The FAA’s nationwide ground stop may have ended, but it still left plenty of people stranded in the middle of a travel mess - including the father of Iowa punter Boston Everitt.
Peter Everitt turned what should have been a routine trip into a 36-hour odyssey just to get to Iowa City for the Hawkeyes’ game against Purdue. According to former Cedar Rapids Gazette sports reporter Mike Hlas, Peter posted on Instagram that he got as far as Denver before the ground stop hit, then had to hire a driver to get him and a few other travelers to their destinations. By the time he finally arrived, he had spent 11 hours in transit and burned through six Monster Energy drinks.
The Everitts are from Australia, which makes the whole trip sound even more absurd. And somehow, Peter still made it in time to watch his son suit up for Iowa.
The travel chaos started on November 13, when the FAA halted all flights after a communications issue. The ripple effects reached college football, too.
Several Saturday games were pushed to new times, and the Ole Miss-Oklahoma matchup was moved to Sunday, November 15, at noon. Purdue also adjusted, taking a bus to Iowa City for a nearly five-hour ride.
Boston Everitt’s path to becoming Iowa’s punter has already been an important one for the Hawkeyes. He arrived through the transfer portal after Iowa lost starter Rhys Dakin, then beat out Simpson College transfer Tanner Philpott for the job. Since then, he has given Iowa a steady presence in a season where the offense has been in flux because of a revolving door at quarterback.
Everitt has punted 39 times for 1,694 total yards, good for a 43.6-yard average. That mark ranks No. 10 in the Big Ten, and he was recently placed on the Ray Guy Award Midseason watch list.
For Iowa, punting remains a major part of the formula. For Boston Everitt, his dad’s marathon trip from Australia to Iowa City only adds another layer to a week 11 matchup with Purdue.
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