R. H. Of Des Moines Reaches Into the Past To Touch On the Names Of Some Sports, Writing and Broadcast Heavyweights

Ron Gonder's recent commentary on WMT-radio in Cedar Rapids about the problems I had with former Iowa football coach Ray Nagel prompted R. H. of Des Moines into sharing some memories.

Here's his e-mail:

Ron,

"As someone who is under 40, but not naive about Iowa football, it was a treat to read Ron Gonder's story on how he got you into hot water with Ray Nagel. In college, I read the accounts of the Evy-Nagel feud and I hooked on the events surrounding the feud. From the black student-athletes boycotting, to Evy getting Gary Grouwinkel, Ted and Larry Lawrence, among a few to undermine Nagel, and the changing landscape of the country at that time in the late 60's and early 70's.

"The feud, in my eyes, was the most compelling saga in Iowa sports history. Then again, I trust guys like Al Grady, Marc Hansen, Buck Turnbull, and you to correct me if I'm wrong!

"Ron Gonder and Frosty Mitchell were two major reasons why I started following Hawkeye athletics as a kid growing up in Eastern Iowa. Some of the credit also goes to Bob Hogue and Bill Bolster, when both of them at KWWL-TV, helped created the Iowa Television Network and put Hawkeye basketball and football on television. But it was WMT that made me a fan of Gonder and Mitchell, along with the late Gus Schrader, Carl Gonder, Dick Trotter with Pigskin Parade after the game, and the entire WMT team.

"I finally met Ron Gonder in 2005, at the Class 4-A boys basketball final between Bettendorf and Linn-Mar. His son Carl was being inducted into the Athletic Association's Hall of Fame. My aunt's brother, Mike Davis, who played for East Waterloo, was also being inducted. The Gonder family sat a few rows above my family in the balcony inside Vets Auditorium. It made my night to finally see and meet the guy who made 'You can pass in the songbooks on this one!' and 'the crowd is going bananas!!!' popular phrases on the eastern side of the state!

"It's fitting that Ron is a topic on your blog. Several days ago, on a certain sports radio station in town, a certain afternoon show host had a cow about Gonder being in the booth with Dolphin and Podolak during the fourth quarter of the Iowa-Illinois game. I'm not going to mention the guy's name on this blog, because I'm sure he reads this blog as well. But, he knows that I'm talking about him! That fella strongly felt that Gonder had no business being there, and for that matter, didn't think highly of him.

"I wanted to reach into the radio and throttle that guy. Anyone who is on the Kinnick Stadium Wall of Fame, either as a contributor, broadcaster, or writer, is a 'made man' in my book [to use the term from the Mafioso]. They can stop by the booth anytime when they are invited to come. I don't care if it's Jim Zabel, Bob Brooks, George Wine, or if the ghosts of Eric Wilson and Maury White pops in, they deserve the invite to drop in with Dolph and Eddie.

"I was never so furious and angry listening to that rip job of one of the living legends of Iowa sports broadcasting. But, I feel better after reading Gonder's story about Ray Nagel. Nagel must have hated Buck, Maury, you and Evy so much, I could imagine him running around the Iowa campus at 3 a.m., screaming his lungs out!

"Best,"

R.H.
Des Moines

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: R. H. of Des Moines is a very accurate reporter and has his facts straight in this electronic account of Iowa sports and broadcast history. I'm glad he brought up the names from the past that he did because they take me back to a time when newspapers were a very important part of the communications scene, and there was talent galore in press boxes -- in both the sportswriters' and broadcasters' areas. I'm especially happy that R. H. mentioned Gus Schrader's name. Gus was the longtime sports editor/columnist of the Cedar Rapids Gazette who gave me my writing star when I was a 15-year-old student at Wilson High School in Cedar Rapids. Gus went to the big press box in the sky a number of years ago, but I still thank him for his kindness. I am honored to be in the University of Iowa/Kinnick Stadium with Gus, as well as Ron Gonder, Brooksie, "Z" and the others. That's Bob Brooks pictured at the right and Frosty Mitchell at the left].

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GLORY DAYS OVER AT NEBRASKA

Longtime Cornhusker fan Alive In Clive, not his real name, says the NCAA "has taken the powerhouse football programs apart" in this e-mail:

Ron,

"Good piece on Nebraska...I don't think any of us are going to see the glory days of our favorite college football teams. Those days are gone, and the NCAA has taken the powerhouse programs apart. The BCS is already a mess this year. All we can hope for is a decent season for our boys.

"You can place Rick Neuhauser [or Neuheisel] on your coach list. Now here is a stellar coach if I ever saw one.

"Go, Valley, Here is a good football team winning.

"I remain,

Alive in Clive

[RON MALY'S COMMENTS: I figure Nebraska is going to continue being in the same boat with the Iowas and the Purdues of the world. Those teams are going to have more 7-5 records than 10-2 records. It's a good thing Bob Devaney is now doing his coaching in the huge stadium upstairs because he wouldn't like what's going on at Nebraska these days. As for unbeaten and No. 1 ranked 4-A team Valley, I figure the Tigers should be underdogs in Friday's game against Ankeny in the UNI-Dome at Cedar Falls. But that doesn't mean Valley can't win. I continue to admire the job Gary Swenson is doing with the program there. The guy is amazing].

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HERE'S A HORRIFYING THOUGHT FOR YOU

I make the point in another area where I write about how amazing it is that collegiate football teams with so-so records -- like 6-4 and 5-5 -- are wondering which bowl games they'll be playing in.

I recall when an outstanding Iowa team had an 8-1 record in 1960 and played in no bowl.

That was Forest Evashevski's final Hawkeye squad. Its only loss was to Minnesota and it walloped Ohio Sate, 35-12, and Notre Dame, 28-0, in its final two games -- but stayed home for the holidays because of rules that then prohibited a team other than the Big Ten champion from going to bowls.

Just think, Iowa's 1968 and 1969 teams -- both of which went 5-5 -- would have gone to bowl games if today's regulations were in effect.

That might've meant Ray Nagel wouldn't have been fired after the 1970 season.

What a horrifying thought.