I live in Columbia, Missouri.  A lovely place for many reasons, but for a person who likes Big XI football, it can be a hellish place to dwell. The debate over who is going to come out on top in the Big XII North has me on the threshold of donating my eardrums to science before I'm dead.

I'm seeing more and more Iowa shirts, hats, coats, etc... in this fair city.  And every single time I see one, a "Go Hawks" or "How 'Bout Them Hawkeyes" follows within .09 seconds of me and the other person making eye contact. For example, I was at the game this weekend, and my wife and I had just gotten back and were at Target returning some duplicate wedding gifts.  I spotted another couple sporting Iowa shirts.  All we did was point to each other and give a fist pump.  Nothing needed to be said.

The point of this post is that for those of us who live outside the state of Iowa, and I can only speak for myself here, I've never been more proud to be not only a University of Iowa fan, but also an Iowan.  It's something that never leaves you, even if you move to Big 12 North country. This team embodies so many values I learned while growing up on a farm. People keep doubting, and I simply smile, have eleventy-bajillion heart attacks on Saturday and ignore the "lucky" comments on Monday.  Iowans ALWAYS find a way to get the job done. I have no reason to believe this team won't follow that personality trait so many Iowans possess.

Thank you Hawkeyes for the best season of my lifetime.  I will never forget it.