The Ten Commandments of Iowa Football
Because football is religion
From border to border, the state of Iowa is filled with millions of Hawkeye football fans. Being a part of the greatest collection of fans in all of college sports comes with a few guidelines, and if you want to join us, you must follow them religiously. The following are The Ten Commandments of Iowa Football.
Thou shalt wear black and gold
In or out of Kinnick Stadium, wearing black and gold is an absolute must for true Hawkeyes. Those colors metaphorically run through our blood, and if 50% of your closet isn’t Iowa garb, you aren’t doing Iowa fandom right. Remember – this is a lifestyle; wearing an Iowa football shirt in March is the norm.
Thou shalt plan nothing for Saturdays
Sunday may be the day of rest, but Saturday is the day of football. Pre-game is for tailgating, game time is for watching and post-game is for celebrating (or mourning). No matter the event, you better clear your Saturday’s from September to December.
Thou shalt always tailgate
In my previous article, I talked quite a bit about tailgating, and it wasn’t all for nothing. Here in Iowa, we start our pre-game celebration hours before kickoff, and we like it that way. Keep the burgers hot, the beer cold and crank that speaker up to 11 – it’s game day!
Thou shalt memorize the fight song
Like ‘Twinkle Twinkle Little Star’ and ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’, the Iowa Fight Song is a monologue memorized by young Hawkeyes before they can put together a proper sentence. While at Iowa games, you’ll need to know the fight song so you can sing along after all those Hawkeye touchdowns.
Thou shalt stay through the fourth quarter
Whether a tight game or a blow out, staying through Q4 is an absolute must. Beating traffic isn’t really a priority on game day, but staying in Kinnick Stadium for as long as possible is. Besides, according to the second commandment, you have nothing planned anyway.
Thou shalt travel to bowl games
After the sixth win of the season, you’ll need to start putting aside money for your trip to whichever bowl game the Hawks get. Iowa frequently gets bigger bowl games because our fans are known to travel, so we have to represent. Grab a few friends, squeeze into your mom’s van and get to driving.
Thou shalt not use Kirk’s name in vain
Like it or not, Ferentz has been our coach for 17 years, and we’ve got him through 2026. He’s a four-time Big Ten Coach of the Year, coached two Big Ten Champion teams, and last year he took us to our first ever undefeated regular season and won five coach of the year awards. He’s our coach, and a successful one at that – always support Captain Kirk.
Thou shalt defend the Hawks
Many college football fans across the country, and a few analysts *cough* Colin Cowherd *cough*, like to talk down on Iowa. To be a fan of the Hawks is to defend the Hawks, whether they go 6-6 or 12-0. If we want to call ourselves the best fans in the country, we have to defend the Hawkeye name at all costs.
Thou shalt not covet our rivals
Wisconsin, Nebraska, and of course Iowa State. We don’t cheer for them, we don’t compliment them, and we absolutely do not wear anything with their logos. Committing any of the aforementioned sins will get you shunned from the Hawkeye tradition forever.
Thou shalt always believe
No matter the score of the game or the record of the team, you must always believe. Always believe that Iowa can come back and win, and never think that one loss means that the season is over. True Hawkeye fans always believe in the players and the coaching staff. This is our team – act like it.