IOWA CITY, Iowa — Editor's note: The above video aired April 21, 2022.
A five-year tradition for the University of Iowa will go on with a new soundtrack this season.
Two months ago, the university asked fans to vote for the next song to accompany the "Hawkeye Wave." Instead of picking one, fans decided to put the decision into the hands of the patients and families at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital.
“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,” said Peter Matthes, vice president for external relations and senior advisor to the president of the University of Iowa, in the news release. “The children are the true heroes, so the choice is theirs."
Now, each Kid Capitan will also get to choose which song will play during the Hawkeye Wave.
“The interest and passion for the Hawkeye Wave cannot be overstated, and the selflessness of the Hawkeye community proved once again why the Wave is the greatest tradition in college sports,” Matthes said. “The response for a new song was incredible, and one suggestion we continued to hear was, ‘Let the kids decide.’ So that is exactly what we will do.”
Since 2017, the Hawkeye Wave has been done while Pat Green's "Wave on Wave" is playing over Kinnick Stadium's speakers at home games. It comes during the break between the first and second quarters, and fans, student-athletes and coaches from both teams exchange waves with patients and families inside the adjacent University of Iowa Stead Family Hospital.
Under the hospital's Kid Captain program, a Kid Captain is picked for each Iowa football game, and that child will receive a commemorative jersey, special recognition from the hospital and team as well as other behind-the-scenes activities.