Kinnick Stadium is the on-campus home of Iowa Hawkeyes football in Iowa City, Iowa, and one of the Big Ten's oldest and most iconic venues. Dating to 1929, its black-and-gold bowl seats over 69,000 and remains one of the loudest environments in college football. The stadium's most famous ritual happens at the end of the first quarter, when tens of thousands of fans turn and wave toward the adjacent University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital. That single gesture, known simply as 'The Wave,' has made Kinnick as recognizable for its heart as for its football.
Kinnick Stadium opened in 1929 as Iowa Stadium and was renamed in 1972 for Nile Kinnick, the Hawkeyes' 1939 Heisman Trophy winner who died in a training accident during World War II. A major renovation completed in the 2000s modernized the press box and premium seating while preserving the stadium's historic footprint. 'The Wave' tradition began spontaneously in 2017 and has since become a signature moment broadcast nationally during every home game. Nearly a century after opening, the stadium remains the emotional center of Hawkeye football and Iowa City on fall Saturdays.
Source: RateGame editorial