As the Iowa State football team prepares to play what Athletics Director Gene Smith calls the “biggest game in this program in 20 years,” a look at the past will also be present this weekend.

There will be nine new inductees into the Iowa State Athletic Hall of Fame, with the ceremony being held at a banquet Friday night.

The nine inductees include everyone from a former sports information director to an NBA All-Star.

Matt Blair

The recipient of the 1971 Sun Bowl’s most outstanding defensive player also is considered one of the best defensive players in ISU history.

The linebacker played with the Cyclones in 1971 and 1973, and his career could’ve been even greater had he not missed the 1972 season with a knee injury. As it was, Blair was named All-American following his senior year, and was drafted in the second round by the Minnesota Vikings.

He went on to a prolific career with the Vikings, playing in six Pro Bowls and two Super Bowls. When he retired, he was at the top of the charts for the Vikings in tackles and interceptions.

Harry Burrell

Burrell is considered the dean of the nation’s sports information directors. He spent an unbelievable 44 years in the business, and collected 11 separate awards for outstanding work in his field.

Ray Conger

Although he attended ISU more than 70 years ago, Conger still is remembered as one of the best runners in the school’s history.

In 1927, Conger won the NCAA title in the mile run, and he won the conference title in the mile from 1925-27.

After his career as a Cyclone, Conger went on to earn a place on the 1928 Olympic team, and after that he was a major player on the national track-and-field team throughout the early 1930s.

Jeff Grayer

Grayer finished his illustrious career as a Cyclone in 1988 as the school’s all-time leading rusher. The Flint, Mich. native finished with 2,502 career points, a record that has held up.

As a sophomore, he helped lead the Cyclones to one of the greatest seasons in their history, when they advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before dropping a tough game to North Carolina State.

He led the Big Eight Conference in scoring his senior year with 25.3 points per game average and pulled down 9.4 points per game average rebounds as well.

For his efforts, he was named second-team All-American, and also was named to the 1988 Olympic team, where he helped the team to a bronze medal.

He was drafted 13th overall in the NBA draft by the Milwaukee Bucks and spent ten years in the NBA with a variety of teams.

Jeff Hornacek

Probably the most recognizable name to current ISU students is Jeff Hornacek. He came to the Cyclones as a walk-on, and by the time he graduated, he was the Big Eight’s all-time leader in assists.

The point guard was a part of a turnaround in the program, leading the Cyclones to three post-season appearances and becoming only the second player in conference history to accumulate over 1,000 points and 600 assists.

The LaGrange, Ill., native blossomed in the NBA as well.

After being drafted by the Phoenix Suns, Hornacek teamed with point guard Kevin Johnson to lead the Suns into the Western Conference Finals.

After spending some time with the Philadelphia 76ers, Hornacek moved to the Utah Jazz, where he has spent the last several seasons as an integral member of a very successful Jazz team.

Johnny Majors

When Johnny Majors was hired by ISU in 1968, the program was in a free-fall. The team had gone 10-26 in the last four years, including 2-8 over the previous two seasons.

Majors started 16 sophomores in his initial campaign, and won three games in the first two years of the rebuilding process. After winning five games in 1970, Majors led the team to Bowl games in each of the next two years.

Majors left after the 1972 season for the University of Pittsburgh, where he eventually won a national title.

Majors also coached at the University of Tennessee, and just last season, the ISU practice fields were named after him.

Dwight Nichols

Nichols was perhaps the best player on one of the best football teams in the program’s history.

The vaunted “Dirty Thirty” squad of 1959 was led by Nichols, who rushed for 746 yards, which was good for third in the country.

Nichols had made his mark in the conference before that season, however. He was named the conference’s Most Valuable Player in the 1958 season, which saw him rush for 1,172 yards.

When Nichols closed out his career, he was the all-time leading rusher in the Big Seven conference.

He also was the first player in ISU history to finish in the top 10 in the voting for the Heisman Trophy.

Chris Taylor

Certainly one of the most interesting athletes in Cyclone history, Taylor, a 440-pound behemoth, finished his ISU career with a record of 87-0-1 on the wrestling mat.

An amazing 70 of his 87 wins came when he pinned his opponent, and the victims lasted an average of two minutes and 14 seconds before succumbing.

He won national championships in 1972 and 1973, as ISU won the team title in each of those years.

During his ISU career, Taylor wrestled for the United States and earned the bronze medal in the 1972 Olympics. His career record was 239-10-1.

Debbie Vetter

While she always will be remembered as one of the Vetter twins, Debbie Vetter will get her place in the spotlight alone on Friday night.

Along with her twin sister Diane, Debbie was a key component in the highly successful cross-country and track programs in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

She was ISU’s female Athlete of the Year in 1981, won the Big Eight and AIAW Region VI individual cross country titles and earned 10 All-American honors.