Black & Gold Never Gets Old!

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few weeks, you knew that the fabulously undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes were taking on the Michigan Wolverines this past Saturday night, under the lights at the infamous Kinnick Stadium. If you know me and my fiance, you know that we're slightly obsessed with Hawkeye Football. Tyson grew up sitting on the 50-yard line with his dad nearly every Saturday from August to December. And I, although spending my entire life in the amazing town of Iowa City, did not attend my first Hawkeye game until my freshman year of college. Tyson and I's relationship was solidified around Hawkeye football. Every weekend we'd head down to the stadium to tailgate with his friends and family. Some of the most amazing memories I have with him have been on ice-cold football saturdays! This season, because of family weddings and work obligations, I haven't been able to sit with Tyson and cheer on the Hawks like we've done for the last two years. So you can only imagine how incredibly excited I was that NOTHING was planned on Saturday, October 10th. Nothing but a nice, old-fashioned ass-kicking of the Michigan Wolverines. Ok, so maybe it wasn't the blowout I was hoping for, but like the Homecoming t-shirts so cleverly stated, we definitely made Michigan our Bichigan! HA!

The day started out around 4 pm, which is seriously LATE compared to the 11 am start times most students obeyed! We parked far enough away from the stadium to get a good walk in and headed towards the Kinnick Society parking lot, where Tyson's family sets up camp every home football weekend. There were tents. There was a camper. There were heaters. There was a grill with tons of chicken and brats. There was chili. There was Bailey's and coffee. And most importantly, there was this incredible anticipation surrounding the Stadium. Everyone was just giddy with excitement. The atmosphere was incredible. And I was still OUTSIDE the stadium!

After visiting with friends from Des Moines and catching up with a great friend in town from Memphis, Tyson and I decided to head in a bit early. Ya know, to catch all the pregame stuff that goes on during Homecoming Week. We took our seats in time to see Chuck Long grace the Kinnick Stadium grass once again. We saw the cheerleaders and dance team, and the ALUMNI cheerleaders and dance team. Everyone was smiling. Everyone was having a good time. Everyone was in Black and Gold. The coolest colors EVER. When "Back in Black" blared through the speakers, I about lost it. See, although I've been to quite a few Hawkeye games in the past eight seasons, the electricity of Kinnick Stadium never gets old. The players walking through the halls to AC/DC. The semi driving in to Iowa City and smashing the opposing mascot on it's way through. The stupid board that Herky rides out on. The I-O-W-A flags that light up the night as they fly through the air. The SWARM. None of it EVER gets old to me. I ALWAYS have goosebumps. And this year, I almost cried. Everyone was cheering. Everyone was in black. Everyone was waving their gold pompoms. You could tell that every single person in that stadium, aside from the handful of Michigan fans, was 100% in love with the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. And that was pretty damn cool.

Although the game was a little too close for comfort, the Hawkeyes scraped out a two-point victory to improve to 6-0 for the first time since 1985. Oh, and by the way, the Hawks now own the nation's second longest winning streak. Two words: Iowa Hawkeye Pride. :)