Fourteen years ago, Iowa State beat Iowa in football, had its first ever head boxing coach and had a bar called Johnny’s Ringside where the Dean’s List now stands.

It also had a game of wit and cunning. A game so low, the rules dictated participants must smile. Well, it’s back and may the games commence.

After more than a decade, T.K.O. (technical knockout), the game of verbal abuse, has returned to Ames at Johnny Orr’s Sports Bar and Grille . Creator Johnny Mascaro, ISU’s first head boxing coach, started the game in his former bar, Johnny’s Ringside Lounge.

“Back then,” Mascaro said, “the dance floor was a set up like a boxing ring. The whole decor of the bar was boxing. So that got me thinking about having verbal matches in the ring.”

Mascaro’s inspiration came from none other than “The World’s Greatest,” Muhammad Ali.

“I was a fan of his from the beginning,” Mascaro said of Ali. “And the verbal assaults on his opponent, especially Joe Frazier, were amazing. No blows, just verbal.”

And so, T.K.O. was born. Played in three, one-minute rounds, the rules are that contestants must smile at all times, there’s no physical contact between opponents and no foul language or gestures. Refereed by Mascaro, both contestants and judges are chosen from the audience.

Opponents can be prearranged, challenged or strangers, Mascaro said.

“We had all kinds of matches before,” he explained. “Sororities versus frats, co-workers or guys and gals.

“The majority of the time, the guys take a whipping [from the girls.]”

Three judges selected from the audience use ping-pong like paddles colored red on one side, blue on the other.

At the end of the match, they hold up the color of the person they thought won.

Participants can have up to two “coaches” to help them with their one-liners. After each minute round, the “fighters” can return to their corners for 30 seconds of coaching.

But the game is not as intense as it may seem. Mascaro said it’s all done in fun. T.K.O., he said, has never had a casualty. Physical anyway.

“If that smile starts slipping away,” he said, “I remind them. If they say a bad word, they are given a warning. But, depending on the word, they might get disqualified.”

T.K.O. not only got the attention of ISU students 14 years ago, it gained national recognition when it was featured in Sports Illustrated among others.

“It’s an Iowa State game,” Mascaro said. “It started here. But the attention is good.”

Aside from the laughs and comedy of the matches, though, Mascaro has other motives for bringing crowds together. Safety.

Now teaching boxing to women for self-defense, Mascaro uses the opportunity of meeting students who come to watch T.K.O. to introduce them to self-defense.

“I”m a strong advocate of ladies being knowledgeable of self-defense to avoid any problems,” he said.

He added that he would be willing to “show ladies a thing or two” about boxing as they are enjoying the show.

Mascaro is also interested in taping the events to make a video to possibly send to “America’s Funniest Home Videos”or to show at such places like hospitals.

“We’ve got some very funny material,” he said. “It’s the kind of good humor that anyone can enjoy.”

You can enjoy T.K.O. Friday and Saturday nights at Johnny Orr’s. Contestants will begin entering the ring about 9 p.m. both nights.

But don’t forget to pack your best one-liners and not a punch.