July 6, 2004
Click HERE to learn about the renovation of historic Kinnick Stadium
Editor’s Note: Media and special guests were provided an overview of several activities related to the celebration of the 75th anniversary of Kinnick Stadium Tuesday during a special event staged at the UI Athletics Hall of Fame. Here’s a summary of what the participants learned.
The Throwback Game
Click HERE to learn more about The Throwback Game
Click HERE to read what the Iowa City Press-Citizen wrote about the Throwback Game
The University of Iowa – with the support of 103 Hy-Vee Food Stores statewide and Mediacom, the exclusive home of the Iowa Football Replay Show – will turn back the college football clock to a time gone by when it opens its 2004 football season with the staging of The Throwback Game in celebration of the 75th anniversary of historic Kinnick Stadium.
Friends and fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes attending The Throwback Game will live history as they enjoy a once-in-a-lifetime college football experience that will feature the following and more:
– Souvenir imitation black fedoras* and imitation straw hats will be distributed to spectators as they enter historic Kinnick Stadium for the first of six home games to be played by the 2004 Iowa Hawkeyes.
– The UI Marching Band will play a special selection of music during its pre-game and halftime performances.
– The student-athletes for the University of Iowa and Kent State, the game officials, the sideline “Chain Gang,” the UI cheerleaders, the UI Dance Squad and even the program vendors all will be outfitted with uniforms reminiscent of the 1930s.
– Kinnick Stadium’s exterior and interior will be decorated appropriately for the celebration – including the playing field – which will also feature a “look” that will take spectators attending the game back to the 1930s.
The Hawkeye Express — Train to the Game
Click HERE to read what the Iowa City Press-Citizen wrote about the Hawkeye Express
If plans continue to progress as expected, The Hawkeye Express will make its inaugural trek from the western edge of Coralville to the southwest corner of Kinnick Stadium on the morning of Saturday, Sept. 4, when the University of Iowa turns back the college football clock with the staging of The Throwback Game at historic Kinnick Stadium.
Friends and fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes and a day gone by will have the option of taking the “Train to the Game” like thousands did during the 1930s when the University of Iowa kicks off its celebration of the 75th anniversary of Kinnick Stadium. However – unlike the Throwback Game – training to the game will not be a once-in-a-lifetime college football game day experience for visitors to Iowa City. The Hawkeye Express will be in operation on game day for all six home games of the 2004 Iowa Hawkeyes and, if the response is as positive as expected, for many college football seasons to follow.
Fans that opt to take the train to Kinnick on game day will park their vehicle and tailgate in vacant land located on the south side of US Highway 6 approximately due south of Coral Ridge Mall in Coralville. Approximately three hours before kickoff, The Hawkeye Express will begin service to Kinnick Stadium. The one-way trip to the home of the Hawkeyes will take approximately 15 minutes, cruising east through the “Coralville Strip,” and south of the Iowa Softball Complex and Kretzmeyer Track before turning southeast for arrival at the landing located just north of the Melrose Avenue.
Post-game service will likely begin at the start of the fourth quarter and will continue until approximately 90 minutes after the game’s official end.
The Hawkeye Express promises to be an exciting addition to the game-day experience, particularly for the one or two-game visitor and his or her friends and/or family to Kinnick Stadium and Iowa City who, unlike season ticket holders, don’t have regular game-day routines or tailgating traditions. It will also provide patrons a very simple and direct game-day arrival and departure option – no pre-game parking or post-game traffic challenges – in addition to be an extraordinarily unique experience.
Herky on Parade Update
Click HERE to learn more about Herky on Parade
Herky on Parade is a public art project coordinated by the UI Department of Intercollegiate Athletics, the Iowa City/Coralville Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Iowa City and the City of Coralville. Its primary purpose is to raise awareness of the 75th anniversary of historic Kinnick Stadium on the University of Iowa campus and the coming renovation of the facility.
Herky on Parade took the to the streets of the greater Iowa City area late in the evening of Sunday, May 2, thanks to the assistance of the junior class of the University of Iowa football team and a handful of other volunteers working with members of the organizing committee. Since that time the following has occurred:
– More than 40,000 maps of the Parade route available at local businesses throughout the greater Iowa City area have been claimed by persons interested in the public art program
– More than 130,000 maps of the Parade route have been distributed as inserts into the Iowa City Press-Citizen and The Gazette.
– Thousands of friends of the Iowa Hawkeyes and the University of Iowa, and fans of art, creativity and fun have paraded through the greater Iowa City area exploring the community while “tracking down the Herkys.
– More than 1 million pages have been downloaded by more than 50,000 unique visitors to www. herkyonparade.com, the official world wide web site of the Iowa Hawkeyes.
– A square-jawed Texan who once prowled the sidelines of Kinnick Stadium included a trip to the Coral Ridge Mall in a brief visit to Iowa City in mid-April. He was searching for – and found – Hayden Herky.
– Official Herky on Parade merchandise ranging from t-shirts, caps, key chains and coffee mugs to the official Herky on Parade poster have been made available for sale through a variety of local and regional retail locations.
– 22 friends and fans of Herky on Parade have won pairs of tickets to the Throwback Game and a souvenir Herky on Parade t-shirt as winners in the “Find Herky” contest being staged each week from May through September on KXIC-AM 800 and The Fox radio stations in Iowa City.
What’s to come for Iowa’s longest running Parade?
– Later this month, friends and fans of Herky on Parade will be invited to play “Herky on Parade Jumble.” Those who correctly solve the puzzle will be eligible for a prize package that includes a $500 shopping spree at The Official Iowa Hawk Shop, 10 tickets to Iowa’s home football game against Purdue on Saturday, Nov. 6, and a pair of season tickets to the home games of the 2005 Iowa Hawkeyes. 75 runner-ups will win a souvenir Herky on Parade t-shirt.
– In mid-July, the first of three sets of 25 Herky on Parade trading cards will be available statewide and so, too, will be playing cards featuring images from the Herky on Parade program. The official Herky on Parade calendar will also be available in mid-July.
– In early September, the first miniature – Herky the Ironman in honor of The Throwback Game – will be available for purchase. The artists for Herky the Ironman were Troy Hollatz and Renae LaCerba of Coralville; the statue currently is on display outside its sponsor, the Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center just north of Interstate 80 on First Avenue in Coralville.
– In December, the statues that have not been purchased outright by their sponsors will be available for purchase at a public auction. Details of that event – including the announcement of the charitable organizations that will benefit from a portion of the proceeds of the auction – will be released later this summer.
Herky on Parade – The Diamond Collection
Click HERE to learn more about Herky on Parade
Herky on Parade’s roster of 75 Herkys will grow to as many as 90 as a result of the introduction of The Diamond Collection, a collection of new Herkys that will add enjoyment to game days at historic Kinnick Stadium.
As many as 15 “Diamond Collection” Herkys will take up residence in areas in and around Kinnick Stadium on Monday of the week leading into the Iowa football team’s “Throwback Game” against Kent State on Saturday, Sept. 4.
The Diamond Collection is intended to fill a gap in the Parade that can best be described as “geographical” – only one Herky – Herkules Herky…Mythical Greek Hero – is positioned in close proximity to Kinnick Stadium. “Herk” is currently displayed adjacent to the entrances to the Kenyon Practice Field, the Jacobson Building and Duane Banks Field.
In addition to adding a little whimsy and fun to the landscape immediately in and around the University’s varsity football facility, The Diamond Collection will also engage a handful of sponsors who were unable to participate at the start of the Parade and will re-engage many of the artists who have made Herky on Parade the success that it’s been.
Like the statues that are part of the original set of 75, The Diamond Collection art for Herky on Parade that is not purchased outright by sponsors will be sold at an open-to-the-public auction on Dec. 13.
The Patch
Click HERE to learn more about The Patch
The Patch is a one-of-a-kind collectible that also provides friends and fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes an opportunity to directly participate in the celebration of the 75th anniversary of Kinnick Stadium on the University of Iowa campus.
Each Patch is an embroidered reproduction of the official logo created for the celebration of the 75th anniversary of Kinnick Stadium. It is the same patch sewn to the home uniform worn by each member of the 2004 University of Iowa football team.
Each Patch is individually numbered, comes in its own protective plastic case that attaches to a distinctive black-and-old lanyard. Also packaged with each Patch is a fold-out poster that itemizes the benefits of ownership and provides an overview of the University of Iowa’s plans for renovation of Kinnick Stadium.
“Patch Perks” are available to owners of a Patch. New “Perks” will be added throughout the 2004-05 season. The current list of Perks includes the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets to select University of Iowa intercollegiate athletic events designated as “Official Patch Events” including select Iowa football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball and wrestling events and the opportunity to win prizes like a trip for two to the next bowl game of the Iowa Hawkeyes, a pair of 2005 Iowa Football season tickets or a Throwback Game uniform.