The University of Iowa started a new tradition Saturday during its first home football game of the year in Iowa City, reports CBS Sports.
At the end of the first quarter, thousands of fans turned toward University of Iowa Children's Hospital, which overlooks the stadium, and waved to patients watching the sporting event from the hospital's top floors.
The football team has regularly raised money for the children's hospital through its "Touchdowns for Kids" campaign, which encourages fans to donate money for every touchdown the Hawkeyes score throughout the season. The team also invites a patient to serve as a "kid captain" during home games and stand with the team on the sidelines.
Head coach Kirk Ferentz and his wife Mary Frentez last month donated $1 million to fund neonatal research at the hospital. The donation will establish the Savvy Ferentz Program in Neonatal Research, which is in honor of the Ferentz's grandchild, who died after a premature birth.
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