Iowa Football: More On The Great Hawkeyes Back For Homecoming
On the evening of Wednesday, October 4th, this writer had the opportunity to attend the Back in Black and Gold Alumni Event at the Levitt Center on the University of Iowa Campus. With seven former Hawkeyes in attendance, there was sure to be some great memories and a few laughs.
And there were.
Here is part two of a look at that night at the Levitt Center.
The stories of homecoming and times past were plentiful that evening. All seven players had something interesting to say about their homecoming memories. They also had some keen insight into what it was like to play back in their era. The group represented players from the 50’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s and today so many eras of Iowa football were at the event.
Former Iowa quarterback Chuck Long had the most to say at the event. He discussed some of the good times he had while at Iowa and brought up a funny moment talking about a date he had in college. It ended up that as the night wore on, his date left him and ended up with one of his teammates. It brought a lot of laughs to the crowd.
Mike Haight talked about the night before the Hawks’ Rose Bowl game played against the Washington Huskies back on January 1st of 1982. He stated that Hayden Fry let them have a movie night and they watched the old comedy classic Porky’s. Haight said, jokingly, that Fry thought that might have contributed to their 28-0 loss at th
e hands of the Huskies.
Related Story: Iowa Football: Former Hawkeye Greats Show Up For Homecoming
Haight said movie night was a tradition and he talked about how they would get a snickers bar and a chocolate shake before every game. He also talked about how he was one of the first to take a motorcycle from one class to another and that Fry would make “safety” comments about his use of the motorized mode of transportation.
The stability of Iowa’s coaching staff was discussed. The players mentioned how remarkable it has been that Iowa has had only two coaches for the last 38 years. That is true stability. Some college football programs have been through so many head coaches in the last 38 years but Iowa keeps stays loyal to its coaches. This stability helps contribute to a solid program that is one of the most consistent in all of college football.
Long brought up an interesting fact that has to be mentioned. He said that Fry had been sought after by San Francisco 49ers owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr., went after Fry. Fry decided to stick with Iowa and so instead; the 49ers went after Bill Walsh.
We all know how that turned out.
There was a story that stuck out to me, aside from all the talk about Hayden Fry. It was told by Jim Molini and was about the late Reggie Roby. Roby was a punter for the Hawkeyes from 1979 to 1982. It was said that Roby wanted to be a tight end instead of a punter and wanted to try out at the tight end position. Molini said that Fry said (of Roby’s wishes), “make sure that he wants to be punter.”
In practice, the coaches sent Roby across the middle of the field on a pass pattern. Molini said that heeding Fry’s words, the defense “lit” Roby up with a big hit to remind him of what life was like for a pass-catching tight end coming across the middle. Roby went back to punting giving up his dreams of being a tight end.
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There were stories about the NFL. After the event was over and autographs were being signed, I talked to Long, told him I was a Bears fan and asked him what it was like playing against the Chicago Bears. He just looked at me, shook his head and said, “They were so tough to play against.”
Sticking to the NFL, the overarching theme with the group that night was that the while the money in the NFL was good playing in the NFL wasn’t like it was playing in college. The vibe that I got was that playing in the NFL was not as fun and as rewarding (except monetarily) as it was in college. It was said that in an NFL locker room after the game was over, you just wanted to get out of there because you were glad it was over.
I heard the word “relief” used to describe what the feeling was like after an NFL game was over.
But in the college locker room, in the Iowa Hawkeyes locker room, you would stay in there and sing with your teammates according to the guys. The joy of playing college football echoed throughout the room that night. You could tell that all seven enjoyed their college football days.
Finally, one more story that came up during the evening touched on were how the Iowa Hawkeye’s facilities have changed. Only Anthony Gair has used the new facilities as a player since they were updated. It shows the University of Iowa’s commitment to their sports programs and keeping Iowa sports moving in the right direction.
The guys all gave an update on what they are up to now.
Lew Matykiewicz is retired and lives in Tinley Park, Illinois. He has 19 grandchildren.
Anthony Gair-Gair lives in Iowa City and is in business there.
Mike Haight-Haight lives in the Iowa City area and is in business in the area.
Nate Kaeding-Kaeding lives in the Iowa City area and is in business helping to build buildings in the area.
Jim Molini-Molini is involved in the construction industry. He is also involved in an organization of former Iowa Hawkeye football players called the Iowa Football Club.
Tim Dwight-Dwight is a businessman involved in solar energy in the Iowa City area.
And finally,
Chuck Long-Long got into coaching for a while after his NFL career ended. He is now involved in covering football on the Big Ten Network and can be seen there every Saturday.