9-year-old Maddox Smith was the Hawkeye Kid Captain for this past Saturday's Homecoming game, and he didn't let a little rain spoil his fun!

The Hawkeyes defeated Illinois on Saturday afternoon, and they did it with the support of Kid Captain Maddox Smith! Maddox is a 9-year-old kid from Coralville, Iowa, and his health struggles began when he was 5-years-old. After noticing birthmark-like spots all over Maddox's body, his parents took him to the doctor and found out that he has a rare genetic disorder called Neurofibromatosis. NF causes causes tumors to grow on nerve cells and impacts each patient differently. When Maddox was 8, he began to have very severe headaches, which doctors discovered was caused by a life-threatening brain tumor the size of a golf ball. The brain tumor (or cavernova) was not related to the NF. Maddox's tumor had to be removed, so he underwent surgery. He's been doing great ever since!

Maddox can no longer play football, which is his favorite sport, but he is the assistant coach for his brother's team. That made him the PERFECT candidate for a Kid Captain! Here are some photos of Maddox from Saturday's game:

To read more on Maddox's story, click HERE.

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