SURF SAFARI : Iowa Arrives to Laid-Back Welcome Befitting a Holiday

Their flight was delayed four hours because of fog in the Midwest, but when the Iowa Hawkeyes arrived here Tuesday afternoon, there was no doubt they were in California.

Welcoming the Hawkeyes--in town to play San Diego State in Holiday Bowl Dec. 30--was a collection of Iowa fans along with something called the Ocean Beach Geriatric Surf Club Precision Marching Surfboard Drill Team.

As Coach Hayden Fry and his players stepped off their charter flight, they were greeted by the sight of a pickup truck bedecked with palm fronds and loudspeakers blaring Beach Boys tunes. The players had to thread their way through a tunnel of upraised surfboards as they moved into position to hear a couple of welcoming speeches.

For the Iowa players, it was a laid-back way to begin a trip that is supposed to help atone for their embarrassing 45-28 loss to UCLA in the 1986 Rose Bowl.

Fry, who traditionally has adopted a regimented approach toward bowls, is planning to give his players a bit more leeway this year.

That means they won’t be protected by MPs from Camp Pendleton, but they won’t exactly be carousing every night in Tijuana, either.

Fry said he will grant more free time than he has during Iowa’s preceding five bowl games. He recently joked about permitting them to enjoy “the great sport of whale watching,” along with a visit to the San Antonio Zoo (he’s a Texan, folks), but wasn’t sure if he’d allow them “to slip over to Tijuana for a taco.”

The coach permitted his five captains to meet with reporters for a few minutes after landing at Lindbergh Field. They all seemed to think there will be a more relaxed approach this year, but beating San Diego State still has to take priority over having fun.

“I think he’ll turn us loose some,” said defensive back Ken Sims. “He knows we won’t really have our minds on practice until we see the town a little. Once we do that, and get going out, out of our system, we’ll settle down.”

Last year’s more regimented approach didn’t affect the team’s play against UCLA, according to Sims.

“They just beat us,” he said.

The frivolity evident among those out to greet the Hawkeyes Tuesday was appreciated by offensive lineman Dave Croston.

“It was nice to see some enthusiasm,” he said, as someone asked about all the surfboards.

“I’m sure we’ll be working out pretty intensely before the game. We don’t have any choice.”

The Hawkeyes took three weeks off after the regular season and held only three practices before embarking for San Diego.

Quarterback Mark Vlasic, a fifth-year senior who played behind Chuck Long for four seasons, said he doesn’t think Fry’s approach is much different for the Holiday Bowl than it has been in the past.

“He’ll allow us some time to go out at night,” Vlasic said. “I’m sure things will get a little up-tight as we get closer to the game, but that’s true before any football game.

“Our goal here is to win and finish with a 9-3 record. Only three Iowa teams have ever won as many as nine games.”

Defensive tackle Jeff Drost said Fry seems to be a bit more relaxed this year.

“Coach has never come out and said, ‘You have to win this game,’ ” Drost said. “I think we’re going to have more freedom this year, but I don’t know if that will have any impact on how we play.

“I know that, personally, this is my last game for the Hawks, and I won’t have any problem getting up for it. There will be plenty of emphasis on the game.”

Fry said he brought his team to the West Coast a week before the game on the advice of the coaches at Arkansas and Arizona State, participants in last year’s game.

“They said we would be foolish to wait until Dec. 26 to come out because it might rain,” Fry said. “If it does rain in Southern California, it is usually a gulley-washer. We’d be in bad shape if we lost any practice time.”

Fry said he wants to give his team plenty of time to adjust to playing on grass. The Hawkeyes practiced and played on artificial turf this season.

Iowa will practice at the Chargers’ facility adjacent to San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium. The practices will be closed to the public.