A Good Morning in Scottsdale

The sun rises in Scottsdale, Arizona and preparations are in full swing for the Hawkeye Football team's arrival in the Insight Bowl. Mike Riggan pulled the Hawkeye Semi through all types of weather but arrived close to 10pm Tuesday night.

Hawkeyes turn Focus to Insight

Above fans and families congregate for the annual Iowa Football Awards Banquet over the weekend. That followed a week of finals and graduation. Now the attention of the team turns to practice for the Oklahoma Sooners in the Insight Bowl. Practice continues to take place in the indoor football facility of the Jacobson Athletic Complex daily until the team departs on the 22nd.

Hawks on the Move

A large semi trailer provided by Mike Riggan of TanTara Transportation of Muscatine was loaded over the weekend and left at noon Monday for Scottsdale, Arizona. It is here the Iowa Football team will call home while preparing for the 2011 Insight Bowl against Oklahoma.

On the truck is everything needed to operate while away from Iowa City. Video equipment for 12 meeting rooms as well as the video office is included with items used at practice by managers and trainers as well as office supplies used by the staff to prepare the game plan against the Sooners. The Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch is the facility for meetings and offices while the team practices at local Chapparal High School.

Bowl Preparations

Preparations continue for the Hawkeyes travels to the Valley of the Sun and the Insight Bowl. Classes officially closed last Friday, but the focus is on Finals this week. Once the last exam is issued this Friday at 7pm, the football team's full attention turns towards Oklahoma, Iowa's bowl opponent.

Here the sun sets on the mountains that lie as a backdrop to the Hawkeye's Scottsdale temporary residence. A year ago Iowa called Chandler, Arizona home, but now as the visiting squad operations move to the north and the Scottsdale area. Practice takes place at Chapparal High School with the team's meeting room, video offices and day to day operations will be set up at nearby Hyatt Regency Gainey Ranch. The visiting team in the Insight Bowl uses these facilities while the home team sets up to the south.

Night Out on the Town

For the second straight season the Iowa Hawkeyes will play in the Insight Bowl held in Tempe, Arizona. And near Sun Devil Stadium is popular Mill Avenue, home to restaurants, bars and shopping on the Arizona State University campus. As we found out a year ago Mill Avenue is a popular place for fans to congregate before the game, but one place that fans need to visit is an historical marker called Monti's. The first and still standing building is home to some of the finer steaks in the Valley and some of the most original dishes.

History of Monti's is fascinating and worth a read. What you need to know is Monti's is the home to the first ever building in Tempe. So original that every address in town is based off Monti's. Throughout time different businesses have occupied the current site, but today it is home to Monti's, whose manager, Michael Monti is busy running for Mayor of Tempe. If Michael is as popular as his restaurant, he shouldn't have any worries on winning.

It has some of the better steaks in the area, but it also has different seafoods, sandwiches and salads. The prime rib is one thing they are most proud of and some of the dressings are made on site with ingredients grown in different parts of the world.

Monti's is a definite treat. If you attend the Insight Bowl, Monti's is worth the trip one of the nights leading up to the game. But a building this old has its own twists and turns to it. Make sure you leave time to find your way out of these twists and turns to get to the game on time.

The Insight Bowl

The announcement has been made and the Hawkeyes are heading back to the Valley of the Sun. The preparations continue for the bowl operating staff, but for the members of Iowa's and Oklahoma's staff they just begin. And this past week members of each staff journeyed to Scottsdale, Arizona the site of the Insight Bowl to learn more about their temporary home while preparing for the 2011 event.

Those preparations began in full when the staffs met the Insight Bowl organizing committee at the Fiesta Bowl offices in downtown Scottsdale. The Fiesta Bowl also run game operations for the Insight Bowl at the former Fiesta site of Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe. These meetings between the bowl and team staffs go over everything from hotel and practice site details to all of the different events wrapped up in game week as well as the what will be expected on game day. It is one of the more thorough bowl staffs in the country.

The Fiesta Bowl Offices in Scottsdale

Besides being the headquarters of the Fiesta and Insight Bowls, the office is home to a mini-hall of fame of the games. Jerseys of teams that have participated along with pictures and stories on all of the games. The Fiesta Bowl has had a proud history and what has made it a successful event has been the volunteers. That can be found in an adjacent corner of the building where pictures hang of former volunteer heads or notable people who have pushed the Fiesta Bowl to the national stage. Highlights constantly run showing all of their old games.

Site of the Insight Bowl

More posts to come but this is outside the Hawkeye Gameday Locker Room