116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Thousands expected for Hawkeye homecoming
Parade is followed by interview with Hawkeye Caitlin Clark
Oct. 6, 2023 5:30 am, Updated: Oct. 6, 2023 10:15 am
IOWA CITY — Sixty five years after the University of Iowa’s 1847 founding, the campus for the first time on Nov. 23, 1912, welcomed home alumni for an official homecoming.
Alumni from across Iowa and neighboring states registered at what was then called the “Iowa Union,” according to an archived edition of The Daily Iowan from that historic day.
“Alumni crowded into the mass meeting and saw a real exhibition of Iowa ‘pep’,” according to a story headlined, “Many old grads are back for good time.”
“Many of the alumni did not know that so much spirit really existed at Iowa and were very much pleased with the showing the students made,” according to the student-run newspaper article. “This is the first time that a body of alumni have had a chance to see the school in action, and many favorable comments were heard.”
That first gathering was quaint enough to feature a log fire and a gathering among men. “Apples and cider with plenty of cigars helped to pass the evening pleasantly,” the report said.
A century of homecomings later, with tens of thousands returning to Iowa City this weekend for the annual Hawkeye homecoming game, all the alumni definitely won’t know each other. But, like their historical peers, they will get a solid sense of school spirit — with homecoming having evolved to a full week of events, capstoned by a parade and interview with a Hawkeye women’s basketball superstar and concert Friday and a football game Saturday.
Iowa plays Purdue at 2:30 p.m. Saturday at Kinnick Stadium, but the game will be carried only over NBC’s Peacock streaming service, in addition to the Hawkeye Radio Network, which includes WMT-AM 600 in Cedar Rapids.
“Homecoming is an institutionwide event that expands beyond the walls of campus out into the greater Iowa City community,” said UI senior Matt McDonnell, executive director of the Iowa Homecoming Council.
“We’re having things happen basically every hour of the day,” he said. “If students want to get involved, there are more than a million ways to do so. And we’re just really excited to bring this kind of large scale programming to the community.”
Who are the grand marshals?
This year’s UI homecoming theme is “The Golden Age,” featuring as its parade grand marshals Caitlin Clark and Spencer Lee. Clark last season led the Hawkeye women’s basketball team to the NCCA National Championship, winning all major national player of the year awards on the way. Lee is a three-time NCAA national champion in wrestling for the Hawkeyes, winning twice the Dan Hodge trophy awarded to the country’s best college wrestler.
Following the parade, which winds through downtown Iowa City, Clark will sit down with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith and Iowa alumnus Mark Shapiro on a main stage set up outside on the Pentacrest.
“It's going to be really cool, we haven't experienced anything like that before,” McDonnell said. “We're really excited to have this exclusive interview.”
Past “honored guests” for UI homecoming have included new Hawkeye women’s wrestling coach Clarissa Chun and longtime Hawkeye men’s wrestling coach Tom Brands; Christine Grant, former Hawkeye women’s athletic director; and Hayden Fry, legendary Hawkeye football coach.
What else is planned?
Following the parade and Clark interview, organizers will transition the Pentacrest into a free concert venue for hip-hop artist Swae Lee. The week of events leading up to Friday also included a fundraising 5K, a Thursday night party and a talent show called SHOUT.
What does it take to organize a homecoming?
This year’s Homecoming Council came together in its full form in March and has been working toward the final product over the past seven months, according to McDonnell. Nearly every event for this year’s homecoming involved cross-campus collaboration — with help from the President’s Office, UI Center for Advancement and SCOPE Productions, a UI student commission focused on programming entertainment.
“We do send out mass emails toward the start of the semester saying, ‘Hey, get involved with homecoming, whether it be the parade or the block party or SHOUT or the 5k or anything we got going on,” he said.
Where do the money come from?
Most of the Homecoming Council’s support comes through the UI Student Government System — with funding allocations for the event prioritized, given its broad cross-campus and community reach.
“We also get funding from parade entries and donations and sponsorships and other collaborations,” McDonnell said.
How many parade participants are expected?
The parade will feature 125 entries before an expected crowd of more than 20,000, according to McDonnell.
“Something that I like to do is to be able to craft something that I can look back on a say, ‘Look at we just did,’” McDonnell said. “This is the greatest example of that ever.”
If you go
What: University of Iowa Homecoming
When: Parade starts at 5:45 p.m. Friday, followed by an interview at 7:30 p.m. with Caitlin Clark, and then a Swae Lee concert.
Cost: The parade, interview and concert are free.
Where: Downtown Iowa City, starting at the intersection of Washington and Gilbert streets. Interview and concert are on the Pentacrest.
For more information: Visit homecoming.uiowa.edu
Vanessa Miller covers higher education for The Gazette.
Comments: (319) 339-3158; vanessa.miller@thegazette.com
Daily Newsletters