IOWA CITY, Iowa – By now, Bob Brooks has attracted a crowd in heaven and is telling stories like only he could tell.

He’s had a Manhattan or two with Jim Zabel, felt the warm embrace from his hero in life, Nile Kinnick, and reminisced with Forest Evashevski, Bucky O’Connor and other past Iowa coaches who were thrilled to see him after all these years.

Meanwhile, we’re left dealing with the sadness that comes with losing not only a broadcasting legend, but a friend to so many whose lives were impacted by Brooks.

His death on Saturday at the age of 89 probably shouldn’t have come as a surprise, considering Bob’s age and recent health issues.

But it did, at least for me because I thought Bob might live forever.

His body showed the wear and tear of aging, but his mind and his wit were as sharp as ever.

Every conversation I had with Bob was an event and a privilege because I was speaking to a living legend who always had time for me.

It feels empty now on the Iowa beat and will feel that way forever because there is no replacing Bob Brooks. We were fortunate to be a part of his historic journey.

Loyalty and devotion are two words that often come to mind when thinking of Bob’s rich legacy as a broadcaster.
He could’ve outgrown the University of Iowa and moved to greener pastures, but he stayed loyal to the very end.

He also stayed active on the Iowa beat almost until the very end.

That’s why the University of Iowa should pay its respects to Bob Brooks by having a statue built in his honor and displayed prominently on campus.

The statue should have Bob wearing his traditional tie, blazer and fedora and carrying his giant tape recorder at his side.

It should be similar in size to the statue of Kinnick that stands proudly on the south entrance of Kinnick Stadium and the one of Dan Gable that is located on the west entrance of Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

It should be displayed where students are constantly reminded about the greatness of somebody who devoted his life to Hawkeye athletics.

In addition to being a gifted broadcaster, Bob also had a funny side that we often saw on the job.

My favorite moment in nearly 25 years of covering the Hawkeyes came when Bob stuck his giant recorder about one inch from Dee Brown’s nose during a post-game interview, causing the Illinois guard to respond by saying, “Yo dog, is that a VCR?”

Bob then responded by saying, “No dog, it isn’t,” in classic Brooks fashion.

Bob was like having a Hawkeye encyclopedia at your service. His broadcasting career spanned seven decades, from before Evashevski to after Hayden Fry.

I remember once before a press conference listening as Bob compared the running styles of Willie Fleming in the late 1950s to Tavian Banks in the mid-1990s. It felt almost like traveling on a time machine with me hanging on Bob’s every word.

Bob wasn’t intimidated by anything, nor should he have been. We should’ve been intimated by his huge presence. But Bob wouldn’t allow for that.

It was neat watching the Iowa coaches and student-athletes treat Bob with the highest respect. Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz always went out of his way to acknowledge Bob’s presence at press conferences. They often would make small talk until the press conference started, two Hawkeye legends sharing a moment together.

I’m sure the message was conveyed early on to UI student-athletes that Bob Brooks was not your typical journalist.

We’ll never see his kind again.

And that’s why we need to see a statue built in his honor.