Besides blogging about the NHL and NBA playoffs for the next month, I will be counting down the top ten College Football venues I have been to and give you my game day experiences. For the next ten weeks, each week I will give you a new gameday experience leading up to my projections and analysis of the 2012 college football season. To start off the countdown, at number ten is gameday in Iowa City.
10. GameDay in Iowa City- Iowa Hawkeyes (Kinnick Stadium)
The Iowa Hawkeyes have struggled as of recent, but that doesn’t stop Iowa fans from having a good time IC style. On gameday in Iowa City you can’t go anywhere without seeing someone without a beer in their hand. Hawkeye nation doesn’t care if kickoff is at 11 in the morning, these people get up at 6 or 7 in the morning and are already feeling good by kickoff. Then after the game they will of course drink even more. Now it’s clear as to why the Iowa marching band performs “The Victory Polka” aka “ In Heaven there is no Beer”. Iowa City gets an A+ for drinking, that is for damn sure. Melrose Avenue is absolutely crazy. You have to stroll down Melrose before the game. Also, make sure you get a “BIG A$$ TURKEY LEG” on Melrose before the game to go with your beer(s) before kick off. Yes, I know Chuck Ford is no longer there to yell “Big A$$ Turkey Leg”, but I’m still getting one every time I go to a game at Kinnick. It’s tradition.
Kinnick Stadium is one of the smaller venues I have been in, besides Autzen Stadium, with a seating capacity of 70,585. This place can get loud, especially at night. In 2007, when ESPN College GameDay was in for the Ohio State game, it was absolutely deafening during pre-game. Of course, it got much quieter when Troy Smith and the Buckeyes started to manhandle the Hawkeyes in the third quarter. It was also rather loud in 2009 when Michigan came to Iowa City and played a night game. Student section was rockin’ and a majority of the students...extremely intoxicated. I have gone to three Michigan and Iowa games in my life, it never gets old when I get heckled by the Iowa fans with my maize and blue gear on. The students will let you hear about it if you are not wearing black and gold, then offer you to do a keg stand. The tailgating is fun and Kinnick is always fun to watch a game at, but overall the tradition of Iowa football is average to say the least. But hey! at least you went to Orange Bowls in 2002 and 2010. If my math is correct that is one more BCS Bowl than what Nebraska has this decade. Correct? Yeah I know the Nebraska fans struggled to figure that one out. Husker nation still thinks they are living in the 1990’s and that their national championship in 1997 just happened.
Overall, Kinnick Stadium definitely cracks into the top 10 experiences as of now, mainly because of the tailgating scene. A lot of people go to Iowa City to tailgate and don’t even go to the game, it’s that good. But, Kinnick Stadium is enjoyable to watch a game at especially after they renovated it. Even though I am usually pulling for the opposing team at Kinnick and get yelled at by crazy Iowa fans, I can deal with it. The fans support their team and pretty much sellout Kinnick every game. What else can you really ask for?
Games Attended in Iowa City:
10/04/2003 CFB Iowa 30, Michigan 27
11/06/2004 CFB Iowa 23, Purdue 21
10/22/2005 CFB Michigan 23, Iowa 20
9/30/2006 CFB Ohio State 38, Iowa 17 * ESPN College GameDay
11/04/2006 CFB Northwestern 21, Iowa 7
9/08/2007 CFB Iowa 35, Syracuse 0
10/10/2009 CFB Iowa 30, Michigan 28
 |
| Tailgating on Melrose Ave. Syracuse vs Iowa 2007 |
 |
| Michigan vs Iowa in 2009 |
No comments:
Post a Comment