Photo: Iowa's News Down KGAN-TV
(Iowa City, IA) -- A change is coming to the Hawkeye Wave at Kinnick Stadium. The tradition of pausing during the football game to wave at Stead Family Children's Hospital patients, has always been accompanied by the song "Wave on Wave." Starting this fall, each week's Kid Captain will help pick a different song for the Hawkeye Wave on that particular game-day.
The Children's Hospital started it's Kid Captain program in 2009, to honor patients by sharing their inspirational stories.
The Hawkeye Wave was introduced five years ago and immediately became a tradition celebrated by the entire country. At every Iowa football home game since 2017, nearly 70,000 fans, student-athletes, and coaches, even from the opposing teams, take a break between the first and second quarters at Kinnick Stadium to exchange waves with patients and families inside UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital.
On April 21, 2022, the university announced it would seek public input in selecting a new song.
“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,” says Peter Matthes , vice president for external relations and senior advisor to the president. . “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.”