Memories of the Black and Gold Variety

Oct. 14, 2003

The book is called “Black and Gold Memories: The Hawkeyes of the 20th Century.” It was written by George Wine, the UI’s long-time and award-winning sports information director. And, for friends and fans of the University of Iowa and the Iowa Hawkeyes, it’s a flat-out “must-read.”

Wine told the media assembled today immediately prior to Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz’s weekly media conference that the project was logical.

“I learned when I wrote the book on Hayden Fry (A High Porch Picnic) that it’s the publisher’s that make all the money selling books,” said Wine. “So, I pretty much said to Bob (Bowlsby), the content is already written, all you need to do is apply your staff against the project and watch it go.”

“Go” it is. Black and Gold Memories is now available in Barnes and Noble stores across the state and will soon be available at the Official Iowa Hawk Shop and the UI Bookstore. For those who do their book-buying in cyberspace, the collection of more than 100 articles written by Wine, the sports information director, or Wine, the retired sports information director, is available at the Barnes and Noble web site

“It’s a nice collection and chronicles very nicely the people and events of the Hawkeyes in the 20th century,” said Wine, who added upon introduction that he was the guy responsible for giving the media that currently reports on the Iowa Hawkeyes, Phil Haddy and Steve Roe, Iowa’s current sports information director and associate director, respectively.

“For better or worse, I’m the guy responsible for those guys,” he joked.

Black and Gold Memories was indeed published by the UI Athletic Department. All proceeds from sales of the book will go to support the intercollegiate athletics program at the University of Iowa.

Wine expressed his appreciation and thanks to Bowlsby and a handful of other UI staff including Lucy Broadston, who is responsible for the book’s title, and Dale Arens, who is working with Wine on a series of book signings during the months of November and December in Barnes and Noble stores across the state. Wine also saluted Matt Ellison, the book’s graphic artist.

“This collection of George’s work comes at a very exciting time in the history of intercollegiate athletics at the UI. We’re currently experiencing tremendous success in one of our flagship sports, football; we’ve recently opened the UI Athletics Hall of Fame; and we will soon be embarking on a renovation of our grandest athletics facility, Kinnick Stadium,” said Rick Klatt, associate athletics director for external affairs.

Here’s a review by Al Grady, sportswriter, fan of the Hawkeyes and friend of George Wine…

George Wine has done it again.

The former 25-year University of Iowa sports information director has written and edited a new Hawkeye sports book called “Black and Gold Memories (The Hawkeyes of the 20th Century).”

A few years ago, Wine collaborated with celebrated Iowa football coach Hayden Fry to produce a book called, “A High Porch Picnic.”

That was about the life of one man. This is about the sports exploits of many men, all of whom wore the black and gold between 1900 and 2000.

Nicely bound and handsomely covered with several Hawkeye Hall of Fame faces, the book would be an excellent coffee table or bookshelf addition, and, until read from cover to cover, might be welcome at bedside for late-night reading.

I say the latter because many old-timers like myself can stay awake to read at bedtime for only about eight minutes, and that’s about the time it would take to perhaps read one “essay,” as Wine calls them, of which there are 105.

Most of the essays first appeared over a period of five years or so in The Voice of the Hawkeyes, a publication dedicated to UI sports but not affiliated with the university or athletic department.

The essays are much too numerous to mention in a brief review, but Wine covers such memorable Hawkeye football coaches as Alden Knipe at the turn of the 20th century who not only was a Big Ten title-winning coach, but also an opera singer and writer/illustrator of children’s books; Howard Jones, the architect of great Hawkeye teams of the early 1920s who later gained fame as the coach of “The Thundering Herd” at USC; Forest Evashevski, who gave Iowa an unmatched run of five years of national prominence in the 1950s; and Hayden Fry, who captured national headlines for 20 years after setting out to “scratch where it itches.”

You will find out the football player Wine picks as the greatest ever at Iowa, how Ozzie Simmons became the centerpiece of the “Floyd of Rosedale” controversy and trophy, many essays on Nile Kinnick and the naming of Iowa Stadium in his honor, Wine’s choice for top 10 Hawkeye football games of the 20th century, a look or two at Chuck Long, three memorable football victories over Ohio State, Hawkeye Homecomimg games that stir fond memories, etc., etc., etc.

While most of the essays are about football and men’s basketball, recalling such highlight coaches as Bucky O’Connor, Ralph Miller and Tom Davis, as well as the five best teams and five best players of the 20th century, you’ll enjoy chapters on wrestling coaches Dan Gable and Gary Kurdelmeier, baseballers Mace Brown and Bob Pearl, track coach Francis Cretzmeyer, athletic directors Paul Belting and Bump Elliott, PA man Father Bob Holzhammer, half-century broadcaster Jim Zabel and far too many others to mention.

In short, the book goes from Alden Knipe to Jim Zabel and that’s about as “A to Z” as you can get.

“Black and Gold Memories” is both informative and entertaining and I would highly recommend it to any Hawkeye fan young or old. (Not just incidentally, it would make a great Christmas gift.)