The Hawkeye is a mascot for the University of Iowa. His impish name came from a journalism instructor who decided to create the character as a cartoon. The Hawkeyes have remained popular ever since and were chosen as the mascot of the university during the 1950s. Hawkeye tattoos are a common sight on the ankles of pretty U of Iowa coeds. And the athletic team’s mascot is no less famous than its former grid star Pat Angerer, who now plays professionally for the Atlanta Falcons.
Hawkeye is also home to a number of other sports teams and events. Hawkeye football is played at Kinnick Stadium. Other sports include basketball, gymnastics, volleyball, wrestling, and gymnastics. Hawkeye also fields teams in baseball and softball at the Duane Banks Field. Track and field includes both outdoor and indoor facilities. However, students can drop from a sport if they do not wish to participate in another sport.
The nickname Hawkeye was first used in 1838, when the state was still a territory. The nickname was originally given to the Iowa state in honor of a Native American warrior, Black Hawk. James Fenimore Cooper’s novel The Last of the Mohicans was one of the main inspirations for the nickname. Des Moines is the state capital, and the University of Iowa has Herky the Hawk as its mascot.
When the University of Iowa was still in its formative years, it was the emergence of college football that led to a change in the mascot. The chant now reverberates through the cornfields of Iowa. It will soon become the anthem at the University of Iowa’s Kinnick Stadium. And while the Hawkeye is the mascot of Iowa, the state bird is actually the eastern goldfinch, a small canary.
The Hawkeyes have enjoyed tremendous success in wrestling. The 1972 team won the Big Ten tournament by winning doubleheaders on two consecutive days. In addition, the 1972 Hawkeyes won the NCAA Final Four for the first time since 1939. The 1972 Hawkeyes went on to win the CWS in Omaha with a 13-3 record, still the best record in Big Ten baseball history. The Hawkeyes clinched a tie for the Big Ten title in 1974 and 1990, and are a perennial contender for a CWS berth.
The name of the state of Iowa is derived from a Siouan tribe called the Ioway. It probably came from a Dakotan word that means “the sleepy ones.” The French, however, rendered the word into ioway, a much more common state name. In the Dakotan language, the word bah-kho-je means “grey snow” and is the alternate spelling for the Iowa name.
Another unique feature of the Hawkeyes is their support of Iowa children in the hospital. The hospital has a Press Box with a great view of Kinnick Stadium. The Hawkeyes’ fans support the children and wave the Iowa wave. However, the hospital’s Press Box is a popular venue for the Iowa wave, where children hold signs in their windows, and fans cheer for their team with the “Iowa” sign.