By Tyson Wirth ” The Daily Iowan
The dog days of summer can be brutal.
With Iowa baseball and softball long out of the picture and the Hawkeye football season-opener still months away, Iowa City can be boring for sports fans. Which is where the UI Karro Athletics Hall of Fame comes in.
“The building is unique – I don’t think there are three like it on campuses around the country, “said Dale Arens, the hall’s director. “We had roughly 12,000 people through here last year, but we’re never satisfied. I would concede that we’re still a well-kept secret.”
DI reporter Tyson Wirth looks at eight things a Hawkeye fan shouldn’t miss at the hall:
8. Go stare at a wall: The ribs of the almost 3-year-old building are incredible. As soon as patrons walk in, they’re flanked by two towering walls that boast plaques, pictures, and info bites on the greatest athletes in Iowa history. Keep moving though, or closing time will arrive, and you’ll still be trying to absorb everything on just one of these massive surfaces.
7. Shoot a free throw in front of 22,000: The museum, located on west campus near the soccer fields, is home to a mini-gymnasium. The second-floor court boasts a maple floor – exactly like in the old home of Iowa basketball, the Field House – and the sound of 22,000-plus rabid fans plays when patrons shoot. A field-goal post also exists but isn’t used anymore, because, as 87-year-young hall ambassador Charlie Smith put it, “We have to be careful of injuries. “Bet you’ve never heard that in a museum before.
6. Get in touch with technology: The hall is home to a mini-theater that raises hair and heart rates by showing last season’s football highlights. Fans can see everything from The Catch to Iowa’s first touchdown against Kent State. In addition, there are several interactive monitors that contain databases of past letter winners, legendary teams, and memorable moments in Hawkeye history. Visitors can view anything from the infamous 1953 Fainting Irish football game to the 1992-93 women’s Final Four squad that went 15-0 at home.
5. Memorize Nile Kinnick’s Heisman speech: While submerged in a recording of the Heisman winner’s speech, visitors can marvel at a Sports Action comic book with the halfback on the front, bowling over four helpless opponents. A game worn uniform by the legend is also present, complete with cup holder and all. Patrons could spend an entire day at this single section, but more treasures remain.
“For me, the Nile Kinnick exhibit is the heart of the museum, “Smith said. “Nile was not only a wonderful athlete but eloquent and a brilliant speaker. At age 22, he thought like a 52-year-old.”
4. Brush up on your history: Who knew that Fred “Duke “Slater was Iowa’s first black All-American more than 80 years ago or that he is the man Slater Hall was named after in 1972? Or that prior to 1916, there was no admission fee (oh, how the wallet yearns to rewind time) for football games? Or that in 1937, Nile Kinnick led the nation in punting at more than 43 yards per attempt? That trivia is smaller than a Fred Russell footstep when compared with everything even a seasoned Hawkeye fan can learn at the historical exhibits.
3. Host a party: “[Former Iowa basketball guard] Ryan Luehrsmann held a wedding reception here recently. We’ve had everything from birthdays to coaches’ conventions to bar mitzvahs to 50th wedding anniversaries, “Smith said. The museum does have its advantages – the entire building is air-conditioned, parking is free, and a kitchen allows for easy catering of almost any event. Just be sure there’s no one from Ames in your party.
2. Go back to the future: Younger fans may find it hard to connect to the legends of Iowa yesteryear. Everyone, though, can appreciate seeing pictures of Robert Gallery’s grungy locks hovering over the Outland Trophy. And it seems like just yesterday when former football coach Hayden Fry prowled the sidelines of Kinnick in his homemade ostrich-skin boots, which are proudly on display. It’s not all football memorabilia either – each men’s and women’s varsity sport has its own section, as do the Marching Band and spirit squads.
1. Speak with a legend: Imagine entering the complex and being spotted by two elderly gentlemen sporting vests and kind smiles. They shout a greeting and wave you over, where the first thing you notice about the nearest man (the one who graduated from Iowa with Nile Kinnick in 1940) is a tiny gold Tiger Hawk sticker in the bottom corner of his Coke bottle-thick eyeglasses.
He pulls up a chair for you and asks how long he has for the tour. You tell him about your meeting in an hour, but 45 minutes later, ambassador Smith is only gaining steam, telling you about a pair of geese that like to visit the museum and how when geese mate they mate for life.
You don’t have the heart to tell him you must depart, so you skip the meeting and enjoy the Hawkeye history lesson for another 45 minutes without a second of regret. Such is the magic of the Hall of Fame ambassadors.
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