4 Added to Kinnick Media Wall of Fame

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Four distinguished media members who covered University of Iowa athletics over the past four decades will be inducted into the Kinnick Stadium Media Wall of Fame on Sept. 18-19, in conjunction with Iowa’s home football game against Northern Iowa. The class will be recognized on the field prior to kickoff.

The 2026 inductees are Steve Batterson, a member of the Quad-City Times sports staff from 1985–2023; Gary Dolphin, longtime radio play-by-play voice for Hawkeye football and men’s basketball; Mike Hlas, sportswriter at The Gazette from 1981–2025; and Steve Roe, who served in Iowa’s athletics communications office from 1990–2023. Batterson is being honored posthumously.

Steve Batterson
Batterson earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa, where he served as sports editor for The Daily Iowan. During his 38 years on staff at the Quad-City Times, the sports section earned dozens of state and national awards. Batterson was named Iowa Sportswriter of the Year in 2001, 2002, and 2013, and served for several years as a voter for both the AP College Football Poll and the Heisman Trophy.

Gary Dolphin
Dolphin became the play-by-play voice for Hawkeye football and men’s basketball in 1997. Over a distinguished 29-year career calling University of Iowa Athletics, the Cascade, Iowa native has delivered iconic calls for landmark moments, including Iowa’s dramatic 2005 Capital One Bowl win, undefeated Big Ten regular seasons in 2002 and 2015, multiple NCAA Tournament runs, and four Big Ten Men's Basketball Tournament titles. A three-time Iowa Sportscaster of the Year (2000, 2010, 2022) and an Iowa Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame inductee, Dolphin remains a legendary fixture in Midwest sports broadcasting.

Mike Hlas
Hlas spent more than four decades covering sports for The Gazette. Joining the paper in 1981, Hlas became one of the most recognizable, trusted, and humorously sharp voices in regional sports journalism. His broad coverage spanned University of Iowa and other college athletics, Olympic Games, Super Bowls and Masters golf tournaments. He was honored as the Iowa Sportswriter of the Year six times. Celebrated with numerous press awards for his column writing and feature storytelling, Hlas secured his status in Iowa sports journalism.

Steve Roe
Roe was a member of the UI Athletics for 33 years and served as Iowa’s director of athletic communications from 2011-23. Roe joined the Iowa athletic staff as assistant sports information director in 1990 and became the fourth director of athletic communications in school history in 2010. Roe spent more than three decades with the Iowa football program under legendary head coaches Hayden Fry and Kirk Ferentz. He also worked 19 seasons as the primary men’s basketball contact from 1990 to 2009. Roe was elected to the College Sports Information Directors Hall of Fame in 2022 and was the recipient of the Walter Camp Sports Communicator Award in 2024.

The inaugural Kinnick Stadium Media Wall of Fame class of 20 members was recognized in 2006 during the opening of the renovated Paul Brechler Press Box. Four additional members were inducted in 2011, followed by four more in 2016.