Jackson Tijerina of Council Bluffs, 8, left, and his mom, Amy, check out promotional materials given to him ahead of Iowa’s football game against Rutgers on Saturday. Tijerina, who has been battling a rare form of brain cancer since January 2016, was selected to be the Hawkeyes’ Kid Captain for the game at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City this weekend.
Jackson Tijerina, then 5, leads Underwood through the team’s banner before the Eagles’ varsity football game against Carroll Kuemper on Sept. 23, 2016. Jackson has been battling brain cancer since being diagnosed in January 2016, and he was selected to be Iowa's Kid Captain for the Hawkeyes game against Rutgers at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Saturday.
From left, Jackson Tijerina of Council Bluffs, 8, left, his sister, Jade, and his mom, Amy, pass an autographed Iowa Hawkeyes football around their living room on Wednesday. Tijerina, who has been battling a rare form of brain cancer since January 2016, was selected to be the Hawkeyes’ Kid Captain for the game against Rutgers at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City on Saturday.
COUNCIL BLUFFS — When the Iowa Hawkeyes take the field Saturday to face off against Rutgers, Jackson Tijerina of Council Bluffs will be there.
Not just in the stands — he will run onto the field with them.
Jackson, 8, receives medical treatment for his brain cancer at the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital and was named the Kid Captain for the game, according to his parents, James and Amy Tijerina. To qualify, children must be current or former patients of the hospital.
“That’s where his main doctors are that treat him, so we go there about every three months,” Amy Tijerina said.
Besides running on with the team, Jackson will get to meet Herkey and all of the coaches and players — and he’ll get to join Hawkeye players, staff and fans in waving at the children who are currently staying at the hospital , as is now customary during the Hawkeyes’ home football games.
Jackson has run onto the field five times with high school football teams, his mother said. He’s done it twice with the Tri-Center Trojans and once each with football teams from Abraham Lincoln, Underwood and West Harrison High Schools.
“The Hawkeyes were always on his bucket list — that was the big one,” she said.
Jackson got to go to Kid Day on Aug. 10, his mother said.
“We got to meet all the other Kid Captains,” she said.
He got to go out onto the field and take a tour of the stadium, his mom said. His favorite part was the pink locker room visiting teams have to use.
“He thought that was pretty funny,” she said.
Jackson was given a box full of Hawkeye memorabilia, including a ball signed by the players, a poster with his picture on it saying “Kid Captain Jackson, Council Bluffs, IA” and a set of player cards bearing his name and some basic information on him.
“We thought it was really fitting that he got the first game in September, because September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month,” Amy Tijerina said. “I’m a passionate advocate for funding for children’s cancer research.”
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Jackson was “pretty sick” during summer 2018, and his parents were told he had about a year to live, Amy Tijerina said. But he started a new medication in September 2018 that targets his cancer cells, and it has been shrinking his tumor, his periodic MRI scans have shown. He was fortunate to be able to get it, since it isn’t yet available to the general public, she said.
“It ended up saving his life,” she said.
Traditional chemotherapy drugs kill healthy cells, as well as cancer cells, which is why they tend to cause illness, Tijerina said. Side effects from this medication are mild.
“Its main side effect is stuff like skin rashes,” she said.
His doctors plan to stick with this medicine until it stops working or a better one becomes available, Tijerina said. University of Iowa is one of the top schools for pediatric brain tumor research, she said.
“The office we go to overlooks the football field,” she said. “We always take a trip up to the 12th floor where everybody stands when they do the wave.”
Iowa Coach Kirk Ferentz, who has donated more than $1 million to the hospital, has sent Jackson autographed letters and autographed posters, Tijerina said.
Now, the family’s loyalty to the university is stronger than ever.
“That school saved our son’s life,” Tijerina said.
2018

Nebraska's Mohamed Barry leaps over the Iowa offensive line as he tries to block a kick by Iowa's Miguel Recinos in the final seconds of the game. The kick was good and Iowa defeated Nebraska 31-28 in 2018.
2017

Iowa's Akrum Wadley breaks past Nebraska defenders. The Hawkeyes ran for 313 yards in a 56-14 win over the Huskers in Memorial Stadium in 2017.
2016

Iowa's George Kittle carries the Heroes Game trophy beside teammates Tyler Kluver, left, and Amani Jones, right, after defeating Nebraska 40-10 in 2016.
2015

Nebraska players leave the field after 2015's 28-20 loss to Iowa.
2014

Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah catches a second-quarter touchdown pass against Iowa in 2014's 37-34 overtime win.
2013

Nebraska quarterback Ron Kellogg is sacked by Iowa linebacker Anthony Hitchens in 2013's 38-17 Hawkeye victory.
2012

Nebraska offensive lineman Andrew Rodriguez carries the Heroes Trophy after the Huskers defeated Iowa in 2012.
2011

On one of his school-record 38 carries against Iowa in 2011, Nebraska’s Rex Burkhead leaps over Hawkeye tacklers, including Shaun Prater from Omaha Central. The Huskers won 20-7.
2000

Nebraska quarterback Eric Crouch passed only 13 times against Iowa in 2000, but came away with 10 completions, 159 yards and a school record-tying five touchdowns in a 42-13 victory.
1999

Nebraska defender Tony Ortiz scoops up an Iowa fumble during the Huskers' 42-7 win in 1999.
1982

NU's Turner Gill escapes Iowa's Bobby Stoops in the Huskers' 42-7 win over Iowa in 1982.
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1981

Roger Craig, from Davenport, Iowa, is tackled by Hawkeye defender Brad Webb in a 10-7 upset win for Iowa.
1980

Jimmy Williams nails Iowa quarterback Pete Gales as another Blackshirt helps from below. Nebraska pummeled the Hawks 57-0.
1979

As Nebraska came from behind, so did NU linebacker Brent Williams in his pursuit of Iowa's Dennis Mosley, but look closely and you'll see the arm of another Husker grasping at Mosley's jersey by the chest number. That arm belongs to back Mark LeRoy, and it held Mosley to a 5-yard gain and forced Iowa to punt in a 24-21 NU victory in 1979.
1946

Tom Novak scores the Nebraska touchdown in 1946's 21-7 loss to Iowa.
1945

Cletus Fischer runs 42 yards for a touchdown in Nebraska's 13-6 win over Iowa in 1945.
1938

Hermie Rohrig split the Iowa line for the first of Nebraska's two scores in 1938's 14-0 win.
1932

The top photo shows Nebraska's Boswell downed after an eight-yard gain, while the bottom photo shows NU's Miller running into a pair of Hawkeye defenders during the Huskers' 14-13 win in 1932.
1914

The 1914 Nebraska football team defeated Iowa 16-7. Rutherford, pictured next to coach Ewald O. "Jumbo" Stiehm, played with a broken shoulder.
1913

The 1913 Nebraska squad shutout Iowa 12-0. Captain Purdy, in his final game, scored NU's second touchdown on a dive over the goal line.
1909

The Hawkeyes took advantage of a fumble punt to leave Lincoln with a 6-6 tie.
1908

The Huskers left Iowa City with an 11-8 victory.
1904

The Huskers got their second 17-6 win over the Hawkeyes in as many seasons.
Nebraska is 29-18-3 all time against the Hawkeyes. Click below to see the full series.

Click here to see the full series history between the Huskers and Hawkeyes.