IOWA CITY - The Savannah Bananas and Firefighters came to Kinnick Stadium for Banana Ball, but the moment that clearly stuck with them was one Iowa football fans know by heart.
For the first time in Banana Ball history, the teams took part in The Wave during their two-game visit July 3 and 4, joining the Kinnick crowd in a tradition that has become one of college football’s most recognizable scenes.
“It means a lot,” Banana Ball and Fan First Entertainment owner Jesse Cole said. “What we realize every day we're out here, it's so much bigger than just the game, so much bigger than just one person, our performance, and to understand that, to wave up there and see the kids, and see the joy, and a few of our players got to meet them the last few days, that's what it's all about. So I'm just so proud.”
The Bananas and Firefighters arrived in Iowa City earlier this week and spent Thursday afternoon at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, where they visited children, families and medical staff. The players spent time with fans, making signs, dancing and hanging out with the people they met.
Ryan Cox said the visit left a mark on him. He even wore a bracelet given to him by a patient and mentioned that patient after hitting a solo home run Friday night.
“You get attached to the people that you meet in there,” Cox said. “You think about their families and everything that’s going on, so it’s really humbling to be on this side of it.”
The Wave came in the middle of the second inning, with all the players gathered in center field, where the Tigerhawk logo usually sits. The logo was covered for the two Bananas games. Arm-in-arm, the players watched as the Kinnick crowd stood and joined in.
Banana Ball’s first-ever Wave at Kinnick pic.twitter.com/IuK9Igz8J3
- Madison Hricik (@SportingMads) July 4, 2026
Cole said the Bananas were determined to take part in the tradition, and nothing was going to stop it.
“When you're playing for a bigger purpose, there's a lot of crowd traditions and energies, but it’s nothing like that,” Cole said. “There's nothing like that, because you feel it. It's emotional, and it means so much.”
The Bananas have made a habit of leaning into college football traditions wherever they go, and they did it again at Kinnick. After a two-hour weather delay, they recreated the Swarm as their entrance before the crowd finally got its first Banana Ball Wave.
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