Lit. Reflection

Excitement. Pride. Tradition. Glory. These are only a few of the many emotions that Kinnick Stadium evokes from its fans. Kinnick Stadium, home of our Hawkeyes, has an indescribable ambience when you enter the stadium. Growing up as a son of two Iowa Alumni, Kinnick Stadium is more than just a stadium to me. When I experienced my first home game at historic Kinnick Stadium my freshman year in high-school, the unique aura of college football hadn’t affected me yet. As I began going to more and more games with my parents, I quickly realized the emotions my parents felt, as well as the students. I began feeling a variety of emotions my first few years attending Hawkeye games, many of which I couldn’t describe. All I knew was I would get extremely anxious and defensive, knowing my team was protecting their battlefield. Nowadays, when the Hawkeyes rush the field, I still get tingles up my spine as I hear thousands of dedicated Hawkeye fans roar throughout the rafters. Inside the monstrous walls of Kinnick Stadium lies intense tradition, as well as an almost indescribable atmosphere because of the emotions makes you feel.

Kinnick Stadium, formerly known as Iowa Stadium, was originally constructed to be the first football stadium for the University of Iowa. Nile Kinnick, Iowa’s most talented football player in University history, won the most prestigious college football award there is, the Heisman Trophy. He later died in 1941; and in result, the University of Iowa renamed Iowa Stadium to Kinnick Stadium to forever revere the fallen football hero. After the Kinnick era, Iowa’s football team began going downhill, until the dedicated coach, Hayden Fry, began coaching the Hawkeyes. During the Hayden Fry era, the audience was mainly students, but as the Hawkeyes won more and more games, alumni began taking pride in their Hawkeye heritage and attending football games as well.

Attending Kinnick Stadium on Saturdays almost begins turning into a religious experience for many devout football fans. Almost all Iowa students have season’s football tickets, and are pumped for Saturdays we have home games. Recently Kinnick Stadium has been renovated. These renovations further help promote the atmosphere of tradition and glory. By adding these new renovations, such as more seating and a larger scoreboard, students are able to interact with the stadium more and experience all it has to offer easier. Kinnick Stadium has sectioned seating according to which type of fan is attending the game. Students are given their own section to shake behind one of the goal posts, as well as the 0-30 yard line. I believe that they designed the student section this way so that as the football players rushed the field, they would hear the sheer vibration of the students cheers throughout the concrete tunnel. The away team has a small separate section opposite the student section, so that an aerial view could show the distinction between the home and away fans.

Standing in the bleachers with my fellow students, cheering on the greatest football team in the country, brings a sense of unity to Kinnick Stadium. I believe that fans who have in-door club seats, can’t fully experience the genuine emotions Kinnick has to offer. Many fans who have club seats will never feel the cool breeze of the autumn winds swiftly hitting their faces. They also miss out on the cheers that Hawkeye fans chant after touchdowns, as well as the vibrations of the stands after touchdowns. I believe it is these feelings that defines what college football is, and has become over the years.

Before Kinnick Stadium’s renovation, it was slowly becoming outdated. After it’s renovation, more students have been able to attend the games and be a part of Hawkeye tradition. Right after Kinnick Stadium had been renovated, they constructed a statue of Nile Kinnick in order to always remember the glory and strength he brought to the university. I believe the statue also represents a new beginning to many Hawkeye fans, since the stadium is now more modern and shows how much the stadium has grown since Nile Kinnick’s death. I believe that as long as the Nile Kinnick statue stands, the Hawkeyes will forever have something to look for in their roots to show who they are, and who they have become.