Define Tavern hawk

S

springfieldhawk

Active Member
Ok.

Is a tavern hawk just someone who is a fan of Iowa and not a grad? therefore not derogatory?

or

Is it a term that describes the bandwagon jumpers .... biggest fans when winning but are the most disparaging when there are tough losses?

thanks for clarifying
 
It's a term used to point out people that cheer for Iowa but never went to Iowa.

You'll find the primary users to be Clown Fans that think only people who went to the school can be fans of the school. The reason behind this is primarily because Iowa State is such a terrible school and their athletic programs are so pathetic that nobody other than graduates or attendees are fans.
 
it's a very derogatory term used by clown fan to describe iowa fan not a graduate of iowa. very arrogant fan base, these guys.
 
It's an attempt at a derogatory term which actually makes the user look foolish.

Most popular and successful college athletic teams are built on having fans OUTSIDE of just your alumni base.

While actual graduates can feel more of a connection to their college teams, belittling those who hold fandom of a college team yet never went to said school is shortsighted and often a sign of jealousy.

That said.. as a typical example we've all had a chuckle at UNC And Miami fans who have literally no connection to their fandom of said teams (Lacking geography, family history, alumni status, etc). Far be it from any one to tell them they can't be fans of said team though. And I'd sure be happy to welcome more fans to Iowa fandom.

Just my two cents.
 
Tavern Hok - a person who is a Hok fan whose only affiliation with the University of Iowa is watching games at a tavern in some hilljack town, like Ottumwa. It is spelled Hok because according to ISU lore, such fans lack the capacity to pronounce the "w" in Hawk.
 
Churlish79 said:
It's an attempt at a derogatory term which actually makes the user look foolish.

Most popular and successful college athletic teams are built on having fans OUTSIDE of just your alumni base.

While actual graduates can feel more of a connection to their college teams, belittling those who hold fandom of a college team yet never went to said school is shortsighted and often a sign of jealousy.

That said.. as a typical example we've all had a chuckle at UNC And Miami fans who have literally no connection to their fandom of said teams (Lacking geography, family history, alumni status, etc). Far be it from any one to tell them they can't be fans of said team though. And I'd sure be happy to welcome more fans to Iowa fandom.

Just my two cents.
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Iowa State is better than Notre Dame because Notre Dame has a whole bunch of fans who didn't go there.
 
okeefe4prez said:
Tavern Hok - a person who is a Hok fan whose only affiliation with the University of Iowa is watching games at a tavern in some hilljack town, like Ottumwa. It is spelled Hok because according to ISU lore, such fans lack the capacity to pronounce the "w" in Hawk.
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actually the hok pronunciation from clowns comes from their making fun of the way Coach Fry pronounced the word.
 
Self acclaimed Tavern Hok fan here (see sig). I not graduated from the U of Iowa, I have never had season tickets, I have been known to watch a game in a bar on occasion, and I might like pro teams like the Bears, Bulls, and Cubs but the Hawkeyes have always come first.
 
okeefe4prez said:
Tavern Hok - a person who is a Hok fan whose only affiliation with the University of Iowa is watching games at a tavern in some hilljack town, like Ottumwa. It is spelled Hok because according to ISU lore, such fans lack the capacity to pronounce the "w" in Hawk.
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Can someone who is more learned, maybe from grand view or Simpson explain how to pronounce the w? Is it like RobHowe-kai?
 
Tavern Hawk is one of the dumbest things Cyclone fans ever came up with. I grew up watching Iowa football, I'm not switching my allegiance to Statesmen Football just because I graduated from William Penn University.
 
imported_ankle23 said:
actually the hok pronunciation from clowns comes from their making fun of the way Coach Fry pronounced the word.
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Kind of like how some here poke fun at CPR for his (supposed) pronunciation of "Proud"...

Tavernhok elicits visions of people who's only affiliation or understanding of UofI comes from watching the football team from a bar stool. Most stories about Taverhoks include the affor mentioned person insulting a Cyclone fan and everything ISU based on that limited set of knowledge.

A few years ago, the debate about needing to be a graduate of the college team you cheered for raged on. Most now accept that fans are fans and their allegience doesn't have to come from attendance of that school. Most also hope that success at ISU attracts the casual fan support similar to many UofI fans originination.
 
agcy68 said:
Kind of like how some here poke fun at CPR for his (supposed) pronunciation of "Proud"...

Tavernhok elicits visions of people who's only affiliation or understanding of UofI comes from watching the football team from a bar stool. Most stories about Taverhoks include the affor mentioned person insulting a Cyclone fan and everything ISU based on that limited set of knowledge.

A few years ago, the debate about needing to be a graduate of the college team you cheered for raged on. Most now accept that fans are fans and their allegience doesn't have to come from attendance of that school. Most also hope that success at ISU attracts the casual fan support similar to many UofI fans originination.
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So basically you're saying….

Tavernhok = Hawk fans that didn't attend Iowa who are mean to iSu.

Normal Hawk Fan = Any Hawk fan who isn't mean to iSu.
 
agcy68 said:
Most stories about Taverhoks include the affor mentioned person insulting a Cyclone fan and everything ISU based on that limited set of knowledge.
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You dont need much knowledge of all things clown to come up with some great insults.

They almost write themselves. (Insert animal husbandry quip here)
 
agcy68 said:
Most also hope that success at ISU attracts the casual fan support similar to many UofI fans originination.
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You mean the kind of success that in year 5 of a coach's regime, they have yet to win as many games as they did in year 1? That probably wont get the job done...sorry.
 
What is worse: A tavern hok or an illinihok?

As a tavernhok who was born and raised in iowa as a hawk fan I have always cheered for them. Even though I spent four wonderful years somewhere else I didn't forget those years as a kid cheering for the hawks. These chicagolandhoks couldn't get into Northwestern, UC or even Illinois and settle for Iowa. They come to the state with no college allegiance because they were raised on pro sports. They don't understand how anyone could continue to cheer for the state's school that they grew up watching for 18 years.
 
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hawktransplant said:
What is worse: A tavern hok or an illinihok?

As a tavernhok who was born and raised in iowa as a hawk fan I have always cheered for them. Even though I spent four wonderful years somewhere else I didn't forget those years as a kid cheering for the hawks. These chicagolandhoks couldn't get into Northwestern, UIC or even Illinois and settle for Iowa. They come to the state with no college allegiance because they were raised on pro sports. They don't understand how anyone could continue to cheer for the state's school that they grew up watching for 18 years.
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I hope Iowa's admission standards are higher than UIC. That place is a dump. Do you mean U of C?
 
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