Though Old Man Winter has been slow to arrive this year, he is on his way – and with colder temperatures, students will wage the battle against freezing fingers and toes at upcoming football games.

Hooded sweatshirts are students’ most popular line of defense against the cold, said Becky Mann, floor supervisor at the University Bookstore.

“Hooded sweatshirts just go like bonkers,” she said. “Hoods are hot, hot, hot. They go like wild-fire.”

Mann said items such as stadium blankets and quilts tend to sell faster when alumni are in town – especially during Homecoming and Parents’ Weekend.

Tammy Rons, ISU gift department manager with Campus Bookstore, said Cyclone gear heats up as temperatures fall.

“Hooded sweatshirts are by far the biggest thing – definitely the most popular,” she said, “but we also sell our Go Cyclones mittens, ISU stocking caps, scarves, gloves, stadium blankets. We have all kinds of Cyclone [items].”

Rons said another popular item is the sideline jacket, which is similar to those coaches wear.

“It seems lightweight, but it’s actually a winter coat,” she said.

Whether it’s sipping hot cocoa or cuddling with that special someone, ISU students find ways to combat the chill in the air at late-season games.

“I am a fat person,” said Erik Roland, senior in finance, with a laugh. “My body fat keeps me warm.”

When all else fails, said Jeremiah Noneman, senior in marketing, do whatever it takes.

“A couple of years ago, we stole these gloves that we thought were our friend’s,” he said. “It turned out, they belonged to a guy sitting in front of me, and he thought his girlfriend took them. He ended up getting mad at her, and leaving her at the stadium.”

Fearing the wrath of the gloveless man, Noneman and his friends did not explain they were the culprits.

And yes, he still has the gloves.