Some funny moments on Hawkeye beat to cheer you up
By Pat Harty
IOWA CITY, Iowa – With all the sobering news involving Iowa and Iowa State athletics as part of fallout from the ongoing sports wagering investigation, I figured you could use some cheering up.
So, I thought back to some of the funnier moments that have occurred during more than 30 years covering the Iowa Hawkeye sports beat.
Some of these moments have been mentioned in previous columns, but they’re worth repeating, like the time in the mid-1990s when I used the wrong door to enter the old indoor practice facility known as the bubble.
It took several members of the Iowa football team to finally get the door to close because of the immense air pressure that they were up against.
I stood nearby and watched and prayed as the players used all their strength to shut the door.
There was no excuse for my lack of awareness since it was written “Do Not Enter” in big red letters on the door that I used.
And if memory serves me correctly, I also think there was a trash can placed right in front of the door to keep people from entering, and yet, I still walked right past it and opened the door.
I was greeted by a huge rush of air upon opening the door, and if the football players hadn’t used their brute force to shut the door, the bubble would have deflated.
Just imagine what Hayden Fry would’ve said if a member of the media had deflated his bubble.
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And speaking of Hayden Fry, he was responsible for some of the funniest moments on the beat, and the moment that stands out the most also came at my expense.
It happened in the mid-1990s in Chicago as I attended the annual Big Ten Media Day event for football.

Back then, the media didn’t have nearly as much contact with the players or coaches during the summer, so, when I crossed paths with Fry in the hotel lobby, it was probably the first time we’d seen each other since the end of spring practice in April.
We shook hands and then Hayden looked at me and said: “Pattie, I don’t know what you did this summer, but it obviously wasn’t sit-ups.”
We then both started laughing, and even though the joke came at my expense, it was funny and accurate because I had put on a few pounds.
I believe that Hayden was just concerned about my overall health and was trying to motivate me like only he could.
At least, that’s what I tell myself now.
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The late, great Bob Brooks also brought a lot of joy and laughter to the Hawkeye beat, and probably my favorite moment came after a men’s basketball game against Illinois.
Former Illinois guard Dee Brown was being interviewed by media from both schools, including Brooks, who always used a giant tape recorder and would often place it close to the mouth of the person he was interviewing.
Brooks positioned himself near Brown and then stuck his giant tape recorder just inches from Brown’s mouth.
Brown then took a step back and said, “Yo, dog, is that a VCR?”
Bob Brooks then answered by saying, “No dog, it’s not a VCR.”
And the interview continued.
It was one of those classic Bob Brooks moments that will forever be etched in my mind.
Dee Brown also deserves credit for helping to set the stage with his reaction to the giant tape recorder because I never thought I would hear somebody refer to Bob Brooks as dog.
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Another funny moment came during Iowa’s first trip to the Outback Bowl following the 2003 season.
It was about halfway through the first quarter when each member of the media on press row was served a blooming onion that was about the size of two footballs.
I nibbled on my onion for a while, but it wasn’t even lunch time yet, and if you’ve never eaten a blooming onion from Outback Steakhouse, it packs quite a punch during and after consumption.
Somebody sitting nearby, however, attacked his blooming onion as if he hadn’t eaten in a week. Every time I looked over in amazement, there was less onion and a lot of chewing.
But then suddenly the chewing stopped, and this person disappeared for a while, assumingly to the bathroom.
I never had the nerve to ask.
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Former Purdue men’s basketball coach Gene Keady will forever hold a special place in my memory because he treated the media with so much kindness and respect.
Some might be surprised to learn that because Keady was known for his mean scowl, and for being highly competitive and emotional during the heat of the moment.
But there was also a softer side to Gene Keady and there was one moment that stands out.
I was working at the Iowa City Press-Citizen at the time and had called Keady’s office wanting to interview him for an Iowa-Purdue advance that I was writing.
He wasn’t in his office, so I left a message with his secretary.
I assumed that I probably wouldn’t hear back from Keady because he was a busy man.
But then about 45 minutes later, my phone rang as I was taking a shower.
I raced out of the shower, grabbed the phone and said hello with my body still soaked.
Much to my surprise, Gene Keady was on the other line returning my call.
I told him about my situation, and he said, “well, dry off, get dressed and let’s go.”
So, that’s what I did as one of the greatest men’s basketball coaches in Big Ten history waited.
Gene Keady actually waited for me to dry off and get dressed, and I’ll remember it forever because a lot of head coaches wouldn’t have even bothered to return my call.
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There was also the time when I was walking to the stadium in Minneapolis prior to an Iowa-Minnesota football game when a man dressed in a black suit and tie approached me and then asked for money.
He asked for exactly $22.66 and when I said I didn’t have it, he just walked away.
To this day, I still wonder why he asked for a specific amount of money, and what he planned to do with it.
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Another memorable moment came on the way back from an Iowa-Arizona football game in 2010 in Tucson, although, I remember very little about it because I slept through most of it.
I was traveling with two co-workers from the Iowa City Press-Citizen, including former reporter Andy Hamilton.
We flew from Tucson to Denver, but then our flight from Denver to Cedar Rapids was canceled and it would’ve been at least a day or two before another flight to Cedar Rapids was available.
So, instead of waiting, we rented a car and drove home.
Actually, Hamilton drove the entire way and I slept all the way through Nebraska.
It’s the best time I’ve ever had in Nebraska.
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There was also a trip to Minneapolis for an Iowa-Minnesota men’s basketball game that had a memorable moment, but it wasn’t funny at the time.
I was driving a rental car, and there were two other members of the Iowa media that accompanied me on the trip.
We were traveling in downtown Minneapolis on our way to Williams Arena, when unbeknownst to me, I bolted through a red light and nearly collided with another car.
I will never forget the look on the face of the person sitting in the backseat of the car.
It was a look of terror and hopelessness because he knew he would also be driving home with me. He didn’t talk much from that point on because I think he was too busy praying for a safe return home.
Fortunately, we made it back to Iowa City safe and sound.
But that person never has been in a car with me since that close call.