Worldwide Wave

Las Vegas

Even Kinnick Stadium isn't big enough to contain the phenomenon that is the Iowa Wave. Hawkeyes far and wide joined the goosebump-inducing tradition this past fall by recording video waves in cities around the world.

IOWA Clubs members waved to patients at UI Stead Family Children's Hospital from landmarks like Times Square, the St. Louis Arch, and Westminster Abbey. The clips were then played on Kinnick's videoboard at the end of the first quarter of each home game—a reminder that Hawkeyes around the globe are rooting for UI's youngest patients.

The idea to take the Wave beyond Iowa City originated last year during the Capital Area IOWA Club's football game watches in Washington, D.C. Club president Kevin Meredith (01BSE) said members wanted to provide a visual gesture of their support from afar, in addition to their fundraising efforts. The club worked with the UI's alumni engagement office to make the video idea a reality, and soon IOWA Clubs in several other cities signed on to shoot videos of their own.

Meredith's D.C. Hawkeyes met on the National Mall this past August to film a wave that was shown during the Nebraska game in November. The nearly 100 black-and-gold-clad club members who gathered on the Capitol steps raised a few eyebrows. "The Capitol police asked us what we were trying to do, but once we told them, they were more than happy to help out," says Meredith.

In addition to their well-wishes, the Capital Area IOWA Club and several other alumni groups sent checks to UI Stead Family Children's Hospital. The Dallas-Fort Worth IOWA Club, which shot a video with a city skyline and the Fort Worth Stockyard as backdrops, used the event to raise $7,000 for patients. Meanwhile, several dozen members of the Chicago IOWA Club turned out to wave in front of their city's famous Cloud Gate sculpture, then kept the spirit going throughout the season by donating 10 percent of their game watch proceeds to the children's hospital.

Want to connect with fellow Hawkeyes in your city? Visit foriowa.org/clubs to find our complete list of IOWA Clubs around the world.