilton Coliseum and drive them up the concourse.

“When we started, it was a few people at the end. [Now] we have to have the cops in front of us to part the ways and the sea of people.”

Gleason isn’t the only fan that owns a fire engine. Joe Kerns, who graduated many more years ago than he would like to admit, owns a 1957 Ford.

“We are lifelong Cyclone fans and two years ago came across this old abandoned fire truck in a pig barn,” Kerns said. “We resurrected it with a new paint job, stereo and beverage chilling and dispenser unit that holds 3 to 4 kegs at time. It’s got a grill on there and a [public address] system. It is just a Cyclone tailgate party-mobile.”

Gleason and Kerns know each other well and went to Shreveport, La., for the Independence Bowl last year. Each loaded his machine onto a flatbed truck for the trek.

This year, after repairs that included replacing the engine, Gleason and his gang will drive to the bowl game.

“It wasn’t reliable,” said Hanson. “Now, instead of trailering it to away games, we actually can drive it to them. We may or may not go to Oklahoma, but it will definitely drive to the bowl game this year.”

The group already has the departure planned out.

“We have an open cab so we are going to get out our Carhartts and snowmobile helmets and head south until it gets warm,” Gleason said. “We will just keep taking off layers and will turn whatever direction we need to get to the game.”

Kerns, Gleason and Hanson all agree that the team is the reason for the excitement, and their job is to add to that excitement.

“We like to provide an atmosphere for all Cyclone fans to have fun,” Kerns said.

“It is just a symbol of just getting everybody woke up,” Gleason said. “The team is what it’s all about; this is a way to fire up the fans.”

“Atmosphere and tradition,” Hanson said. “That is what Mr. McCarney is trying to do here, get some tradition. We are just here to help that.”