Aug. 31, 2012
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CHICAGO — It took the University of Iowa football team to lure a St. Louis Cardinals baseball fan to a Cubs-Giants game at Wrigley Field on Friday.
John Honeycutt of East Moline, Ill., is one of thousands of Hawkeye fans to converge on Chicago this weekend for “Iowa Day” at Wrigley Field, and then the main event, the Iowa-Northern Illinois football game Saturday at Soldier Field.
“My friends decided they wanted to come to the Hawkeye game on the weekend,” Honeycutt said. “I said, `Well, it’s Hawkeye Day at Wrigley Field. Should we go to the Cubs game?’ I’m not a Cubs fan, I’m a Cardinals fan, but it’s Hawkeye Day, so we had to come.”
Honeycutt attends two or three Iowa football games a season, and he hopes the season-opener features a sharp and strong Hawkeye team.
“I hope they show up tomorrow,” Honeycutt said. “It’s my birthday tomorrow, so it would be a good birthday present.”
Patty Glaser of Des Moines is hoping that her mental miscue won’t come back to haunt her beloved Hawkeyes.
“I forgot to bring my Hawkeye purse. I have this football purse that I take to every game,” Glaser said. “It’s in Des Moines, and I’m hoping it doesn’t jinx us because then it would be all my fault.”
Glaser works for a Chicago-based company, so she stayed the entire week in the Windy City. She also spent part of the week searching for a replacement for her broken Hawkeye sandals.
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“My friends decided they wanted to come to the Hawkeye game on the weekend. I said, `Well, it’s Hawkeye Day at Wrigley Field. Should we go to the Cubs game?’ I’m not a Cubs fan, I’m a Cardinals fan, but it’s Hawkeye Day, so we had to come.”
John Honeycutt
UI fan from East Moline, Ill. |
“It was a bummer, because Aldo’s didn’t have Hawkeye flip-flops,” Glaser said.
Glaser, who has nine season football tickets, loves Chicago, but…
“Iowa is a better place to raise a family,” she said.
Jarret Mulholland of Clinton joined several friends with homemade T-shirts that supported both the Cubs and the Hawkeyes.
“I’m excited and looking for a good start to the season,” said Mulholland, from a rooftop across behind center field. “They will come out with a win and get the season started right.”
The sight of thousands of Hawkeye fans in and around Wrigley Field pleased Mulholland.
“This is beautiful,” he said. “I haven’t seen Wrigley look this nice in my entire life.”
Bob Goettig of Davenport attended the baseball game, but is more interested in the Hawkeye football team than the Cubs. He came to Chicago five years again when Iowa defeated the Huskies, 16-3. Because Goettig doesn’t have season tickets, this is a rare treat from him to watch his favorite college program perform in person.
“I think they will have a good team,” Goettig said. “They have been recruiting some good players, but right now a lot of those players are unknowns.”
Unknowns until Saturday, Sept. 1, when Iowa and Northern Illinois brawl inside Soldier Field. Kickoff is 2:30 p.m. (CT), and plenty of Hawkeye fans will be in attendance.