Behind the Scenes of Hawkeye Football Game Day at Kinnick Stadium
For several Saturdays each fall, Hawkeye fans migrate to Kinnick Stadium by the carload. They toss footballs and tailgate. They wait in lines and congregate. And over the course of a few hours, they wave, groan, scream, and celebrate.
Behind all the moments that make Iowa football fans feel part of something bigger, there’s a vast network of unsung heroes who make these experiences possible. Iowa Magazine captured the images that tell their stories over two game days last season, shining a spotlight on the action happening beyond the field.
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Event Management and Security Ensure Safe Kinnick Stadium Environment
Thousands of fans wearing ponchos flood the Kinnick Stadium concourses, seeking shelter from the chill of a steady rain. Kickoff is less than 30 minutes away, and as many fans try to stay warm and dry as long as possible before finding their seats, pedestrian traffic jams form in the stadium. Marcus Wilson, executive senior associate athletics director of sport operations and event management, watches the crowd activity on a large monitor in the stadium's command center from the fourth floor of the press box. He views multiple camera angles throughout the stadium and communicates via two-way radio with event operations personnel to alleviate any bottlenecks or other crowd control issues.
Student Managers Serve Essential Role on Iowa Football Team
It’s two days before kickoff at Kinnick Stadium, and the Iowa football locker room is almost ready for game day. Several of the team’s 12 student managers work alongside equipment staff, removing shoulder pads and cleats from duffel bags and placing them in each locker. Others hang freshly laundered pregame warmup shorts, T-shirts, and lightweight hoodies along with in-game compression shirts, socks, and padded girdles. Numbered loops connecting the items help identify each player’s apparel after washing.
HawkVision Brings Fans Closer to the Action
When there's a lull in the action during a replay review at Kinnick Stadium, the HawkVision main control room deep within Carver-Hawkeye Arena buzzes with activity. Carolyn Lyon James (89BA), pictured, is one of three replay operators who have only a few seconds to find the best view to show on the video boards of the play. Upon the official’s announcement, she and her colleagues must answer their most pressing questions as quickly as possible: What are they reviewing? What are the best angles we have of it?
The Director Who Orchestrates Kinnick Game Day
Brian Clarke scans Kinnick Stadium as thousands of fans raise their arms in unison, lifting an imaginary burrito in the air. Sensing an opportunity to elevate the energy even more, Clarke makes a request via headset to a colleague on the field.
Kinnick Stadium DJ Curates Hawkeye Football Soundtrack
Demarcus Heglar can energize 70,000 fans with the push of a button. As Iowa’s opponent marches deeper into Hawkeye territory and faces a pivotal third down, Heglar leans over his desk, glances down at his laptop, and awaits the precise moment to press play.
The Kinnick Statistics Booth Keeps Media and Fans Informed
Moments before the ball is snapped at Kinnick Stadium, a spotter peers through a pair of binoculars from an open window on the fourth floor of the press box. This primary spotter observes the formation and relays short bits of information to his colleagues beside him to help them track the game’s stats as the Guns N’ Roses anthem “Welcome to the Jungle” blasts from the stadium’s sound system.