By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Okay, let’s have some fun, and in some cases, at my expense.

When you have covered Iowa Hawkeye sports for as long as I have, which dates back to 1992, you’re bound to have some moments that make you laugh.

Here are 15 of my funniest moments in no particular order.

1. The time when my niece’s husband jumped up from his courtside seat on press row in reaction to a Kelvin Torbert dunk:

My niece and her husband lived in Michigan at the time, and her husband was a huge college basketball fan.

So with Iowa playing Michigan State at the Breslin Center in East Lansing, I requested a press credential for my niece’s husband, whose assignment was to get quotes from the Michigan State players after the game.

We both were seated courtside on press row, and when former Michigan State player Kelvin Torbert soared high above the rim for an ally-oop dunk in transition following the open tip, my niece’s husband, who stands about 6-foot-5, leaped from his seat to celebrate what he had just witnessed.

Needless to say, those affiliated with Iowa weren’t pleased, while I was embarrassed to say the least.

In fairness to my niece’s husband, I hadn’t explained to him in enough detail that media members were prohibited from openly cheering on press row.

He was just reacting to what he had seen from an athletic standpoint and couldn’t help himself.

I was warned to control my tall sidekick, and we made it through the rest of the game without any more cheering.

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2. The time when Dee Brown called Bob Brooks’ giant tape recorder a VCR:

This might rank as the funniest of all these moments.

The Iowa men’s basketball team had just played a game at Illinois when legendary radio personality Bob Brooks stuck his giant tape recorder near the face of Illinois guard Dee Brown.

Upon seeing the size of Brooks’ tape recorder, Brown took a step back and said; “Yo, dog, is that a VCR?”

Brooks then responded in classic Bob Brooks fashion by saying, “no dog, it’s not a VCR.”

Brooks, who passed away in 2016 at the age of 89, covered Iowa athletics for over six decades and was known for his quick wit, for being a wealth of information and for using a giant tape recorder that had withstood the test of time.

Brown was just having some fun and Brooks played along with him as only Brooks could.

Their brief encounter, which happened more than two decades ago, still makes me laugh to this day.

RIP Bob Brooks.

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3. The time when I nearly deflated the bubble:

This is only funny, because thankfully, a group of Iowa football players saved me from being humiliated and embarrassed.

The media had just finished a weekly press conference with Hayden Fry in the mid 1990s and we were walking to the practice bubble to interview some Iowa players.

There was a door to the bubble that was strictly off limits for entry because to open it would have caused the bubble to start losing air pressure.

It was written on the door in big red letters; Warning, Do Not Enter.

There were doors on both sides of the door that was prohibited for entry, and I had used those doors numerous times to gain access to the bubble.

However, on this day, I obviously wasn’t paying attention and opened the wrong door, much to the shock of those around me.

I immediately felt a burst of air and quickly realized what I had just done.

We tried unsuccessfully to shut the door, but the pressure was just too much for anybody with just average strength.

Realizing that we needed help immediately, somebody in the Iowa Sports Information Department did some quick thinking and rounded up a few Iowa players, who then proceeded to shut the door, but not without a little struggle.

Without them, I would have been known forever as the moron in the media who deflated the practice bubble.

Imagine the fun Hayden Fry would have had at my expense.

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4. Former Gazette columnist Mike Hlas yelling “AJ Foyt sucks” as a group of Iowa media members left a restaurant in Speedway, Indiana:

Prior to writing this column, I asked Mike if he remembered this moment, and if I had his permission to use his name.

He did remember it and gave me permission to use his name.

What I remember is that we both were in Indianapolis covering the Big Ten Men’s Basketball Tournament and were part of a group of Iowa media members that had just eaten at a restaurant in Speedway where AJ Foyt was a legend.

As we were leaving the restaurant, Mike turned and yelled, “AJ Foyt sucks.”

All of us burst into laughter, and fortunately, we all made it out of the restaurant unscathed and with a story tell.

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5. My brief encounter with Hayden Fry at Big Ten Media Day in the mid-1990s:

Sometimes, you have to laugh at yourself and this was one of those times.

The specific details are somewhat unclear after all these years, but what I do remember is crossing paths with Hayden Fry in a Chicago hotel the night before Big Ten Media Day.

We hadn’t seen each other since probably the last day of spring practice in late April, because in those days, there wasn’t much access to Fry or to his players during the late spring and summer.

Fry looked at me and said, “Pattie, I don’t know what you did this summer, but it obviously wasn’t sit ups.”

That was Fry’s way of saying as only could that it looked as if I had put on a few pounds over the summer.

We both shared a laugh, but I also used it as motivation to shed a few pounds.

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6. The time I stumbled upon Sam Okey at Carver-Hawkeye Arena:

In early 1998, there were rumors and speculation that Sam Okay, a talented forward at Wisconsin, was seriously considering transferring to Iowa.

I happened to be in Carver-Hawkeye Arena right around that time when I crossed paths with Okey.

And while was I was prohibited from interviewing Okey, it was obvious that he was on a recruiting visit to Iowa.

He was being escorted around the arena by members of the Iowa coaching staff, including head coach Tom Davis, who apparently saw the excitement on my face from having seen Okey without any other media members present.

Davis looked at me briefly and smiled before saying, “Pat, you look like a kid in a candy store.”

And that’s exactly how I felt knowing that I had a scoop just from being the in the right place at the right time.

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7. The time when former Gazette reporter Marc Morehouse ordered an appetizer in Tampa:

I’ve shared this moment before, but it’s worth sharing again.

A group of Iowa media members were eating at a steak and seafood restaurant in Tampa while covering the days leading up to the Outback Bowl when Marc ordered a seafood appetizer without checking on the price.

We didn’t give it much thought until it was time to pay our bills.

I’ll never forget the look on Marc’s face when he was handed his bill, which included the appetizer at a cost of nearly $200, or as the menu said, market price.

Marc raised his eyebrows and then joked about how this probably wouldn’t sit well with the Gazette bean counters. He then paid his bill.

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8. The time when former Iowa offensive lineman Riley Reiff abruptly ended an interview:

To say that Riley Reiff didn’t enjoy the spotlight would be an understatement.

He was a man of very few words while playing for the Hawkeyes from 2009 to 2011. And he especially didn’t enjoy talking about himself.

But as Reiff became a standout offensive lineman for the Hawkeyes, the media wanted to learn more about him, and understandably so.

The circumstances surrounding this particular moment are fuzzy after all these years.

But what I do remember is Reiff was being interviewed by a group of reporters, when after having answered about two questions, he suddenly said the interview was over.

He then walked away, leaving all of us sort of stunned.

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9. The time my father called Bryce Miller “Chris”:

Before sharing this moment, I want to pay my respects to Bryce Miller, who passed away in 2025 after a courageous two-year battle with bladder cancer. He was just 56 years old.

Bryce and I worked together for nearly a decade at the Iowa City Press-Citizen in the 1990s, and in this particular case, we were staying at my parents’ home in Johnston the night before the Iowa football team was to face Iowa State in Ames.

I had told Bryce that my father had a habit of butchering people’s names, so don’t take it personally if he calls you by the wrong name. I don’t think Bryce gave it much thought until we were backing out of the driveway the morning of the game.

My father was doing something in the front yard when Bryce rolled down the window on the passenger side and thanked my father for his hospitality, respectfully calling him Mr. Harty.

My father looked up briefly and said; “our pleasure, Chris, nice to get to you know.”

I can honestly say that was the hardest I remember Bryce Miller ever laughing, and Bryce loved to laugh.

My father, who passed away in 2018 at the age of 91, had lived up to expectations.

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10. The time I got locked inside the Breslin Center:

This happened while I still was working for the Iowa City Press-Citizen in the early 2000s.

The Iowa men’s basketball team had just lost in East Lansing, but I couldn’t get my articles sent through our computer system, which was an ongoing problem during that time.

So unfortunately, I had to dictate both articles, and that took some time.

In fact, it took so much time when I was finished dictating from the press room, everyone affiliated with the media from both schools had left.

And by that time, the Breslin Center was also locked from the inside as I found out when trying to exit the arena.

After several unsuccessful attempts to find a door that would open, I started wandering the halls hoping to find someone from security that could lead me to freedom.

But even they were long gone.

I finally heard a voice coming down a hall, and that voice would prove to be Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, who looked surprised to see a stranger in that part of the arena.

After explaining my predicament, Izzo chuckled, and rightfully so, and then led me to a door that finally opened and set me free.

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11. The time I ran a red light in downtown Minneapolis:

What made this potentially dangerous moment funny was the look on the faces of the two media members that accompanied me on this trip up north.

I was completely unaware of having just ran a red light in downtown Minneapolis until my two colleagues/passengers informed me moments later; both of their voices trembling in fear.

I remember glancing in the rear view mirror and seeing a look of terror on the face of the person sitting in the back seat.

From that moment on, I don’t think that person ever felt comfortable on the trip until we finally made it back to Iowa City alive.

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12. Tom Brands’ reaction to a silly question:

Brands had just watched his team get dismantled 30-8 at Penn State in 2025 when a reporter surprisingly asked the following question:

“Are you pleased with the fight and the effort your guys’ had?

Brands answered by saying just five words:

“Next question. Are you serious?”

While this moment, obviously, wasn’t funny to Brands, he made it funny just from how he responded to the question.

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13. My brief exchange with Margaret McCaffery following a game against Iowa State:

Those who know me are fully aware that I make no effort to impress people with how I dress.

Give me a pair of jeans and a concert t-shirt and I’m ready to go.

So when I chose to wear a shirt that was close to being the color red while covering an Iowa-Iowa State men’s basketball game at Carver-Hawkeye Arena, it was because it was comfortable and probably the first thing I grabbed from my closet.

It hadn’t occurred to me that my shirt was close to being the same color as Iowa State’s red until Margaret McCaffery, the wife of former Iowa head coach Fran McCaffery, told me in the hallway after the game that she wasn’t pleased with my shirt selection.

At first, I thought she was joking, but when it became obvious that she wasn’t joking, I took my scolding and then apologized.

It wasn’t funny at the time because Margaret was nobody to mess with, but as I look back at that brief encounter, I can only laugh because it was so silly.

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14. Ron Maly having no time on deadline for the Big Dog:

The Iowa men’s basketball team had just lost to Purdue at Mackey Arena in West Lafayette, Indiana when Purdue star Glenn Robinson stepped to the podium to address the media.

Everybody in the media, including former Des Moines Register reporter Rony Maly, were on a tight deadline, so the atmosphere was stressful to say the least.

Maly then turned to somebody from the Purdue Sports Information Department and said; “hey, coach, we don’t have time for the Big Dog,” which was Robinson’s nickname.

Maly’s comment helped to relieve some of the stress with being on deadline, but the Big Dog still addressed the media.

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15. Being called white trash by a fellow hotel occupant in Bloomington, Indiana.

I had just checked into a hotel the night before the Iowa football team played at Indiana in the early 1990s, but was mistakenly put in a room that had been reserved by someone else.

When I tried to open the door, a person who was inside the room asked who it was and then opened the door just wide enough to see me.

That person then called the front desk and complained that some “white trashy” dude was trying to break into their room.

After being told by the person working the front desk how I had been described, I laughed since I probably was wearing old, ripped up jeans or sweatpants and a concert t-shirt while also having not shaved because that’s just how I rolled.