We knew that when the Iowa football season arrived this fall there would be a big change... a different song for the Hawkeye Wave. Turns out there won't just be one song played during the season.

After asking for submissions from fans for a new song to accompany the Hawkeye Wave back in April, the University of Iowa announced Wednesday morning they're going in a different direction. There won't be a vote to determine the winner of the song that acts as the backdrop as fans and players wave to patients and their families at the end of the first quarter of every Iowa home football game. Instead, the choice of song(s) is being given to the kids.

The Kid Captain for each home game will select the song for that week's Hawkeye Wave. Kid Captains are children who have been treated at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital and hundreds of them are nominated each year. Who better to make the call on the song than children who have, in many cases, experienced the Hawkeye Wave firsthand from the hospital that overlooks Kinnick Stadium.

In a media release, Peter Matthes said, “The response for a new song was incredible, and one suggestion we continued to hear was, ‘Let the kids decide.’ So that is exactly what we will do.” Matthes, who's the vice president for external relations and senior advisor to the president, went on to say, “The children are the true heroes, so the choice is theirs. That is something we can all agree on, and I cannot thank our fans enough for their input, engagement, and generosity.”

A Kid Captain has been honored at Iowa games and had their inspirational story shared at games since 2009. The Hawkeye Wave began at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City during the 2017 season and has been accompanied by Pat Green's "Wave on Wave" each game. It should be fun to see what these inspirational kids decide on each week, beginning with the home opener on September 3.

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