Iowa's spring game over the holiday weekend brings one thing to light - few things bring people together than Hawkeye football, but Easter is one of those days that tops that.
Easter is a special holiday for many people.
Families wake up, go to a sunrise church service, and then gather together for food and fellowship.
There's usually a major sporting event held on Easter weekend - commonly the NCAA men's or women's Final Four or even the Master's Tournament - but rarely do the Iowa Hawkeyes get the spotlight.
All of that changed in 1992, when legendary head coach Hayden Fry led his Iowa football team on the Kinnick Stadium grass (yes, it was a grass surface back then) for their annual spring game in front of roughly 27,000 fans.
The Hawkeyes continue to host an open spring practice today, but Fry's squad held their spring game on Easter weekend back then - a common practice for them at the time.
This article wouldn't exist if it weren't for recent archival news footage from Channel 9 that surfaced on Google. I wanted to find some sort of Iowa connection to Easter so I could write about it, so that's why you're seeing this article on this fine holiday.
I'll link the news clip at the bottom of this article, but back to the task at hand. A lot has changed since 1992, but when you head to Kinnick Stadium to get your first glimpse of the 2026 Hawkeyes, you'll still see the same scenes we get here.
Tailgaters trickling through the parking lot. Food spreads filling the card tables. A group of men in black-cladded Iowa jackets drinking Busch Light. All of it (maybe a slightly less degree) remains today.
The 1992 Hawkeyes struggled to a 5-7 record and missed a bowl game for the first time in three seasons, but their spring game (and the others that have followed) signify one thing - there's few things that bring people together than Iowa football, but Easter is one of those days that tops that.
Happy Easter.
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