By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – For an Iowa football player, perspective is always nearby and easy to find.

Sometimes, it’s just a matter of crossing the street.

Senior defensive tackle Nathan Bazata was reminded of that while recovering from ankle surgery last winter.

“When I had my ankle surgery in the offseason I was kind of feeling sorry for myself and then I went over there and saw a patient who had cancer and I’m just like, wow, I’m being a baby about this compared to what he’s doing,” Bazata said Tuesday. “That just kind of puts it in perspective.”

Bazata was referring to the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital, which is located across the street from the east side of Kinnick Stadium.

The hospital is now famous thanks to a heart-warming tradition called the Wave, which started as Krista Young’s idea on Facebook and now is being called the best tradition in sports.

The Wave happens at the end of the first quarter of an Iowa game when fans in attendance, along with both teams, turn and wave to the patients on the top floor of the hospital.

The Wave was recently honored with the Disney Spirit Award, which was presented to a standing ovation at the Home Depot College Football Awards banquet in Atlanta.

"I think the best thing as a coach, it just reminds us all in college football how special we are," an emotional Kirk Ferentz told ESPN's Tom Rinaldi after the Hawkeye head coach, Iowa junior cornerback Josh Jackson and Kaden Kelso — a former University of Iowa Stead Family Children's Hospital patient — made their way on stage to accept on behalf of the hospital.

The Wave has brought awareness to the courageous battles that occur on a daily basis at the children’s hospital where kids fight just to survive.

But for an Iowa football player, the connection to the children’s hospital goes much deeper than just the Wave.

One of the first things that at Iowa player learns under Kirk Ferentz is the importance of giving back to the community and using their good fortune to help those less fortunate.

“That’s huge right away,” said All-America senior linebacker Josey Jewell. “We even have a freshmen community service thing we have to do. It’s all about community service and what you give back because we have a lot of good things here and we’re pretty lucky to be able to play the game and be able to be at full health. We’re lucky and we have to think of that stuff and give back to people who aren’t so lucky.”

Bazata and Jewell both will make their final appearance as Iowa football players on Dec. 27 against Boston College in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium in New York City.

But the values they have learned as Iowa football players will stay with them forever and help to shape their lives as adults.

“You might have had a tough practice or stuff like that and then you go over there and see what they’re dealing with,”Bazata said. “That’s just on a way different scale, just the stuff they have to go through, the hard work to survive. It’s an eye opener when you go over there. It’s just something to see.

“It means a lot going over there and just talking to them and stuff like that. In my eyes, they’re fighting for something bigger. It’s just kind of an honor to be in their presence.”

The players all credit Kirk Ferentz for creating an environment in which giving back to the community is a big part of being an Iowa football player.

Ferentz also practices what he preaches as he and his wife, Mary, made a $1 million donation to the children’s hospital in support of research to improve premature infant survival rates.

The couple made the donation in memory of their granddaughter, Savvy Elizabeth, who was born in August 2014 at under 22 weeks gestation, according to the UI Foundation. She did not survive.

“It’s cool to go over there and meet some kids, and hopefully, see a smile on their face because what they’re going through, what their parents are going through, the whole family, sometimes it’s not the best,” Jewell said. “You just look at that and you think of how grateful you are and how much you want to give back.

“And I think coach (Ferentz) helps us all with that. Coach Ferentz always talks about it; whenever we can get over there, get over there. And that’s the good thing about it, coach is right on top of it and he wants you to go over there.”

Senior offensive lineman Sean Welsh knows what it means to struggle with having been diagnosed with depression.

But Welsh also has the good fortune of being big, strong and healthy enough to play college football at a high level.

And should he ever forget his good fortune, a visit to the children’s hospital serves as a powerful reminder.

“I think it does a few things,” Welsh said. “It gives you a lesson in humility. It gives you great perspective and it shows that just when you think you’re going through some hard stuff here, you look at some of those kids over there and it really just kind of helps you again with perspective. They’re going through a lot of much harder things that we’ve done in the weight room or anything like that.

“It really gives you perspective that there are some people out there really struggling with some stuff. It’s a really rewarding experience for us just to have that opportunity. I just see myself as a football player, but to some of these kids, it’s a big deal. And to have that opportunity is really good.”

With a 7-5 record, including 4-5 in Big Ten play, Iowa hasn’t had the kind of success that the players envisioned for this season. The season has been filled with tremendous highs and devastating lows.

But through it all, the players have kept things in perspective because the right perspective is always nearby.

The children’s hospital, and the Wave, have become as much a part of the Iowa football program as the

Swarm and playing in bowl games.

Both sides rely on each other for comfort, support and inspiration, and it truly is a beautiful thing that is unique to the Iowa football program.

Iowa isn’t the only college football program that reaches out to those less fortunate. But Iowa is now widely recognized as a program in which helping those less fortunate is a priority.