Gary and Ed 4th Qtr of Iowa - Penn State

I had the opportunity to place my flip camera in the Learfield Radio Booth of Gary Dolphin and Ed Podolak. This is a clip from the 2010 Iowa - Penn State football game. A special thanks to Gary and Ed as well as Hawkeye Sports Properties.

Look Back at Northern Iowa

A final look back at Saturday's scare in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes beat the FCS in-state rival Northern Iowa Panthers 17-16.

The first swarm of the year. A packed Kinnick Stadium awaited the start of the 2009 football season.

Back in the booth was Gary Dolphin and Ed Podolak. Podolak, temporarily retired, returned to the booth. It was great to see and hear the two again. On this weekend Gary received the award of honorary letterman. Definitely deserved.

At halftime Hall of Fame Coach, Hayden Fry stopped by the Learfield Radio booth for a quick interview.

The Iowa - Northern Iowa football game marked the culmination of FryFest in Coralville. FryFest will look to become an annual event.

He's Back

It was announced today Ed Podolak will come out of retirement and re-join Gary Dolphin in the Iowa Football Radio Booth.

It is good to see #14 straighten himself out and agree to the terms set by the Iowa administration and Learfield Communications. Podolak will definitely be tested this season, but knowing how dedicated he was to returning to the booth and correcting his ways, hopefully Iowa fans will be supportive and not distracting to keeping him on the straight and narrow.

Who's Next?

Attention turns to who will take the seat next to Gary Dolphin on Saturdays in the Kinnick Stadium Press Box. Des Moines Register.com has an on-line poll with who they believe are the favorites. They are: Marv Cook, Bob Elliott, Bill Happel, Chuck Hartlieb, Chuck Long, Lew Montgomery, and Matt Whitaker.

It is no doubt the most coveted job and it will come with high expectations in and out of the broadcast booth. What should be looked for? First they need to find the right fit in the booth. Not only will they need to know the X's and O's of football, but they must be able to have good chemistry with current play by play man, Gary Dolphin. Good chemistry can super cede the knowledge of the game. Too often radio partners know the game but don't make good radio. Cub fans witnessed that early this decade with the addition of Joe Carter to the booth with Chip Caray. Each knew the game but failed to find cohesion.

Second, they will most likely be local and be more than an analyst. The proper addition may be able to be the ambassador that Ed was and help the workload of Gary Dolphin. Dolph is found racking up more miles on Highway 151 than a state trooper to handle duties with radio and television shows as well as I-Club related duties. The new analyst may be called upon to lighten this workload and be more visible than Podolak was available for.

Finally the new analyst must be the anti-Podolak out of the booth. Socializing won't be out of the question for the new analyst but a new standard will be expected. The next guy won't be found at the hotel bar at closing time on every weekend.

The list the Des Moines Register listed should only be a partial list as there are many qualified ex-athletes available. Of the previous list, Bill Happel could be the best fit. Of those that were mentioned, Hartlieb, Long and Whitaker all have children at the age which they may not want to be gone twelve weeks in a row as well as take on the public speaking tour. Long and Elliott may be well-spoken but they need to be so in a reactionary role. They won't have time to form thoughts but must be able to comment immediately on what they see. I could see each having a future as a studio analyst, but it takes practice to formulate thoughts instantaneously and concisely.

Happel has had experience in radio and is local. The Cedar Rapids businessman has done stock reports for local radio stations and is well-received within 930 Stadium Drive. Obviously he is local and is still well-known to Hawkeye fans over the age of 30.

Another name that should be considered is former Hawkeye football analyst, Mike Reily. Reily worked with Ron Gonder in the 70s and 80s and was well-received by their eastern Iowa listeners. Reily currently lives in Dubuque and is good friends with Gary Dolphin. The chemistry would be there and Reily would do well as a public speaker.

This is the biggest hire for Learfield since naming Gary Dolphin prior to the 1997 season. Ed Podolak and current basketball analyst, Bob Hanson were employed by WHO of Des Moines and made the transition from Jim Zabel to Gary Dolphin. While this has been a sudden retirement, there is no rush to name someone new. They have until the first of April when the I-Club circuit begins. At this time they can usher him around the state of Iowa and introduce him to the fans, the same fans that will be looking to socialize with him as they did Podolak.

The End of an Era

Today Iowa great Ed Podolak announced his retirement from the Iowa Football broadcast team. Since 1982 Podolak has been apart of the broadcast whether it was on WHO teamed with Jim Zabel, or on the current Learfield team with Gary Dolphin. Podolak, a star running back with the Hawkeyes in the late 60s, has been associated with this program longer than any head coach and is as iconic with Hawk fans as Hayden Fry or Kirk Ferentz.


Over the weekend pictures appeared originated on a Iowa State message board, which also found their way onto many national blogs of what appears to be an intoxicated Podolak with a female fan--Podolak appearing unprofessionally. What ensued was the announcement of Podolak's retirement from the broadcast team. Ed, 61, cites the increased difficulty of travelling from his relocated home in Northern California to Hawkeye football games scattered throughout the midwest, and denies any correlation to the photos.


The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports the pictures were taken the night before Iowa's New Year Day's Outback Bowl victory over South Carolina. However, as seen from the pictures below, Podolak is wearing the same shirt in both sets of pictures. Mine were taken the night after the game. This is the Ed Podolak I will remember:

Pictured with me and Podolak are Iowa running back Jared Oberland, Senior Tight End, Brandon Myers and others close to the program. If the pictures that circulated over the weekend were taken the night of the game, these were taken after those. Ed always had time for the Iowa fans and loved the University as well as football program more than anyone. We tend to use the phrase "there is no bigger Hawk than..." on many, but it doesn't belong to anyone more than Ed Podolak. While in Tampa I tried to introduce a friend to Podolak at the Hawkeye Huddle and the wait was long as all Hawkeye fans wanted to meet the Hawkeye great. The introduction finally occurred only to be interrupted within seconds by another Hawkeye fan. There was no one more generous with his time and resources than Ed Podolak.

When Iowa decided to reduce to one radio team many wanted to see the person who they grew up with take over the job. Whether it was Jim Zabel, Ron Gonder, Frosty Mitchell or Bob Brooks, no one disagreed on who should be the analyst. The state of Iowa has been fortunate to have an analyst that is nationally recognized as one of the best to broadcast the local state university.

Below is the last time the Iowa broadcast team of Gary Dolphin and Ed Podolak will be seen together. This was taken the day after the game while preparing for the buses to leave for the airport. Gary was to return with the football team while Ed deaparted on is own for home.

My wife's father played against Podolak while Ed starred at Atlantic High School. It was also on this day that we asked Ed to pose for a photo with her and our son. We knew it would be a picture that many would enjoy.

I am very fortunate to know Ed and will greatly miss him, not only on the radio, but also as part of the Iowa Football program. He and Dolph made a great team and he shared many great stories. In his statement today Ed mentioned of writing a book of his memoirs. All Hawkeye fans would greatly enjoy that as we heard many of them throughout the years.