Party like it's 1999, Hawkeye fans. Here's a look back at what life was like the last time the Hawkeyes reached the Sweet 16.
Prince wrote and recorded the hit song "1999" in 1982, and it's safe to say it's now blasting in the homes of nearly every Iowa men's basketball fan.
The Hawkeyes have reached the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999, doing so in dramatic fashion by upsetting the top-seeded and defending national champion Florida Gators on Sunday evening.
1999 is a long time ago, so to celebrate Iowa's historic victory, HawkeyeRoundtable is going back and time and looking at what life was like in the final year of the 20th century.
A fairytale ending for Tom Davis
This can't be an article without mentioning what transpired during the memorable 1998-99 season. A whole book could be written about that season, but in the interest of time, we're going to quickly recap what happened.
Though longtime head coach Tom Davis had made the Hawkeyes a consistent NCAA tournament team, Iowa fans and administrators were frustrated with the lack of any postseason success. Davis reached the second weekend in his first two seasons (1987 and 1988), but an NIT berth 10 years later prompted athletic director Bob Bowlsby not to renew Davis' contract, which was set to expire after the 1999 season.
The Hawkeyes responded by going on an emotional run to the Sweet 16, where they nearly upset eventual national champion UConn in Phoenix. Though his tenure ended in an unusual way, it was a fairytale ending for Davis. He remains a Hawkeye legend to this day.
Y2K
1999 marked the peak of the Year 2000 Problem, otherwise known as Y2K. Instead of celebrating the upcoming flip to the new millennium, people were worried that the computers wouldn't be able to switch from 1999 to 2000. People stocked up on food and water, but their efforts were all for naught when everything was perfectly normal.
Must've been an interesting time to be alive. I was five years from being born.
Highest-Grossing Films
1. "Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace" - $431,088,295
2. "The Sixth Sense" - $293,506,292
3. "Toy Story 2" - $245,852,179
4. "Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me" - $206,040,086
5. "The Matrix" - $171,479,930
Top Songs (According to the Billboard Hot 100)
1. "Believe" by Cher
2. "No Scrubs" by TLC
3. "Angel of Mine" by Monica
4. "Heartbreak Hotel" by Whitney Houston
5. "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears
6. "Kiss Me" by Sixpence None the Richer
7. "Genie in a Bottle" by Christina Aguilera
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