Tag: UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital

Iowa Hawkeyes’ Sam LaPorta donating “Tight End University” proceeds to UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital

Hawkeyes tight end Sam LaPorta releasing “Tight End University” apparel with 100% of proceeds going to the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

We all know how good of a talent that Iowa Hawkeyes‘ tight end Sam LaPorta is on the field. There is no question about that. What might be even more impressive is the human being that he is when he steps off of the gridiron.

The senior tight end has just announced that line of “Tight End University” apparel will be releasing today, August 19. The apparel is a nod to the tight ends that have paved the way at Iowa and allowed LaPorta to continue the tradition.

What is even cooler is that LaPorta is donating 100% of the proceeds to the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital. He tweeted out the apparel via his personal feed and is going to provide the link to purchase apparel there as well. Hawkeyes fans should absolutely check it out below:

The gear includes the names of former Iowa Hawkeyes tight ends George Kittle, Tony Moeaki, Noah Fant, T.J. Hockenson, Dallas Clark, Johnathan Hayes, Marv Cook, Brandon Myers, and LaPorta himself. This is a representation of the constant success that the Hawkeyes have had in churning out extremely high quality tight ends.

Sam LaPorta realistically could have left for the NFL draft last offseason and he would have undoubtedly been drafted and preparing for his first NFL season. But he didn’t do that. He chose to come back to Iowa City and finish his career out with the Hawkeyes. Not only does LaPorta want to finish out the right way on the field, he is showing the world the right way to be a human off of it.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Riley on Twitter: @rileydonald7

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Hawkeye Wave song to be chosen by Kid Captain each week

After asking Iowa fans what the new Hawkeye Wave song should be, the perfect choice was made. It’s now the Kid Captain’s choice each week.

The Hawkeye Wave has grown into the best tradition in all of college football. This offseason, Iowa reached out to the fans to vote on what song should be played moving forward. The resounding decision: have the kids within the hospital decide.

After all, this is about them. The wave is to show their fight, show the support the entire world has for them, and give them those special moments. That is exactly what is happening. The kids will choose the song played during the Hawkeye Wave each home game.

“The interest and passion for the Hawkeye Wave cannot be overstated, and the selflessness of the Hawkeye community proved once again why the Wave is the greatest tradition in college sports,” said Peter Matthes, vice president for external relations and senior advisor to the president. “The response for a new song was incredible, and one suggestion we continued to hear was, ‘Let the kids decide.’ So that is exactly what we will do.

“We felt after five years it was time for the fans to choose the song for the Hawkeye Wave, and the fans suggested we extend that honor to the children. The children are the true heroes, so the choice is theirs. That is something we can all agree on, and I cannot thank our fans enough for their input, engagement, and generosity.”

The Hawkeye Wave has been in existence for the last five seasons and every week it sees every fan in Kinnick, every Hawkeye player and coach, and every opposing player and coach turn to face the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital in a sign of unity to support those kids.

Every Hawkeyes home game there is a Kid Captain that is involved with the coin flip, meeting the team, and enjoying an unforgettable day. To top it off, the Kid Captain will now be selecting what special song they want to play during the Hawkeye Wave in between the first and second quarters.

An already extraordinarily special tradition just received another layer of meaning.

[listicle id=5104]

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Riley on Twitter: @rileydonald7

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Why Kinnick Stadium is a top home field advantage in the Big Ten, nationally

Let’s take a look at what makes Kinnick Stadium special and one of the top home field advantages in the country.

Kinnick Stadium.  The home of the Iowa Hawkeyes. One of the hardest places in college football to play. Not my words. It has been said by others.

Penn State defensive lineman Shaka Toney echoed those sentiments back in 2019.

“That noise and that environment, that’s probably the toughest place to play on the road. You can feel the intensity in the air. I think Iowa is probably one of the toughest stadiums to play at in America. It is always going to be a challenge for anybody who goes in there. You know the history of them beating top teams there,” Toney said.

Iowa is not afraid of anyone stepping onto the turf at Kinnick Stadium. That can be said because it isn’t coming from them. Once it comes from another source, that proves the sentiment true.

That holds true based on statistics and evidence. Over the last five seasons, the Iowa Hawkeyes pride themselves on a 25-7 record on their home field. That comes out to a 0.781 winning percentage. Winning nearly 80% of home kickoffs is the definition of home-field advantage.

The year-over-year records for the last five seasons are:

  • 2021: 6-1
  • 2020: 3-1 (Pandemic shortened season)
  • 2019: 6-1
  • 2018: 5-2
  • 2017: 5-2

For those who are more invested in what has happened lately, if shrunk down to the last three seasons, the record moves to 15-3 and balloons to an 0.833 winning percentage.

The Hawkeyes have also taken down four top-20 opponents during this five-year run of domination in Kinnick Stadium. The wins have been rather convincing as well, further proving that they can play with anyone when they have to come to Iowa.

Starting in 2017, the nation saw a 55-24 Iowa rout over No. 6 Ohio State. The Hawkeyes began the day with a pick-six on the first play of the game and never looked back on their way to a resounding win.

In 2019, Iowa welcomed in undefeated Minnesota for a night kickoff at Kinnick that featured alternate blackout uniforms and encouraged fans to do the same in black Hawkeye gear.

The Golden Gophers were ranked No. 9 in the country. Iowa came out of the gates and rapidly scored on their first three drives. This propelled them to a lead that was enough to hold off Minnesota’s attempt at a comeback.

Iowa was able to not just put water in the boat, but take away P.J. Fleck’s oars and stop the Minnesota boat from any more rowing in 2019 with a 23-19 victory followed by a field storming.

The 2021 season saw two additional ranked foes fall at the hands of Iowa. The season started with an absolute dismantling of No. 17 Indiana. This game saw two pick-sixes by Riley Moss as Iowa discarded of the Hoosiers in a dominant 34-6 win.

The most memorable game of the 2021 season was Iowa welcoming in No. 4 Penn State. If there was ever a moment to describe the Kinnick Stadium crowd, it can be summed up by causing three consecutive false start penalties by the Nittany Lions. The crowd was deafening to the point Penn State couldn’t get the ball snapped.

This performance by Iowa that took guts to come back from a first-half deficit drew praise from national media. It put Kinnick on the map nationally and is giving Iowa the applause it deserves. Kirk Herbstreit from ESPN’s College Gameday spoke about the environment being one of the hardest to play in and how it changed the outcome of the game.

Iowa will welcome seven opponents to Kinnick Stadium this fall and should get another chance at one or two ranked opponents with Michigan and Wisconsin coming to town. Kinnick Stadium is loud. It is intimidating. It is where teams better be ready for a 12-round fist fight.

[listicle id=4702]

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Riley on Twitter: @rileydonald7

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

Former Iowa Hawkeye Dalles Jacobus releases touching song ‘We Wave’

Former Iowa Hawkeyes offensive lineman Dalles Jacobus has released his song “We Wave” in an extremely special and touching tribute.

As I write this I am not sure if words can do justice to how special this song is. But it needs to be talked about and it needs to be mentioned for so many reasons that are bigger than football.

Former Iowa Hawkeye Dalles Jacobus has officially released “We Wave” on all streaming platforms, including Spotify. The words and what they mean to so many is touching, powerful, and many more adjectives.

The Hawkeye Wave has quickly become the best tradition in college sports and arguably all of sports. Every single home game, 70,000 strong turn to the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital and the world stops for a few minutes.

Regardless of their fandom, every fan inside Kinnick Stadium and both teams put aside football and realize something much bigger. Everyone realizes life and seeing those children’s smiles are both so much bigger and more important than football. Jacobus put that emotion into every word of his song and reminds us what it really is all about.

Having the opportunity to experience this tradition is special and something to treasure once you do it. Seeing the giant yellow foam fingers wave back from those windows that are lined with handmade posters from the children is unexplainable. Knowing those kids are smiling down because the world is focused on them brings a tear to your eye. It means the world to those kids and their families that even in their fight, there is hope and a huge fanbase pulling for them.

Jacobus put these emotions into words for every Hawkeye fan, former player, and everyone who has been part of the Hawkeye Wave in their life. Give it a listen, set aside the busy rush of life, and remember what it’s all about.

The University of Iowa recently asked fans for their input in selecting the next song for the Hawkeye Wave. Given his history with the program and the message of his song, Jacobus’ track should merit consideration.

Contact/Follow us @HawkeyesWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Iowa news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Riley on Twitter: @rileydonald7

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.