Issue link: https://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/592980
91 K innick Stadium may not be the "World's Most Famous Arena," but it's becoming a must-see entertainment venue in the middle of Hawkeye country. e nationally ranked University of Iowa football team is 7-0, including a 4-0 record at home. In August 2016, country music superstar Blake Shelton headlines the "Back Porch Revival," the first ever concert in the history of the 86-year-old stadium. And prior to the Iowa- Minnesota football game on Nov. 14, the "Grapple on the Gridiron" will make college wrestling history by becoming the first-ever NCAA dual contested at an outdoor football stadium. Iowa hosts Oklahoma State on Saturday, Nov. 14, at 11 a.m. (CT), eight hours before Iowa and Minnesota kick off on the same field. e football game decides the winner of Floyd of Rosedale. e wrestling dual will lay the landscape for the remainder of the season. What the Daytona 500 does for NASCAR, the "Grapple on the Gridiron" could do for wrestling. It is the first event of the season for both schools, a dual between two powerhouse programs, driven by two World Champion coaches, and the whole sport will be watching. No wrestling program has more national titles than either the Hawkeyes or Cowboys. Oklahoma State head coach John Smith has won five of Oklahoma State's 34 NCAA titles. Iowa head coach Tom Brands has won three of the Hawkeyes' 23 team titles. Iowa is ranked third in a pair of preseason polls. e Cowboys are ranked No. 1 by WIN Magazine, and No. 2 by Intermat. e Hawkeyes have four returning All-Americans, including 133-pound NCAA finalist Cory Clark, omas Gilman (125), Brandon Sorensen (149), and Nathan Burak (197). e Cowboys also return four All-Americans, including two-time national champion Alex Dieringer (165), a preseason favorite to win the Dan Hodge Trophy, Eddie Klimara (125), Dean Heil (141), and Kyle Crutchmer (174). Gilman and Klimara are expected to open the festivities with an All-America matchup at 125 pounds. Gilman placed fourth at the 2015 NCAA Championships, Klimara placed seventh. Six more All-Americans will take the mat before Iowa redshirt freshman Sam Stoll makes his collegiate debut against Oklahoma State's Austin Marsden, a 2014 All-American at 285 pounds. e dual, in a nutshell, is two hours of never- before-seen entertainment inside one of the state's oldest sporting venues. More than 29,000 tickets have been sold, well beyond — and nearly doubling — the NCAA attendance record of 15,996 set by Penn State in 2013. Still, 40,000 general admission tickets remain on sale at $10 apiece for the Hawkeyes' season opener. As for the season finale? e 2016 NCAA Championships at Madison Square Garden are sold out. Advantage, Kinnick Stadium. 2015-16 HOME SCHEDULE Nov. 14 Oklahoma State at KINNICK STADIUM Nov. 20 Iowa City Duals Dec. 4 South Dakota State Dec. 10 Rutgers Jan. 22 Purdue Jan. 29 Minnesota Feb. 5 Indiana Feb. 21-22 National Duals March 5-6 Big Ten Championships April 9-10 United States Olympic Team Trials