Memories from My First Iowa Game: September 29, 1962

[ChosenChildren]

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?

 

[okeefe4prez]

On the way to the stadium, we passed a guy selling beautiful felt pennants and buttons.

Was it Game Day Ron?

 

[ChosenChildren]

Was it Game Day Ron?

You know, it very well could have been Game Day Ron. He was very friendly.

 

[chucktownhawk]

Anybody else in the Boy Scouts? I had two great experiences holding the ropes about 2-3 minutes left in the game to hold back the crowd. A bunch of wimpy Boy Scouts? Come on, but being on the field when Iowa got spanked by Penn State and Ohio State (like the Archie Griffin days) was good enough for me. Great time

 

[westender]

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?

Good story.

 

[koralakers]

Thx for sharing that. Very cool. My first game was as a student in 1987. We beat KST pretty handily. I remember I was as interested in the co-eds as I was the game. And cheering ppl on who snuck bodas into the stadium. And I recall a guy was in the front row wearing a trench coat, and he would turn around and 'flash' the crowd with a fake 'dong' he had strapped around his waist. The section would cheer him each time, until, finally, security escorted him out.

 

[Ree4]

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?

Jesus I'm 38 and can't remember what I did yesterday. Impressive. Thanks for sharing, it was a very touching post.

I think my first game was a spring game, though I was very young and dont remember much. My dad is a huge Hawkeye fan, and even though we lived in Iowa City, we rarely went to games. What I remember from my childhood is watching the countless VHS tapes of the great games of the 80s over and over. Listening to the games on the radio and watching the occasional televised one together. Getting done with Saturday soccer games and racing home to catch the game. Great memories.

 

[uihawk82]

We defeated Oregon State that day, 28-8. Here are some memories:

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?

No apology necessary as it is the readers decision to read it which I did. Very enjoyable for you to remember and share.

I was 6 or 7 in about 1957 or 58 when my mom and dad took me and my brother to our first game. I remember we played jNW so that would have been 1958. I did not know the game hardly at all except for backyard football and I knew there was running, passing, tackling. We drove up from Des Moines so good to know you are another Des Moinesian. My dad took me to a close circuit TV game at the old KRNT theatre a year before so I had seen the hawks before but it was beautiful in that stadium and the whole trip. I remember my mom had made lots of fried chicken, etc for tailgaiting.

My dad was generally busy working on Saturdays but he would take me my brother and friends a 5-6 more times during the 60s. And later I returned the favor when I had season tickets and took him to a lot of games over the years which was fun to talk on the drive, watch the game, and then talk about the game on the drive home.

My son started going to games with me about 1991 and we went to about every home game until he graduated from high school about 2003. But he attended Iowa so I still saw games with him. My daughter went to a few but was not that interested in football but had fun in general.

Are you still a Des Moinesian?

 

[1hawkeye1]

tl;dr

 

[EstronHawkKing]

When I was very young (I don't recall what year or even game it was, but it was in the 70's.) My dad took me to Hawk football game and we sat way up on the top side of the east side in the stadium. I recall the stadium had a lot of empty seats. I remember the Iowa players had yellow helmets, black jerseys with yellow numbers and black pants on. My mom made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and I carried it into Kinnick in a brown paper bag. I also remember being more interested in my sandwich and what else my mom put in the bag for me to eat than actually watching the football game itself. At that age, I didn't even really know much of anything about football.

 

[HuckFinn]

When I was very young (I don't recall what year or even game it was, but it was in the 70's.) My dad took me to Hawk football game and we sat way up on the top side of the east side in the stadium. I recall the stadium had a lot of empty seats. I remember the Iowa players had yellow helmets, black jerseys with yellow numbers and black pants on. My mom made me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and I carried it into Kinnick in a brown paper bag. I also remember being more interested in my sandwich and what else my mom put in the bag for me to eat than actually watching the football game itself. At that age, I didn't even really know much of anything about football.

Some things never change, Estron! Sorry, but that set up could not be ignored!

 

[HuckFinn]

Great read, Chosen! Thank you.

 

[SouthSideHawk]

Mine was in 1963 or 64. I still have the program somwhere. Bob Griese and Purdue blanked us. I had been married for almost a year at the time. I went when I could afford to. I finally got flush enough to get tickets from 1971 through 1978. Some good games but mostly Iowa getting pounded. Then I left the state. Went to the Woodlands, Texas and then to the Twin Cities. Didn't return until 1985. I bought tickets from an employee of the company I worked for so I got to see all the games. Sat on the first row on the east side right next to where the Hawks entered the field. I went to games from then through 3 years ago. I just got too damn old to climb stairs. All in all it's been an enjoyable experience.

 

[EstronHawkKing]

The year I really got hooked on Iowa football was the 1981 season, winning the Big 10 and going to the Rose Bowl. My parents had season tickets, but my mom and dad went to all games. Back then the security around Kinnick was a joke. Me and my buddy (who actually ended playing football for Iowa & Hayden Fry) but, we sneaked into the Nebraska, UCLA, Indiana and Purdue games that year. Once we got inside we just sat in one of the grass sections in the corners of the stadium.

I also got to go to the 82 Rose Bowl which was a great experience even though we lost to Washington. The flight to Pasadena was all Iowa fans and they had they had an open bar on the flight, all the adults were drunk off their asses. I remember seeing Las Vegas out the window of the plane and was awed by the lights. When we landed at the airport in LA, all the drunks Iowa fans were so loud and obnoxious in the airport out there. I remember one guy put on a rainbow colored clown wig and was screaming the Iowa fight song. I also remember all the Iowa fans at Disneyland. The early morning of the Rose Bowl parade, it was really cold and raining, but it cleared at the start of the parade. I also remember seeing Hollywood actor Ricardo Montalban who was on Fantasy Island and was Kahn in Start Trek II in the parade. My dad bought me on of those Iowa #1 big foam fingers that had the Rose Bowl logo on it and it was yellow (I still have it to this day) The guy who sat behind me inside the Rose Bowl got mad because he said it was blocking his view of the game. I still can remember watching that game and seeing Hayden Fry on the sideline, we had 50 yrd line seats. I was also in awe with how big that stadium is and the mountains next to it, it was beautiful. I can still see Huskie tailback Jacque Robinson as he ran all over our defense that day and I clearly remember how bad Iowa's offense was, I was so frustrated that they couldn't get anything going. I can still see Gordy Bohannon as our QB out there in my memories of that game.

After we lost our group went to a local restaurant in Pasadena for dinner. As we approached the front door there was a woman wearing a old gold Huskie windbreaker and she had this huge button on it with a big "W" for Washington as the logo. When she saw us in our Hawk gear she looked straight ahead (not even looking at us) and she began singing the Washington fight song as loud as she could while pumping her fist in the air. I wanted to punch her in the face.

 

[Fryowa]

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?

I enjoyed reading that.

I hope my son remembers his first game that fondly.

His was Maryland 2015, I bought 2nd row seats behind the home bench, north 35 yard line and the people in front of us didn't show up. He was 9 years old, got his picture taken with CJB between drives (the game was in the bag at that point), and Tevaun smith came over and gave him a high five and took a picture with him. My kid was over the moon because he'd been watching all these guys on TV since they started. Desmond King's pick six went flying right by us.

First Hawk Walk, got a Kittle high five, first Back in Black swarm, and most important of all, his first meat on a stick. As a 9 year old, when your favorite team in the world pulls up in a big ass motorcade of cop cars with lights and sirens, watching the dash cam view with AC/DC blaring, it's a big fuckin deal.

He'd never been to anything remotely like a major college football game and I'll never forget the look on his face when he walked up the stairs from the train and saw Kinnick for the first time. I think he kind of got a little vertigo when he walked up by the corner gates where you can see inside. All he kept saying was, "This place is so huge. It's so much bigger than it looks on TV."

I remember the first time I went and how blown away I was by the magnitude, and I hope he takes his kid some day and appreciates like I do.

 

[SteveGarvey1]

My first game was during the Bob Commings era, in the 70's. It was a beat down and lost to Illinois, like 38-6 or something. Fans cheered if Iowa actually got a first down. Iowa football sucked then and you knew they were probably going to lose every game. Couldn't imagine going back to that kind of thinking.

But it was still at Kinnick and well worth the trip.

 

[Northside Hawk]

I enjoyed reading that.

I hope my son remembers his first game that fondly.

His was Maryland 2015, I bought 2nd row seats behind the home bench, north 35 yard line and the people in front of us didn't show up. He was 9 years old, got his picture taken with CJB between drives (the game was in the bag at that point), and Tevaun smith came over and gave him a high five and took a picture with him. My kid was over the moon because he'd been watching all these guys on TV since they started. Desmond King's pick six went flying right by us.

First Hawk Walk, got a Kittle high five, first Back in Black swarm, and most important of all, his first meat on a stick. As a 9 year old, when your favorite team in the world pulls up in a big ass motorcade of cop cars with lights and sirens, watching the dash cam view with AC/DC blaring, it's a big fuckin deal.

He'd never been to anything remotely like a major college football game and I'll never forget the look on his face when he walked up the stairs from the train and saw Kinnick for the first time. I think he kind of got a little vertigo when he walked up by the corner gates where you can see inside. All he kept saying was, "This place is so huge. It's so much bigger than it looks on TV."

I remember the first time I went and how blown away I was by the magnitude, and I hope he takes his kid some day and appreciates like I do.

I sat down that close once. 1988 vs Ohio State. Ther were some things you couldn't see as well as you would have farther up, but there were other things you couldn't possibly have noticed unless you were right behind the bench.

First off, you could hear player chatter. When the defense came off the field they would tell quarterback Chuck Hartlieb that "you gotta get them going, Chas." Deven Harberts got laid out going over the middle. You could hear him tell the trainers repeatedly that he was OK.

You could see the frustration with the players. Offensive lineman Greg Aegerter whipped his helmet at the bench affer one series, blood trickling down his nose. When Jeff Skillett missed a field goal one assistant cosch screamed "that was good by three feet." When Skillett was sent in to tie the game with a late field goal, defensive back Greg Brown simply said "F" (Iowa would have three ties that year including this game)

It was the last game on the old Astro turf and fans were allowed on the field after the game. It was the last time I was actually on the kinnick playing surface.

 

[ChosenChildren]

No apology necessary as it is the readers decision to read it which I did. Very enjoyable for you to remember and share.

I was 6 or 7 in about 1957 or 58 when my mom and dad took me and my brother to our first game. I remember we played jNW so that would have been 1958. I did not know the game hardly at all except for backyard football and I knew there was running, passing, tackling. We drove up from Des Moines so good to know you are another Des Moinesian. My dad took me to a close circuit TV game at the old KRNT theatre a year before so I had seen the hawks before but it was beautiful in that stadium and the whole trip. I remember my mom had made lots of fried chicken, etc for tailgaiting.

My dad was generally busy working on Saturdays but he would take me my brother and friends a 5-6 more times during the 60s. And later I returned the favor when I had season tickets and took him to a lot of games over the years which was fun to talk on the drive, watch the game, and then talk about the game on the drive home.

My son started going to games with me about 1991 and we went to about every home game until he graduated from high school about 2003. But he attended Iowa so I still saw games with him. My daughter went to a few but was not that interested in football but had fun in general.

Are you still a Des Moinesian?

Yes, still in DM and still going to most of the home games. It never gets old. Still going with my brother and my son joins us for 1 or 2 per year. So grateful to Ferentz for sustaining good football at Iowa, making most of the games very interesting and exciting.

I think the one thing I would add is that watching the games on TV, although very enjoyable with high definition, replays, etc. etc., simply is not the same as being in the stadium. Kinnick is one of the great venues in college football, not to mention the tailgating and the beautiful Iowa campus.

 

[uihawk82]

Yes, still in DM and still going to most of the home games. It never gets old. Still going with my brother and my son joins us for 1 or 2 per year. So grateful to Ferentz for sustaining good football at Iowa, making most of the games very interesting and exciting.

I think the one thing I would add is that watching the games on TV, although very enjoyable with high definition, replays, etc. etc., simply is not the same as being in the stadium. Kinnick is one of the great venues in college football, not to mention the tailgating and the beautiful Iowa campus.

So true. Last season was my first without season tickets since 1973 but I wasnt worried about it as I have been missing the first couple of games the last few season since our granddaughter was born on Sept 7. We travel to Seattle area to see her on her bday. But I went to one game with a friend last year and 2 with my son and his two boys. Plus I got tired of some of the really cold late season games.

Enjoy.

 

[ClintonIAfan]

That's a great experience. Iowa beat both Ohio Sate and Michigan that year.