Some things are bigger than football. Maybe nothing epitomizes that more than what goes on every time the Iowa Hawkeyes play a home game inside Kinnick Stadium.

At the end of the first quarter, 70,000 fans, both teams, and everyone in the stadium turn to wave to the kids in the UI Stead Family Children’s Hospital as a moment of support. It is a moving moment that has taken on a life of its own.

That life is only growing more and more. The Hawkeye Wave, which has long been regarded as the best tradition in college sports, now officially owns that title.

𝐇𝐚𝐰𝐤𝐞𝐲𝐞 𝐖𝐚𝐯𝐞: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐞 𝐒𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐬.

USA Today 2024 Readers’ Choice Award#Hawkeyes pic.twitter.com/QXJ4McbIOR

— Hawkeye Football (@HawkeyeFootball) October 9, 2024

In the USA TODAY 2024 Reader’s Choice Awards, the fans and readers put the Hawkeye Wave at the top of the list of the Best Traditions in College Football.

No. 1: Hawkeye Wave – University of Iowa

The top floor of the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital has an incredible view of the university’s Kinnick Stadium, which is perfect for the pediatric patients who want to watch the game. At the end of the first quarter, everyone in the stadium — over 70,000 football fans, players, and officials — turns to wave at the kids and families above them. Now, for each home game, a “Kid’s Captain” is selected from the pediatric ward, and they get to choose a song to accompany the Hawkeye Wave. – USA TODAY

This tradition started in 2017 and has become a part of every home game as well as an unforgettable experience of sharing support, inspiration, and more than anything else, hope.

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