The University of Iowa Children’s Hospital has announced the 2013 Kid Captains for this fall’s Iowa Hawkeye football season and a Washignton teen has been selected. At the first game of the season, 13-year-old Carson Thomas of Washignton will be the Kid Captain for the Iowa versus Northern Illinois game on August 31st. Thomas was born six weeks early, spent more than three months in the neonatal intensive care unit and has had more than 20 surgeries at the children’s hospital.

According to the hospital’s website, 14 current and former University of Iowa Children’s Hospital patients were selected from a field of 462 nominations.