Ten Things Hawkeye Fans Can Be Thankful for This Thanksgiving

10. The Metrodome:
Not much needs to be said about number ten. Few teams can point to an opposing teams (supposed) stronghold as the site of some of their greatest moments. Whether it was the fall of 2002, when the Hawkeyes took the Big Ten title in the dome before storming the field, or the fall of 2008, when the Hawks walloped Minnesota 55-0, Kinnick North will be greatly missed.


9. Big Ten Network:
The Big Ten Network gets a lot of criticism, and it deserves almost all of it. But, Hawkeyes nationwide should be thankful for the Big Ten Network for two reasons. First, it enables Hawkeyes far flung from the cozy cradle of the midwest to enjoy Hawkeye football that isn't being picked up nationally. (Sauce). Second, right now, there is some high school freshman or sophmore in Indiana, Michigan, or elsewhere who is following Hawkeye football. He might not know why. Maybe it is because he idolizes Shonn Greene. Maybe he digs that DJK guy. Maybe he just likes that Kirk guy. Whatever the reason, it means that he will want to play ball for the Hawkeyes if given the chance.

8. Cyrus Tate:
I don't know much about basketball. However, I do know this: Cyrus Tate is a baller on a Hawkeye squad that is decidedly un-ballerish. Last year he averaged 10.6 points and 7 rebounds in Big Ten action. He led the Big Ten in field goal percentage during league games, at 70.2%. Michael Jordan he is not, but that doesn't matter. You are looking at Iowa Basketball's present. Let's give 'em hell boys, and see what you can make happen. All it takes is a Big Ten Tourney win for a trip to The Dance!


7. Brent Metcalf:
Brent Metcalf is quite simply the best American collegeiate wrestler around today. Period. Last year, wrestling in the nation's most competitive weight class by far at 149 pounds, he notched a 35-1 record. And, I'm here to tell you something you haven't heard before. You haven't heard it before because Iowa coach Tom Brands won't allow it to be said. Brent Metcalf won't allow it to be said. That one loss was a bullshit call, the worst pin call I've ever seen in my life. But, Brent Metcalf isn't about excuses. He isn't just about victory. He is about utter and complete domination.

After that one blemish on his record, Brent Metcalf went on to win...well...everything. He won the NCAA Championship in commanding fashion and was that tournement's outstanding wrestler, he beat a 2-time defending Big-Ten Champion to take the Big Ten Tourney, he was Big Ten Male Athelte of the Year, and a Hodge Award Winner for the nation's best wrestler.

More importantly than all that, he has helped restore the swagger to the Dan Gable wrestling complex. A reporter recently asked him why he didn't celebrate, or look happy after winning matches. His reply: I don't want to give my opponent the satisfaction of thinking that me beating him was a big deal.

That, my friends, is what Hawkeye wrestling is all about.

6. Jake Christensen:
It isn't everyday that a backup QB makes one of these lists. Then again, Jake isn't your everyday backup QB. Since losing his starting job, I have not heard one media report of him complaining. I have not heard any rumors of him transferring, or leaving the team. He has conducted with himself with the utmost class, and has done all within his power--whether on or off the field--to help the Hawkeyes win. For that, I am very thankful.





5. The Late Season Emergence of DJK:
The whole nation knows the Hawkeyes have a running back in Shonn Greene, but what they may not know is that we may have a big play receiver in the making. DJK has been a headache for many Hawk fans, proving to be more talk, than walk. However, as his late season performances make clear--particularly in the Minnesota game--DJK may be here to stay as a Big Ten force to be reckoned with.

4. Tom Brands:
He is one of the two most intense individuals I've ever been within 15 feet of, the other being his mentor Dan Gable. Hawkeye fans nationwide have him to thank for returning the Hawkeye wrestling program to glory.

A 3-time NCAA Champion at Iowa, and a 1996 Freestyle Gold Medalist, Brands inhereited America's greatest sport's dynasty in a state of mediocrity. In just 1 year, he has completely turned things around. He won an NCAA team championship in 2008, and was named NWCA Coach of the Year. All the while, he has returned the Hawks to dominating, not merely winning.

One of his first actions as head coach was emptying out the trophy case. You see, Brands didn't think there was "enough of the right color metal" being put in there. Together with Dan Gable, he painted over the "champions" signs in the wrestling room, contending the wrestlers in his room weren't champions of anything yet. Intense stuff. In his able hands, the Hawks can look forward to a return to dominance in the fashion they have come to expect.

3. Shonn Greene:
I don't need to tell any of you that Shonn Greene is the nation's best running back. The Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year, has been the model of consistancy, rushing for 100 yards in every game played. He is the first Big Ten player to do this since Curtis Enis in 1997. Hopefully he fairs better than Curtis in the NFL.

I am thankful I had the privilege of watching Shonn play for the Hawkeyes, both on television and in person. It isn't everyday that your team has a truly special football player. We all have one last chance to see him in the black and gold. Sit back and enjoy.

2. Kirk Ferentz:
Despite all the rumors that Kirk was "on the hot seat" from those knowing nothing about Iowa football, Kirk remains. And, as much as ever, in Kirk We Trust.

Faced with a spate of discipline problems, a quarterback controversey, and a team realing from a two-year dip in performance, many doubted Kirk's ability to get the Hawkeyes back on track. And, many of those doubters looked right at the begining of the year. The Hawks just couldn't seem to win. Close defeats at the hands of Pitt, Northwestern, and Michigan State seemed to herald a second straight bowl-less winter.

But, then Kirk did what he does best: he kept his focused, and helped them steadily improve. With the exception of a very disappointing loss to Illinois, the Hawks have looked like the powerhouse teams of old. After the 55-0 drilling we put on the Gophers, I can't help but think that the Penn St. win was no upset. At this point of the season, we are just playing that good a brand of football. I credit Kirk with that.

1. The University of Iowa Campus Largely Being Sparred from the Great Flood of 2008:

As an alum, I watched the nightly news this summer with a heavy heart. Places I knew were devastated, and friends were faced with severe hardship. On top of all that, the University of Iowa seemed in danger of suffering severe flood damage. Luckily, the bulk of the campus was saved.

Happy Thanksgiving.