The Day Hawkeye Football Stole My Heart Forever

Many years ago, a good friend offered me a ticket to an Iowa football game. It was the year everything changed for Hawkeye football and it was a day I'll never forget.

It was September 26, 1981. Iowa had opened the home season two weeks earlier with a 10-7 victory at Kinnick Stadium over #7 Nebraska, a team that had beaten them 57-0 the year before. The following week, the Hawks lost in Ames tempering excitement. Another losing season was on the way, right? After all, UCLA was ranked #6 in the nation and despite their opening-week win over Nebraska, the Hawkeyes had been outscored by ranked opponents 156-20 the year before. Lucky for me, no one believed in the Hawks. If they had my friend, Tim Lane, probably wouldn't have had an extra ticket to offer me. I'm sure glad he did.

I have memories of listening to Iowa on the radio with my dad when I was young, but we seemingly always lost. Iowa suffered through 20 losing seasons from 1961 thru 1980 and I was born just before the ninth season in that string kicked off.

Iowa defeated the Bruins on that warm, late September day in the fall of 1981 by a score of 20-7. My first ever trip to Kinnick was a resounding success. UCLA had 35 yards rushing and turned the ball over five times. WHAT was happening?! What was happening was the start of the first winning season for Iowa football in the first 12 years of my life and the first in two decades for the program.

My dad and I were able to attend our first game together later in the season. It was a very different day on two fronts. It was windy and cold and disappointing. Number six Iowa lost to Minnesota that day 12-10.

The season was an awesome one overall. Iowa beat #5 Michigan later in the season and their only loss to a ranked opponent all season was to #12 Washington in the Rose Bowl.

The following season I got bit hard by a love of baseball. It would be several years before I'd make it to St. Louis for a Cardinals game, but I know that late September day in Iowa City had a lot to do with it. That and a Hall of Fame baseball announcer named Jack Buck.