Seeking Iowa's #1 Fan
New Member
As a kid growing up in Birmingham, Ala., I was hooked on college football the day Auburn blocked two punts with less than 5 minutes left in the game and returned them both for touchdowns to beat #2 Alabama 17-16 in 1972.
Like everyone else who was not in Legion Field that day, I had to rely on the radio broadcast or newspaper accounts the follow day to find out what happened. As anyone can tell you who grew up in that era normally only one football game was televised a weekend – in the entire country – and despite both Auburn and Alabama being ranked in the top 10 in 1972 that classic game was not televised.
There were regional telecasts some weeks, but mostly we would get games involving football powers of the day like Nebraska, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and USC. But we never saw teams like Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Purdue or Iowa.
For a kid who could not get enough college football, and with only one game each Saturday on TV, it meant I was left with a little clock-radio in my room to keep up with Auburn or Alabama or any other team. Some nights we could get the Tulane game broadcast out of New Orleans when the atmospheric conditions were right.
But then I found radio station WHO at 1040 on the AM dial. The signal wouldn’t still be there in the morning when I woke up but it was almost always there on Saturday nights in the fall.
That’s how I was introduced to Iowa Hawkeye football. I can still hear Jim Zable’s voice describing the game. It was several years later before I learned that Iowa suffered through 19 consecutive losing seasons during part of the time I was listening. He made every play sound like it was a 30-yard run and every game sound like it was for the national championship.
I was confused at first because the game was being played so late in the evening, but then I learned that the game I was listening to was being re-broadcast from earlier in the day.
It’s hard to explain to kids today what it was like before the internet or even cable TV. I would sometimes fall asleep listening to Zable and wouldn’t know if the Hawkeyes won (the games would last to well after midnight). All I had to go on was the scores listed in the Sunday paper in small type that would say: Minnesota 12, Iowa 10. That’s it. No other details were available. There was no ESPN to turn to for highlights.
It wasn’t until later while in college at Auburn that I saw Iowa play live on TV. Of course that was after Hayden Fry arrived and turned the program around. It was great seeing the Hawkeyes with their yellow and black uniforms with that awesome logo on their helmets on TV and getting to see what Kinnick Stadium really looked like. The 1985 Michigan game is one I will always remember.
After college I had dreams of traveling the country watching college football games at all of the locations I never got to see on TV – like Washington State, Oregon State, Northwestern and Arizona – and writing a book about the places and the people. But life, marriage and five kids put that on hold.
The University of Iowa Hawkeyes were always at the top of my dream list. Sure, now I watch them play on TV every week (the Michigan win was the highlight of the 2016 season for me), but there’s nothing like watching a college football game being played on campus.
My other hobby is antique and vintage automobiles. Occasionally, I get to fly somewhere and drive one home. About 10 years ago I flew to Rochester, Minn., and drove a 1957 Mercury Monterey back to Alabama and stopped in Iowa City for a couple of hours. I took a “selfie” with the statue of Nile Kinnick. It was in late October and it was during the middle of the week, so there was no way to catch a game that day. I told myself if the opportunity ever arose again that I would make sure it worked out to see a game.
Fast forward to last month: I bought a 1969 AMC Rebel with a four-speed in Blaine, Minn., just north of Minneapolis. The first thing I did was to check the Iowa football schedule. Perfect! The Hawkeyes host the Wyoming Cowboys on Sept. 2. A plane ticket has been bought and my adventure begins Aug. 31 with the flight to the Twin Cities. That evening, I will watch the Minnesota Golden Gophers in their home opener against Buffalo.
From there, I am thinking about driving to Madison for the Badgers’ Friday night game against Utah State and then coming to Iowa City (driving through the night with a couple of hours of sleep in the car) for the 11 a.m. kickoff Saturday. No matter what, I will be in Iowa City Saturday morning, Sept. 2.
Part of my plan from 30-plus years ago was writing a book about my travels to college campuses across the country and watching football games with each of the teams’ biggest fans. It would be a way to see what traditions, rituals and experiences each fan base goes through each fall Saturday. I’ve done it at Auburn, and I’ve done it at Virginia Tech (I lived in Blacksburg, Va., for a while). I’ve been to games at stadiums across the country, including every SEC stadium except newcomer Missouri, but that was as a fan of the opposing team.
I never thought deeply about how I would locate the biggest fan because I never got that close to actually doing it. But in this age of immediate social media, I figure it’s just a matter of putting it out there and letting the forces go to work. So, here it is:
Do you think you are the biggest Iowa Hawkeye fan? Why do you think you are the biggest fan? Are you willing to let a fellow from the South tailgate with you before and after the game Sept. 2? Will you provide a ticket to the game and talk about your memories of great games from the past?
There are no guarantees I’ll ever finish the book, but Iowa is a great place to start it.
Like everyone else who was not in Legion Field that day, I had to rely on the radio broadcast or newspaper accounts the follow day to find out what happened. As anyone can tell you who grew up in that era normally only one football game was televised a weekend – in the entire country – and despite both Auburn and Alabama being ranked in the top 10 in 1972 that classic game was not televised.
There were regional telecasts some weeks, but mostly we would get games involving football powers of the day like Nebraska, Oklahoma, Notre Dame, and USC. But we never saw teams like Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Purdue or Iowa.
For a kid who could not get enough college football, and with only one game each Saturday on TV, it meant I was left with a little clock-radio in my room to keep up with Auburn or Alabama or any other team. Some nights we could get the Tulane game broadcast out of New Orleans when the atmospheric conditions were right.
But then I found radio station WHO at 1040 on the AM dial. The signal wouldn’t still be there in the morning when I woke up but it was almost always there on Saturday nights in the fall.
That’s how I was introduced to Iowa Hawkeye football. I can still hear Jim Zable’s voice describing the game. It was several years later before I learned that Iowa suffered through 19 consecutive losing seasons during part of the time I was listening. He made every play sound like it was a 30-yard run and every game sound like it was for the national championship.
I was confused at first because the game was being played so late in the evening, but then I learned that the game I was listening to was being re-broadcast from earlier in the day.
It’s hard to explain to kids today what it was like before the internet or even cable TV. I would sometimes fall asleep listening to Zable and wouldn’t know if the Hawkeyes won (the games would last to well after midnight). All I had to go on was the scores listed in the Sunday paper in small type that would say: Minnesota 12, Iowa 10. That’s it. No other details were available. There was no ESPN to turn to for highlights.
It wasn’t until later while in college at Auburn that I saw Iowa play live on TV. Of course that was after Hayden Fry arrived and turned the program around. It was great seeing the Hawkeyes with their yellow and black uniforms with that awesome logo on their helmets on TV and getting to see what Kinnick Stadium really looked like. The 1985 Michigan game is one I will always remember.
After college I had dreams of traveling the country watching college football games at all of the locations I never got to see on TV – like Washington State, Oregon State, Northwestern and Arizona – and writing a book about the places and the people. But life, marriage and five kids put that on hold.
The University of Iowa Hawkeyes were always at the top of my dream list. Sure, now I watch them play on TV every week (the Michigan win was the highlight of the 2016 season for me), but there’s nothing like watching a college football game being played on campus.
My other hobby is antique and vintage automobiles. Occasionally, I get to fly somewhere and drive one home. About 10 years ago I flew to Rochester, Minn., and drove a 1957 Mercury Monterey back to Alabama and stopped in Iowa City for a couple of hours. I took a “selfie” with the statue of Nile Kinnick. It was in late October and it was during the middle of the week, so there was no way to catch a game that day. I told myself if the opportunity ever arose again that I would make sure it worked out to see a game.
Fast forward to last month: I bought a 1969 AMC Rebel with a four-speed in Blaine, Minn., just north of Minneapolis. The first thing I did was to check the Iowa football schedule. Perfect! The Hawkeyes host the Wyoming Cowboys on Sept. 2. A plane ticket has been bought and my adventure begins Aug. 31 with the flight to the Twin Cities. That evening, I will watch the Minnesota Golden Gophers in their home opener against Buffalo.
From there, I am thinking about driving to Madison for the Badgers’ Friday night game against Utah State and then coming to Iowa City (driving through the night with a couple of hours of sleep in the car) for the 11 a.m. kickoff Saturday. No matter what, I will be in Iowa City Saturday morning, Sept. 2.
Part of my plan from 30-plus years ago was writing a book about my travels to college campuses across the country and watching football games with each of the teams’ biggest fans. It would be a way to see what traditions, rituals and experiences each fan base goes through each fall Saturday. I’ve done it at Auburn, and I’ve done it at Virginia Tech (I lived in Blacksburg, Va., for a while). I’ve been to games at stadiums across the country, including every SEC stadium except newcomer Missouri, but that was as a fan of the opposing team.
I never thought deeply about how I would locate the biggest fan because I never got that close to actually doing it. But in this age of immediate social media, I figure it’s just a matter of putting it out there and letting the forces go to work. So, here it is:
Do you think you are the biggest Iowa Hawkeye fan? Why do you think you are the biggest fan? Are you willing to let a fellow from the South tailgate with you before and after the game Sept. 2? Will you provide a ticket to the game and talk about your memories of great games from the past?
There are no guarantees I’ll ever finish the book, but Iowa is a great place to start it.
