An offer we couldn’t refuse

I have done my best to make it to Kinnick Stadium to see the Iowa Hawkeye football team in action as often as my time and budget allows. The timing has been inconsistent. A few years ago, I hadn’t been able to make time to head to Iowa City for awhile, though I still remained loyal to the Hawkeyes every Saturday in the fall.

That all changed five years ago when I went to a home game with my brother. He and my dad have season tickets. On the day of the Ball State game that year, Dad couldn’t attend the game because he had tickets to see the Eagles perform in Des Moines. I was happy to fill in for him.

My streak continued the next year during the Hawks perfect 12-0 season. By some miracle, I was able to attend five home games. I started the season by seeing Marshall Koehn kick the game winning field goal in the final seconds to beat Pitt and capped the year off by standing in several inches of snow to watch the Hawkeyes beat Purdue. My feet still get cold thinking about that game.

Since that year, I have made it to Kinnick at least once a year. In 2016, I was able to include my husband, Tim, into the mix. Tim knew about my love of attending sporting events fairly early in our relationship, and he has eagerly joined me at baseball, football and basketball games with a few races thrown in as well.

Tim and I continued attending Hawkeye football games together the next two seasons. We have figured out that Tim is a good luck charm. Every game he’s attended, the Hawks have won. That also helped me keep my winning streak alive at 10-0 from 2014-2018. I’ve seen the Hawks lose at Kinnick, but the recent streak has been fun to keep track of. (I’m well-aware my being there has nothing to do with the outcome, but it never hurts to consider it.)

This year was the first time Tim and I had decided not to include a trip to Kinnick in our plans. It’s going to be a busy fall and wintertime in our household, so we thought it best not to make any big plans that couldn’t be changed.

By a stroke of pure luck, Tim and I were able to keep our streak alive last weekend to watch the Hawks in their season opener with Miami University.

We had intended to watch the game with family at my grandma’s house in Montezuma. It’s somewhat of a tradition for my mom to visit her mom on game day. Grandma is an avid sports viewer and loves to watch the Hawkeyes play.

Anyway, our plans shifted when my brother called me Friday afternoon. He had a pitch for Tim and I. Through his work, he was offered two free tickets to the game. They were situated close to the 50-yard and almost impossible for him to turn down ... so he didn’t.

My dad and brother elected to sit in the 50-yard line seats which left them wondering what to do with their regular tickets. They asked Tim and I if we would be OK going to the game and using their original tickets. Tim and I couldn’t say no.

It was fun to watch the Hawkeyes under the lights at Kinnick Stadium and keep our streak alive. The Hawks didn’t play the sharpest of football games, but they still walked away with the win. By the second half, the players seem to shake off some of the rust and show the potential for a solid season.

Perhaps next year, Tim and I won’t tempt fate, and we will just work Kinnick into our plans. It appears like Tim’s and my streak is meant to be.

Contact Pam Pratt at pampratt@newtondailynews.com