Kirk Ferentz and Iowa Broadcasting Legend Were First Introduced On K-Hawk

An Iowa broadcasting legend that I had the pleasure of working with for many years here at KHAK has been to every Rose Bowl Iowa has ever played in. Turns out, Kirk Ferentz first heard his distinct voice on 98.1 KHAK... as he explains in this video.

I arrived at KHAK in the spring of 1990 and Bob Brooks was already a broadcasting legend. Our station was a flagship for one of three Iowa football and basketball networks at the time and Bob was the voice of our network. "How ya' doin' everybody" is still his trademark line today along with a "tip of the fedora."

Bob and I worked together each day for about a decade. He would interview the coaches prior to each game, and leading up to each game I'd cut up the audio and ship it off to Learfield in Missouri. Yes, we sent actual tape at that time. We spent many an hour together in the production room with Bob telling stories and me soaking it all up. We broadcast many high school football and basketball games on the AM station we had at that time as well. It goes without saying they're memories I'll cherish forever.

I learned a ton from Bob Brooks and in more recent years have done some work with his son Rob. He's continued the family tradition of broadcasting on the Hawkeye network as the sideline reporter for Iowa football in addition to lending his voice to other college basketball teams, like UNI. Rob also does high school basketball and football games for Mediacom, where we've worked together.

There's no bigger Iowa fan on this planet than Bob Brooks. I remember being dejected about Hawkeye teams many times over the years, but only one time do I EVER recall Bob saying anything negative about an Iowa coach. I'm not going to get into the specifics, but I will tell you this: That coach is long gone. Bob's the eternal Iowa optimist and has been one of if not the school's biggest fan, for decades.

Friday, Bob who is now 89, will attend his sixth Iowa Rose Bowl. An amazing man, an incredible career that still continues. A legend I'm proud to call a friend.

Bob, I tip my fedora to you. Go Hawks!