Hawkeye Football Player's Perspective on Entrance to Kinnick

Julian Vandervelde talking about the first time he came out of the tunnel in Kinnick.

Iowa State 2006. It was my second time coming out of the tunnel, but it may as well have been my first. Coming down that hall and out of that tunnel is better than any roller coaster I've ever been on, and in 2008 I got to ride the newest one at Busch Gardens Florida 7 times in a row as part of the Outback Bowl. The darkness of the hall begins building the anticipation the moment you step in it. Surrounded by 100 huge men in full uniform starts to agitate your claustrophobia almost immediately even if you aren't claustrophobic. Huddled together, moving as one, surging forward you become one entity. Hearts racing, breathing picks up, you see the light at the end of the tunnel and begin to hear the spastic voices of the student section. As you get towards the opening and the fans see the team the dull hum quickly escalates to an earth-shaking roar. I will never again be able to listen to AC/DC's Back in Black without getting an adrenaline rush. The rush of The Swarm, the thousands of fans rising up on every side, there's really nothing quite like it. I remember that year, just before kickoff, a hush fell over the whole stadium as the two teams lined up. A sound that I can only describe as a shimmer started in the student section. Slowly the buzz of 70,000 sets of keys filled the stadium. Then the voices started. Again, starting in the student section and spreading to the rest of the stadium the voice of the Hawkeye faithful rose like a freight train approaching until it was almost deafening. At the kickoff I was worried about the sounds waking up patients in the hospital next door. Intense doesn't begin to describe it. And we won!