Their name and numbers are skipped over by fans leafing through the game program to find out about the star players, but this doesn’t bother them.

Their daily routine is the same as the rest of their teammates, and on game day, they put on the same Cyclone jersey as the others do. They stroll the sidelines observing the game they love, wondering if they’ll ever get a chance to make a difference.

They are Cyclone walk-on football players, most of whom are known only by their friends and families in the crowd.

They always try to stay prepared, there on the sidelines, even though it is possible that the most action they will get is running to and from the locker room.

Freshman walk-on Ross Dean, a member of the team for only two months, stands cheering on the sidelines. He wonders if he’ll one day get his chance to make a mark on Cyclone football history.

Kyle Pelecky, graduated walk-on football player, now watches as a fan. He knows, firsthand, that not every walk-on gets that chance.

The reality of being a walk-on football player on the Division I level, the highest in college athletics, is that many players will never even get in the game for a single play.

Yet, walk-on football players are willing to sacrifice the ‘normal’ college lifestyle for the outside chance of getting in the game and making a difference.

Cyclone kicker Mike McKnight is finally getting his chance, while Dean is just beginning with the hope of eventually being a contributing player.

Pelecky was on the team for four years and was never put in for a single play.

All chose to come to Iowa State based on a determination to fulfill a common dream.

“Coming out of high school, I wondered if I’d even get shoes,” Pelecky said, “but you have all the services that the other players get other than the financial help.”

A scholarship player gets his tuition paid for by the athletic department, but the actual amount is dependent upon whether the player pays in-state or out-of-state tuition.

Since taking over the football program in 1995, head coach Dan McCarney has awarded over 20 scholarships to walk-on players.

The harsh reality is that many walk-on players will slip through the cracks and never perform well enough to earn a scholarship.

Pelecky said walk-ons have to have that special something that catches the coach’s eye in order to gain a scholarship.

“It’s definitely not easy to get a scholarship,” Pelecky said. “It’s real competitive, so the situation has to be right to get the chance to go into a game and prove yourself.”

McKnight said he hopes he will soon earn a scholarship.

“My parents are paying for my college right now,” he said. “I’d love to be able to take that burden off of them.”

McKnight’s efforts this season may have been noticed by the coaching staff.

“Mike is becoming a major part of our offense,” said assistant football coach Nick Quartaro. “It was a great achievement for [Mike] to hit that field goal at the time that he did.”

Walk-on players spend most of their practice time on the scout team, going head to head with the scholarship players. It is during this time that they have the opportunity to show the scholarship players and coaches what skills they have to offer.

“[The players] see you as an equal, but they want to see what you’re made of,” Dean said. “You have to prove yourself to be accepted on the field. You have to prove you’re tough enough to play with the scholarship athletes.”

Dean believes he has a good chance at gaining a scholarship if he keeps improving and gets stronger. He realizes, as well, that many walk-ons don’t ever gain a scholarship or even get to play, but he’s not letting that deter his dream.

“Even if I never get to play, I’d still be able to say I was on the Iowa State football team,” he said. “Every young football player dreams of getting to play Division I football.”