Family, fans and friends gather to honor the legend of Bob Brooks
IOWA CITY, Iowa – They came to honor a legend on Wednesday and did so mostly by telling stories about the incredible life of Bob Brooks.
It was the perfect way to honor a man who was known for being a master storyteller and for enriching the lives of so many people.
Brooks, who died on June 25 at the age of 89, gained most of his notoriety for being the long-time radio voice of the Iowa Hawkeyes.
But he was much more than that as former Iowa athletic trainer John Streif explained to the audience that had gathered at Memorial Stadium in Brooks’ hometown of Cedar Rapids.
Streif became emotional as he talked about the legacy and friendships that Brooks left behind.
“One thing about Bob, he was filled with history and we’re going to miss that so very, very much,” Streif said. “Not only filled with history, he wanted to know about you and he wanted to know about your family.”
News of Brooks’ death spread like a wildfire on social media. People from all walks of life paid their respects.
“I was so impressed after his death on social media how quickly things spread,” Streif said. “And it’s one thing I think to have the professionals and his peers write and talk about him. And there were some wonderful things as you all read.
“But I think the thing that Bob would have enjoyed the most was the absolutely amazing response from the student-athletes that he worked with and had interviewed over the years. It was touching.”
Gary Dolphin, who now serves as the voice of the Hawkeyes on the radio, talked about the effort and sacrifices that Brooks made as a teenager in order watch his hero, Nile Kinnick, play football for the Hawkeyes.
Brooks used to cut grass during the week to earn enough money to pay for a 15-cent train ticket from Cedar Rapids to Iowa City.
“And he had ten cents left over to buy a knot-hole section ticket in the north end zone because he wanted to watch his hero run up and down the hash marks at old Iowa Stadium,” Dolphin said.
Dolphin also read a letter written by Iowa radio color analyst Ed Podolak in which Podolak praised Brooks for being a friend and an inspiration.
Wednesday’s ceremony drew a mixture of fans, media members, UI faculty members, both past and present, and former star Hawkeyes, including Tim Dwight and Jerry Hilgenberg.
Brooks had a huge impact on Phil Haddy’s professional and personal life. Haddy grew up in Cedar Rapids and spent four decades working for the Iowa Sports Information Department.
Brooks used his influence to help Haddy get his foot in the door at Iowa in the early 1970s.
“He was one of the most influential people in every stage of my career,” said Haddy, who also grew up in Cedar Rapids.
Haddy saw up close the professional and personal sides of Brooks and was in awe of both.
“There is a pretty good reason why we have such a crowd to honor Bob today,” Haddy said. “It’s not only because of his broadcasting talent, obviously. It’s because Bob was such a good man.
“I never saw him act unfriendly in an unfriendly manner to anyone. He treated what some people would consider the bottom person on a totem pole the same he did congressmen, governors and even head football coaches.”
Brooks’ archaic tape recorder, which former Illinois guard Dee Brown once thought was a VCR, was almost as famous as Brooks himself.
Haddy told a story about the time Brooks dropped his tape recorder while traveling on the team bus to Northwestern.
“The batteries were rolling up and down the bus and everybody was laughing,” Haddy said. “But it was not out of ridicule. It was out of love and respect we had for Bob Brooks.”
Haddy then capped his speech by paying Brooks the ultimate compliment.
“He was a man we loved, a man we’ll miss, a man we’ll remember, but most importantly, a good human being by anyone’s standards,” Haddy said.
The ceremony for Brooks could have been held at numerous locations, including Kinnick Stadium and Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
But Brooks also had a major influence on minor league baseball in Cedar Rapids. He was on the Board of Directors for the Cedar Rapids Kernels, so it made sense to honor him on a field where his legacy will be felt forever.
Brooks’ son, Rob Brooks, was the first to speak at the ceremony. He talked about the days immediately after his father’s death and how touched he was by the outpouring of affection.
“I never really had so much fun after a little while talking on the phone, listening to phone messages, returning texts and just listening to so many great stories,” Rob Brooks said. “It really became a lot of fun hearing from everybody and what my dad meant to so many people, not only in the state of Iowa, but throughout the country.
“It brought a smile to my face every single day to be around that telephone so often.”
Bob Brooks’ role as a family man shined brightly as his grandson, Peter Brooks, talked about his grandfather’s influence on him. Peter ended his speech by saying that he wanted to be just like his grandfather, his voice cracking with emotion.
Former radio broadcaster Ron Gonder also spoke during Wednesday’s ceremony, along with former Cedar Rapids Washington and Iowa receiver Bill Happel and several other friends and colleagues.
Gonder and Brooks worked for competing radio stations in Cedar Rapids, but they still built a friendship based on mutual respect and admiration. They often would eat lunch together, even after Gonder had retired.
“You can imagine being together for 31 years in all different kinds of situations,” Gonder said. “I used to kid Bob during the basketball season that I had more meals with Bob Brooks than I did with my family.
“We usually were talking about an Iowa sport or team or game or whatever. And he so often would have different slant on it that I never thought of. I would go from that time thinking, `yeah, gee, I didn’t think of it that way. And that was the way right up until he passed away.”
One of the ultimate thrills for a high school kid from Cedar Rapids was to be interviewed by Brooks.
Happel experienced that thrill in addition to being interviewed by Brooks on numerous occasions as a Hawkeye.
“For thousands of high school kids Bob did give them their first interview,” Happel said “The impact Bob had on so many high school athletes; he spread that proverbial 15 seconds of fame across thousands of kids.”