Kevin James Came to Iowa City This Weekend. You’ll Never Guess What Happened Next.

IOWA CITY, IA- You loved him in the hit sitcom The King of Queens and you loved him a little less in Becker, Martial Law, Arli$$, Pinocchio, 50 First Dates, Hitch, Monster House, Grilled, Barnyard, I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry, Elmo ‘s Christmas Countdown, You Don ‘t Mess with the Zohan, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Grown Ups, The Dilemma, Zookeeper, Hotel Transylvania, Here Comes the Boom, Grown Ups 2, and Paul Blart: Mall Cop 2, but is Kevin James a Hawkeye at heart?

It sure looked that way when the actor was spotted rocking Iowa apparel at Micky ‘s Pub watching the Hawkeyes ‘ thrilling 40-10 homecoming victory over formerly ranked Northwestern University. Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz preferred to focus on the upcoming game against Maryland rather than comment on James ‘ presence at the popular game day spot, but given James ‘ was notably a star tailback for the Red Dragons at Cortland State University of New York in the mid-80s, a betting man would have to assume this was a strategic recruiting tactic devised by Coach Ferentz.

This wasn ‘t just a business trip for James, however. Here is a shot of James taking a stroll across the Pentacrest, providing a surprise, dream meet up with the superstar for the lucky students who happened to be enjoying the picturesque campus at the time.

Of course, no one would expect the man who played Eric Lamonsoff (Grown Ups 2, Grown Ups) to pass up on the notorious nightlife that led University of Iowa spokesman Tom Moore to say: ‘We are continuing to work to change the culture on our campus by educating students to only consume alcohol in a legal, safe and responsible manner, and those efforts are achieving results.”

Though no concrete confirmation on the nature of Kevin James ‘ visit to Iowa City could be settled upon, one thing is for sure, there was a definite jolt of energy raging through the city when Kevin James touched down in the home of the Hawks.

Alex Shane Moore is a creative writing student at the University of Iowa. He is a member of the improv group the Great White Narcs, is active in stand up, and lives with his cat.