The class of 2008 has been fortunate to suit up for 44 games over our 5 years with the Hawkeye Marching Band. Through those 44 games, the Hawks have gone 31-12 (.705). We’ve seen 4 bowl games and 3 victories (the only time in Hawkeye history we’ve won 3 in a row). We’ve seen the Hawks beat Iowa St. 3 years in a row, Michigan 3 years in a row, Penn St. 3 years in a row, and so much more.

We’ve seen great moments like Shonn Greene’s amazing season in 2008, Daniel Murray's last second kick in the 2008 Penn St. game, 55-0!, the 2009 Michigan St. 7-got-6, the Insanity of 2009 Indiana, we got to see Iowa ranked #4 in the BCS, the beatdown of the 2010 Orange Bowl, we got to pledge our love for the United States with Ricky Stanzi (Bonus video for America), we got to see an Iowa win in the Big House in 2010, we got to see the road to the Big Ten title run through Iowa City in 2010 and produce amazing (though disappointing) games against Wisconsin and Ohio St., Micah Hyde’s spectacular pick sixes in 2010 (both of them), we got to see Derrell Johnson-Koulianos set new receiving records for Iowa, and we got to see Marvin McNutt break them the next year, the epic Pittsburgh comeback in 2011, we got to march a game on Soldier Field, and we got to see as AIRBHG took down running back after running back and every time the Hawks found someone new to take up the position.

We’ve been able to cheer on Iowa football greats like Shonn Greene, Ricky Stanzi, Mitch King, Matt Kroul, Bryan Bulaga, Pat Angerer, Andy Brodell, Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, Tony Moeaki, Charles Godfrey, Brandon Myers, Marvin McNutt, Micah Hyde, Adrian Clayborn, Brett Morse, Amari Spievey, Tyler Sash, and so many others.

We’ve had three starting quarterbacks in my time, coming in with Jake Christensen, seeing Ricky Stanzi, and leaving with James Vandenberg.

We’ve seen the football team come full circle. We entered the program coming off the disappointing 2007 season that ended with the crushing loss to Western Michigan that kept Iowa out of a bowl game for the first time since 2000. We saw the program grow my freshman year as fresh talent emerged. We saw the heights of the program in the 2010 Orange Bowl win against Georgia Tech. I believed the high expectations of the 2010 season. We’ve seen the backslide as the team fell in 2011 and bottomed out in 2012. And while I can’t speak for the others, I truly believe I leave this program poised to climb back to the top as it was when we entered it.

No matter what happens on Friday, come out and support our seniors. Come show some love for guys like Joe Gaglione, Tom Donatell, Steve Bigach, Casey McMillan, and James Vandenberg who have worked through 5 years with this program and done the most with that they’ve got. It’s been a disappointing season, but it’s been a pretty good career, and I will be damned if my last game in Kinnick is in a sea of red. Once a Hawkeye, always a Hawkeye. On Iowa and Go Hawks. Beat Nebraska.