We defeated Oregon State that day, 28-8. Here are some memories:
1. I was 7 years old and went with my Dad and his fraternity buddy. Just the three of us, which was cool. In those days, the first game of a nine game season often was the last Saturday in September.
2. My Dad pretty much told me to behave well, no whining or asking for "stuff" and I better be good or it would be my last Iowa game. He also said no questions, just enjoy the game. I knew how the scoring went and I understood what a first down was, so I did not plan to ask him any questions.
3. I was so dang excited I could hardly stand it.
4. Jerry Burns was the coach and Iowa was supposed to be good that year, at least according to my Dad.
5. We traveled down a 2 lane highway (Highway 6) from Des Moines.
6. There was a lot of laughing and giggling in the front seat. My Dad and his friend had a silver flask and were pouring its contents into cups with coke in the cup. The more they drank, the happier they got. My Dad soon forgot about me pretty much, which was great. They both wore black Iowa flat billed caps with a yellow I (for Iowa) on them. He told me that they were "I Club" caps. I wanted one but never got one.
7. We stopped at a little diner on the way and I got a roast beef sandwich with brown gravy and mashed potatoes. He told me to eat it all because it was going to be a long day. He didn't need to ask twice. It was delicious.
8. We parked West of the Stadium (I didn't figure that out until many years later) and joined a large gathering of people. Everyone was drinking, smoking and eating. The men and women were dressed up. Many of the men wore coats and ties, and the women were wearing dresses and heels. It was quite a party. Everyone was having fun. A lot of fun.
9. On the way to the stadium, we passed a guy selling beautiful felt pennants and buttons. The Iowa pennants were spectacular. I asked my Dad if I could have one. At that point, he was in a pretty happy place and he said sure. He even let me get two, so we bought Iowa and Ohio State because of their red and grey colors. I had no idea who Ohio State was but I loved their colors. I had those pennants all the way through college, and displayed them in my room at college. Dad bought at least 50 pennants for me over the years, all different teams. I think they were $2.00 apiece.
10. We finally arrived at the stadium. Waiting in the tunnel, the anticipation was overwhelming. I had never seen a college football field before, or a large stadium. As we reached the top of the tunnel, I finally saw the field. Beautiful, bright green grass (alternating dark and light green) with wooden goal posts, colored black and yellow (to me; my Dad said it was "gold"). The end zones had painted patterns in them. The north end zone to my right was full of pine trees, and there was a small, simple scoreboard at the top of the bleachers.
11. It was a big crowd, and the stadium seemed packed. I remember the sweet smell of cigar and cigarette smoke everywhere. and Popcorn smells. It was electrifying.
12. Iowa came out of the tunnel in their black and yellow (gold) uniforms and there was a huge roar. It surprised me. The noise was amazingly loud. I really believed I was about to see something very important. My Dad and his buddy were nervous about the game. Dad told me to root for Iowa. He didn't need to ask. He also said we had the best uniforms in college football. Silently I tried to envision what Ohio State's red and grey would look like in comparison, but I didn't say anything in response. I had to admit that the Iowa uniforms were pretty colorful.
13. In those days, there was no piped in music, no ads and no fancy scoreboards. The marching band was good and displayed interesting patterns, especially at half time. During the national anthem, everyone stood quietly and had their hand over their heart. My Dad and his buddy took their caps off and sang the anthem. He told me to stand straight and be proud of my country and made a comment that a lot of young men had died in previous wars to give us the opportunity to go to football games in such a wonderful place. That comment stuck with me. Dad's brother had fought in World War II as a bomber pilot and I was just starting to appreciate what the anthem really meant to the people in the stands.
14. Iowa dominated the game and I really enjoyed it. At the first Iowa touchdown, huge streamers and confetti were thrown into the air from the other side of the stadium. A lot of streamers and confetti! It was really quite beautiful and a little bit funny. I'll never forget it.
15. The game went by very quickly. No TV! The final gun sounded at about 3:05. The kickoff was at 1 pm. We were home by 6 pm.
16. As we walked out, Dad told me I behaved pretty well (I was thrilled to hear that) and asked me if I enjoyed the game. I was clutching my pennants and I asked him if I could go again sometime. He said we would. That was the beginning of 40 years of going to Iowa home games together. It became a cherished thing for me....to be with my Dad when he was happiest and at his best. God, did he love Iowa football and college football in general. I saw some legendary coaches in that stadium: Ara Parsegian, Woody Hayes, John McKay (USC) and Bo Schembechler to name a few.
17. We suffered through a lot of bad football for the next 17 seasons, but then gloriously enjoyed the Hayden Fry era. together. My younger brother started going as well, and he became a huge fan as well. We were the three musketeers at the games, without a care in the world. I can honestly say that the games during my youth were the best. Winning was secondary.
Apologize for the long post, but I wanted to present it based on my perspective as a child. What are your memories of your first Iowa game in Kinnick?
