Aug. 11, 2004
IOWA CITY – Several “Hawkeye Heroes” will appear at the 2004 Iowa State Fair, where University of Iowa sports fans can meet these standout former athletes, get their autographs and recall some special moments in Iowa sports history.
The former UI athletes will be joined by both current and former Hawkeye broadcasters, as well as Iowa women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder, in the UI booth located in the Varied Industries Building on the fairgrounds. The “Hawkeye Heroes” include:
— Jess Settles (3 to 5 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 12) Settles, who played basketball for the Hawkeyes from 1994-1999, ranks in the Top 10 in more career statistical categories than any player in Iowa history and was named team MVP three times. Iowa’s only Big 10 Freshman of the Year, Settles is an Academic All-American and three-time winner of the prestigious Chris Street Award. A native of southeast Iowa, Settles is the author of “The Next Level: Jess Settles on Maximizing Potential” and operates The Next Level Christian Basketball Camps.
— Gary Dolphin (noon to 3 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14) Dolphin is the current “Voice of the Hawkeyes,” doing radio broadcasts for both Iowa football and men’s basketball.
— Steve Krafcisin (3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14) Krafcisin played basketball for the Hawkeyes from 1978-1981. He was second on the Iowa men’s basketball team as a senior with 15 blocked shots. He played in every game as a senior and led the team in free throws, free throws attempted and rebounds as senior. He was also third in scoring as a senior.
— Bobby Hansen (3 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 14) Hansen played Hawkeye basketball from 1978 to 1981 and was on the last Iowa Final Four team as well as a player with the Utah Jazz and world champion Chicago Bulls. He is currently an analyst for Hawkeye basketball broadcasts.
— Bob Brooks (2 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15) Brooks is a long-time broadcaster who did play-by-play coverage of Hawkeye football and basketball for 55 years. Brooks began his career at WSUI and worked at KCRG and KHAK before assuming his current post at KMRY. Brooks was the recipient of the 2002 Chris Schenkel Award, which is presented annually by the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame, Inc. The award, named for legendary college football announcer Chris Schenkel, is given to a college football broadcaster on the local level who has excelled in his field and contributed to his community. It was presented to Brooks on Aug. 9, 2002, at the Mayor’s Breakfast during the College Football Hall of Fame’s Enshrinement Weekend in South Bend, Ind.
— Lisa Bluder (11 a.m. to noon Monday, Aug. 16) Bluder heads into her fifth season as the head basketball coach at the University of Iowa. Under Bluder’s direction, the Hawkeyes have advanced to four consecutive post-season appearances (three NCAA and one WNIT). She has posted a 73-52 (.584) record at Iowa and her 20-year record stands at 429-191 (.692).
— Mark Gannon (2 to 4 p.m. Monday, Aug. 16) Gannon was a four-year basketball letterman at Iowa in the 1980s and played in all 31 games as a senior. He helped the team get to the Sweet Sixteen in 1983, and he was the 166th pick in the 1983 draft to San Diego.
— Jim Zabel (times TBA, Monday, Aug. 16, Tuesday, Aug. 17, Wednesday, Aug. 18 and Friday, Aug. 20) Zabel is a long-time Iowa broadcaster who replaced Ronald Reagan at WHO in Des Moines and went on to call Iowa sporting events for over 50 years.
— Al Lorenzen (2 to 4 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 17) Lorenzen played basketball for the Hawkeyes from 1985 to 1988, scoring a career high 18 points as a senior before an injury kept him out the rest of the season. He made it to the NCAA tournament in all four years as a Hawkeye, and the 1987 team made it to the Sweet Sixteen. He was a four-year letterman.
— James Winters (2 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18) Hawkeye basketball star James Winters toured with the Big Ten All-Stars through Europe for an eight-game exhibition in the summer of 1993. He was ranked second on the team as a junior in rebounding (5.5) and had a career best 18 rebounds vs. American. He had a career high five steals vs. Drake in 1994 and was named second team all-conference as a senior. He was also named team MVP as a senior.
— Chuck Hartlieb (6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 18) Hartlieb was a record-holding quarterback during the Hayden Fry era of Hawkeye football, playing from 1986-1988. Hartlieb holds several Hawkeye record for individual games bests, including passing for 558 yards and 44 completions of 60 attempts against Indiana in 1988 and seven touchdowns against Northwestern in 1987. He was selected for First Team All-Big Ten honors in 1987 and 1988 and tied for Hawkeye Team MVP with Marv Cook and Dave Haight in 1987.
— Lindsey Meder (3 to 5 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20) Playing from 1998 to 2002, Meder was a two-time academic All-American, the only women’s basketball player in history to do so. She ranks second in career scoring and holds records for three pointers made in a game, season and career. She led Iowa to the 2001 Big Ten tournament championship, and helped Iowa advance to the second round in two NCAA tournaments.
— Greg Stokes (5 to 7 p.m. Friday, Aug. 20) Stokes, who played basketball at Iowa from 1982 to 1985, was No. 3 on the all-time career scoring list. He scored 638 points (fifth all-time) and averaged 19.9 as a senior. He led Iowa in scoring three years in a row and led the team in blocked shots all four years. He was a member of the 1980 UI all-decade team, first team all-Big Ten in 1985 and was team co-MVP in 1985
— Joe Mott (10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, Aug. 21) Mott played Hawkeye football from 1985 to 1988, and was first team all-Big Ten pick as a senior and led the Big Ten in sacks (10) and second in tackles for loss (21) in 1988. He was the defensive MVP in four games as a senior and was a four-year letterman.
— Ed Podolak (noon to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 21) A former Hawkeye football star, Podolak received First Team All- Big Ten status in 1968 as a tailback when he was selected for First Team All-Big Ten honors and Hawkeye Team MVP. He went on to enjoy a stellar NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs (1969-1977). He won a Super Bowl ring with the Chiefs in 1970. Today, Podolak analyzes Iowa football on the radio.
Herky, the UI cheerleaders and dance team will visit the UI booth several times during the fair: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 15 and Saturday, Aug. 21, and 1 to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 17. Visitors will be able to see displays of Floyd of Rosedale (a bronze trophy that goes to the winner of each game between Iowa and the University of Minnesota), the Outback Bowl trophy, the Cy-Hawk trophy (given to the winner of the Iowa/Iowa State game) and a display from the Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame highlighting significant people and events in Hawkeye athletic history. They can also get free Hawkeye temporary tattoos and posters and may enter daily drawings for dozens of great prizes, including autographed sports merchandise and Big 10 football tickets.
Athletics won’t be the only game in town. The UI booth will also feature dozens of interactive exhibits and demonstrations covering astronomy, medicine, archaeology, calligraphy and engineering, among others.
For the latest information about the UI’s presence at the Iowa State Fair, go to http://www.uiowa.edu/statefair.