Iowa fan fulfills a Rose Bowl promise

Editor's note: Dave Beck, a 2008 Iowa graduate, is originally from Bettendorf. A musician, he lived in New York for four years before moving to Seoul, South Korea, to teach and play music. He recently released his first album and has a song 'If There Are Roses (A Rose Bowl Song)."

It's hard to describe the meaning of sports and the passion behind it.

I always thought the reason I'm such a big Iowa fan is because it's the place where I was raised, and being a fan is just cheering on the base where I'm from. While some of that is certainly true, something much deeper has developed with my growing age. I'm an Iowa Hawkeye not because it's where I was raised, but because it connects me to where I come from. It connects me to the people and the place I love the most.

I currently live in Seoul and recently stumbled into a random sports bar to watch Iowa play in the Big Ten Championship game. This was a unique night game in the states, which meant the Seoul game-time actually aired during waking hours. I went with another friend here who also happened to be from Iowa. Our mere hope was to find a bar that would have the correct channel to watch. Little did we know that, at this random bar in Seoul, there would be a row of bar stools filled with Iowa fans. I met a British guy and a Korean guy who had studied abroad at the U of I, as well as a handful of other alumni.

Halfway around the world, I felt right at home with people from all over it.

My grandma and grandpa were season ticket holders and my dad is a Hawkeye lifer. He hasn't missed an Iowa game since we were trapped in Europe for the Orange Bowl in the pre-Internet streaming years. Some of my earliest memories are watching the Hawkeyes play as one big family.

A few days before I moved to Seoul, I went to see my grandma one last time. I had a sense there may not be many more chances ahead. In her older age, her memory had started to fade and she couldn't converse like her old self. In my Seoul-packing craze, I was late to see her and almost decided to abort the mission altogether. What's the point of seeing her if she's not going to be really present? Instead of turning the car around, I just thought about the numbered days ahead.

I at least had to try. I had no idea at that moment she would speak with a clarity that I hadn't heard in a decade. She recounted legendary stories about my grandpa's mayonnaise business, her cousin's guitar company and life as an Iowa fan.

She talked about going to Iowa games with a glowing face. One of her favorite game-day pastimes was keeping track of the pants Hayden Fry wore. It was a good day if he wore the white ones. She told me about going to the Rose Bowl and how magical the Parade of Roses was. Then, she stopped in her tracks.

'Dave, have you ever been to a bowl game?' she asked.

'I have not ... I guess I'm just waiting for the right one,' I said.

'Well, if Iowa ever makes a Rose Bowl, you have to go,' she said.

'You've got a deal.' I said.

A few weeks after that time-warped conversation, my grandma died. I heard the news from Seoul. I realized at that moment how fortunate I was to connect with her like that. What a miracle it was that I didn't turn around and drive home that night. I feel like I gained a lifetime of knowledge about her in that one simple conversation.

Now Iowa is in the Rose Bowl again I've been thinking about that special conversation we had. I've been thinking about my promise to her. I definitely hadn't envisioned living in Seoul when I made it.

As I thought fondly of that moment and dreamed of the Rose Bowl, my practical side returned. There's no way I could go. It would be irresponsible and too much. I also thought about what Iowa football means to me. It's not really about the wins and losses. It's about reconnecting with my family and friends. It's about returning to where I came from.

My tendency with the Rose Bowl was the same as my tendency that I had that night of our conversation. Maybe another year I can go when I live closer to home and it makes more sense. Maybe like that fateful night I should just turn the car around and go home. What if there isn't another time, though? Nothing in life is guaranteed.

So, in a rare moment of clarity I booked my tickets. I'm going to go to the Rose Bowl. I'm going to keep my promise. I'm going to walk in the same footsteps that my grandma did years before me ... and in many ways, I'll be walking with her.