How did you become an Iowa fan?

We lived in a small farming community of 450 people in eastern Iowa and when when I was 8 and 9 in the late 1950s I used to listen to Iowa bb on the radio with my uncle in the kitchen of his tavern. My family didn't care sqat about Iowa sports but I fell in love with the Hawks listening to them on the radio. If I couldn't go to the tavern, I would find a quiet place in our house where I could get reception and put the transistor radio to my ear and listen to games through all the static. Saturdays, I would listen to football games by myself while I worked on the farm. I didn't get to go to my first BB game until I got my driver's license and my cousin and I took my folks car (unbenownst to them) and headed to Iowa City to attend a game. We just trusted that we could get tickets and we did. We continued to go to IC every chance we had all through high school. What is really interesting is that our folks never found out...and in those little communities it was almost impossible to keep anything hidden. If we couldn't go to games, we would find a hill somewhere with friends and listen to games on the radio so the reception would be better and drink beer and listen to the Hawks. Doesn't get any better than that or I can't imagine how....
 
I started watching Iowa basketball in the late 70's. Growing up in northern Iowa, at first it ****** me off that Iowa took over prime-time television (we only had three stations to watch!). I became a casual fan at first then as Iowa became better, the more interest I had.

I didn't go to my first Iowa football game, it was a Wisconsin game in I think 1984 and I was instantly hooked. I hadn't ever been to a "big-time" college football game until then. In the mid-70's my older sister's boyfriend (later her husband) played football at Iowa State and my sister was a cheer-leader, so I had been to several of those games, but they weren't even close to the same. My brother-in-law is now an Iowa fan!

I ended up going to school somewhere else, fors everal reasons, but I always have been a fan of the Hawks.

I became a huge fan in the early 90's and started taking my son to games soon after he was born in 1993. My family and I have been season-ticket holders and been to every bowl game since 1999 (my son is 16 and my daughter is 13 and they've been to eight bowl games - the spoiled brats!!).

There is absolutely, without question, no other place in the entire world I'd rather be on fall afternoon than Kinnick Stadium. I hate Iowa winters with a passion, and I've had numerous opportunities to leave, but Iowa football is the biggest reason why I've not left. At some point in my life, I know I'll live somewhere else, but I'll always be a Hawkeye and I'll always be Hawk fan.
 
November 11th, 2000. My first game in Kinnick, Iowa vs Northwestern 27-17 W on a cold November Day with my Dad, Never turned back since.
 
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There were no Hawkeye fans in my family, or sports fans in general. My parents say about 1981 or 82 I started listening to men's bball and football on the radio. I must have picked up the fact they were winning on the news. Lute had just taken the men to the final 4 and Hayden was turning around the football program. They say I was hooked right away. The first thing I bought with my own earned money was a Hawkeye jacket in 1983 when I was in 8th grade. My parents also say I RARELY missed a bball or football game. I hugged and kissed my snoopy radio many, many times!!!!!!!! Holy crap, just realized I have been a Hawkeye fan for about 27 yrs.
 
I was abandoned as a baby and raised by a family of little people who lived under the stands of the Field House. We lived on a steady diet of popcorn and soda. Other than having a strange penchant for looking up skirts, I am doing OK.

Or, it might have been attending the U of I in the 1960's.
 
"This is the Iowa Football Hawkeyes radio network" in the 1950s -- listening to radio broadcasts in Sioux City to the likes of Kenny Ploen and Bill Happel and Randy Duncan and the Jeters and Willie Fleming and Jim Gibbons and Alex Karras, inter alia, and the Sunday night TV interview show every football weekend with Evasheski.
 
grew up in a wrestling family and my aunt went to iowa. i'm wearing iowa stuff in a lot of my elementary pics. not really an option to root for anyone else.
 
Listening to Iowa football in the mid 70's. I know we weren't very good, but I loved the radio broadcasts.
 
Went to school there 84-87....used my student loan money to make sure I had student tickets. I loved football.

What about you Bathia....how did you become an Iowa Fan...I don't think you said on your OP???
 
I am a hawk pretty much because everyone in my family going back 37 generations went to school there.
 
Born and bred Hawkeye. My mom was born in Iowa City and my grandmother still lives there. Both parents wnet to U of I. All my aunts and uncles, most cousins, and my sister went to Iowa. I graduated from Iowa in 2006, but the culmintion of my fanaticism was being Herky from 2003-2004. Yeah...I'm a fan.
 
CFHawk said:
Listening to Iowa football in the mid 70's. I know we weren't very good, but I loved the radio broadcasts.
Click to expand...

This and going to the games (even when the teams were bad the stadium was filled) and seeing all those people. Made a pretty big impression to a 10-12 year old kid.
 
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I don't know. I was born here and I remember listenting to the Iowa games with my Dad. That was in the early 50's and we didn't have TV yet. But, he was a Hawkeye fan, and thats how I became one.
 
I grew up in Northwest IA. My Mom's side is from the CR and IC area and I was brought up a Hawk. Growing up in the 80's I can remember watching more Basketball games than Football but I remember my first game in Kinnick. Iowa Vs. Miami 1992. First night game in Kinnick Statium. I was 11 and after that night even though we lost I was hooked. My Aunt went to school at Iowa in the 50's and then worked at the Hospital until retirement. She has been a season ticket holder since college so her seats are awesome. That night I told my brother that when I grew up I was going to Iowa and getting season tickets. Well I needed to take a detour to Kirkwood first but I have been a season ticket holder since KF's first year 1999. I have enjoyed every minute of it. Go Hawks!!
 
I remember growing up in Waterloo and spending Fall Saturdays watching televised baseball with my dad with the sound off, and listening to the Hawks game on the radio. He had the Rose Bowl team pictures (that were on the cover of the DM Register Sunday magazine section) framed over his workbench in the basement. As a kid there was an annual family outing to a football game. I always got to go to the bookstore first to buy a sweatshirt and I loved the excitement of the crowd, the team, Herky, the band, the Highlanders (yep, I'm that old!) It was all so "big time"! There is absolutely no place better to be than IC on the Saturday of a home game!

I attended UNI and tried to love the Panthers, but my heart belonged to Herky. I transferred after a year and got my degree there in 1970.
 
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