Campus Alert Archive
Iowa State

The Tornado Game: Sirens Clear Jack Trice Stadium One Hour Before Colorado Kicked Off

IAtornadoemergency notificationmedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On the afternoon of November 12, 2005, tornado sirens sounded across Ames, Iowa as part of a late-season tornado outbreak that produced more than a dozen tornadoes across central Iowa, including an F2 that passed just northwest of Ames (the November 2005 outbreak predated the February 2007 adoption of the Enhanced Fujita scale and was rated on the original F scale). About one hour before the scheduled kickoff between Iowa State and No. 22 Colorado, officials cleared the stands, press box, and suites at Jack Trice Stadium and directed fans to shelter inside Hilton Coliseum, the university's basketball arena across the parking lot. The tornado did not strike the stadium itself, but homes and farm buildings were damaged to the south, west, and north of the city.

Alerts
3
Response
—
Killed
—
Injured
—
Institution
Iowa State University
Public R1 · IA
~26,000 studentsISU Alert
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

3 messages in sequence · 1 verified verbatim

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTSiren
Verified verbatimESPN — confirms tornado sirens triggered the evacuation85 chars
*Outdoor tornado sirens — continuous three-minute alert tone across the City of Ames*
Story County / City of Ames outdoor warning sirens activated as the National Weather Service issued tornado warnings across central Iowa during the November 12, 2005 outbreak
Outdoor sirens at the time were the primary mass-notification tool — Iowa State did not have a campus-wide SMS alert system yet (ISU Alert SMS was rolled out later in the 2000s)
Sirens triggered the stadium evacuation about an hour before the scheduled 6:00 p.m. CST kickoff
Reporting in [the Tornadoes of 2005 record](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tornadoes_of_2005) confirms an F2 tornado passed within a few miles northwest of the stadium; the outbreak also produced an F3 tornado near Stratford that killed one person and injured three
UPDATEPA System
Approximate reconstruction192 chars
A tornado warning has been issued for Story County. Please leave the seating bowl immediately and proceed to Hilton Coliseum or to your vehicle. Do not remain in the open areas of the stadium.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed PA announcement consistent with the Iowa State emergency-management playbook for a confirmed tornado warning at Jack Trice Stadium
[Hilton Coliseum](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hilton_Coliseum), Iowa State's basketball arena and an interior-corridor shelter, sits a short walk across the parking lot from the stadium and was the designated shelter destination
Police 'urged others to seek shelter at Hilton Coliseum' per the ESPN account; some fans remained in the parking lots to watch the storm
ALL CLEARPA System
Approximate reconstruction141 chars
The tornado warning has expired. The stadium is safe. Fans may return to their seats. Kickoff has been delayed and will be announced shortly.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed return-to-stadium announcement; the original audio of the 2005 PA announcements has not been preserved publicly
Iowa State spokesman John McCarroll said after the game, 'There were no injuries, there was no panic. The bottom line is things went very, very well.'
Iowa State went on to defeat Colorado 30-16 in what became known as 'the Tornado Game'
Context

Background

The November 12, 2005 Iowa tornado outbreak was an unusually late-season severe weather event for the upper Midwest. More than a dozen tornadoes touched down across central Iowa; one F2 tornado passed within a few miles northwest of Ames (the outbreak predated the February 2007 operational adoption of the Enhanced Fujita scale and was rated on the original F scale). The strongest tornado of the outbreak, a 150-yard-wide F3 that tracked roughly 17.6 miles across three counties and struck Stratford, killed one person and injured three. About an hour before Iowa State was set to kick off against No. 22 Colorado at Jack Trice Stadium, tornado sirens sounded across the city, stadium officials cleared the stands, and fans were directed to shelter inside the adjacent Hilton Coliseum or to leave the area entirely. The case is one of the earliest well-documented examples of a Division I football stadium evacuation triggered by a confirmed tornado warning rather than a precautionary lightning protocol. It also documents an era — before campus-wide SMS alert systems were standard — when outdoor warning sirens, broadcast media, and stadium PA announcements were the principal mass-notification tools. Iowa State spokesman John McCarroll's postgame quote — 'We dodged a bullet with the track of that storm' — captured the meteorological luck involved. Iowa State won 30-16. The 2005 game has come to be known as 'the Tornado Game' in Cyclone football history.
Analysis

Key Findings

The November 12, 2005 evacuation predates campus-wide SMS alert systems at most US universities; outdoor sirens and PA announcements were the primary mass-notification channels
Hilton Coliseum's role as an adjacent interior-corridor shelter is unusual — most college football stadiums do not have a 14,000-seat indoor venue immediately next door
The case is among the earliest well-documented Division I football game evacuations triggered by a confirmed tornado warning rather than precautionary lightning protocol
The decision to evacuate one hour before kickoff (rather than during play) avoided the higher-risk scenario of clearing a fully seated 50,000-fan stadium under active tornado threat
Outcome
Iowa State defeated No. 22 Colorado 30-16 after the all-clear. No injuries at the stadium. Iowa State spokesman John McCarroll said, 'We dodged a bullet with the track of that storm.' The game became known in Cyclone history as 'the Tornado Game.'
Provenance

Sources

  1. News
    Tornado sirens clear stands at Iowa State (ESPN / AP)
    espn.com
  2. News
    Iowa remembers 2005 Colorado 'Tornado Game' at Jack Trice Stadium (We Are Iowa)
    weareiowa.com
  3. Source
    Iowa tornado outbreak of November 2005 (Wikipedia)
    en.wikipedia.org
  4. Source
    Iowa History Daily: November 12 - Late-Season Tornado Outbreak of '05 (Notes on Iowa)
    notesoniowa.com
  5. News
    Tornadoes Trounce Iowa Towns (CBS News)
    cbsnews.com
Tags
tornadosevere-stormstadium-evacuationjack-trice-stadiumfootballiowabig-12tornado-warningweather-evacuationncaanon-violentpublic-r1historical
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion