Category Archives: Sports

Apr 06

Uni-Watch blog explores 1968-69 girls’ basketball

Posted on Monday, April 6, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Paul Lukas’ Uni-Watch, which deals in the history and minute details of sports uniforms, recently did a feature on Iowa girls’ basketball. His starting point was a recent New York Times story about Denise (Long) Rife. Most of the post … Continue reading →

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Mar 12

Balance problem? What balance problem?

Posted on Thursday, March 12, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

In the 2019 boys’ basketball state tournament, half the teams were private schools. Grand View Christian won the championship by beating two other private schools. In the 2019 state baseball tournament, three of the Class 1A participants were private schools. … Continue reading →

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Mar 02

Movie highlights six-on-six basketball

Posted on Monday, March 2, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

July 7, 2015: The New Providence “Roundhouse” gym. A fictionalized take of a six-on-six girls’ basketball team in the final year of that sport’s existence in Iowa has been turned into a film. The Des Moines Register says the film … Continue reading →

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Jan 31

Two coaches, two coaching philosophies

Posted on Friday, January 31, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

Iowa State women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly, less than a month ago: “The stuff that isn’t going well, I have to fix,” Fennelly said. “There will be changes made.” Fennelly often shoulders the blame for his team’s performance, such as … Continue reading →

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Jan 14

An exhortation to be there

Posted on Tuesday, January 14, 2020, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

South Tama sports are not in a great place right now. Multiple teams have long losing streaks. In the past decade or so the school has bounced from the WaMaC to the Little Hawkeye Conference to the NICL and back … Continue reading →

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Dec 27

The matchup I thought would never happen

Posted on Friday, December 27, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

October 11, 2015: Notre Dame’s stadium expansion includes academic facilities and its first video boards. I wrote before on this blog that Iowa State would never play Notre Dame in football unless the stars aligned for a bowl game. Well, … Continue reading →

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Nov 29

Matt Campbell’s Gundy Mitzvah

Posted on Friday, November 29, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

The Mike Gundy Bar Mitzvah, for those unaware of the term, is when a football coach becomes a man. (It can also be applied more broadly to well-humored male-identifying individuals.) Today, a day before Iowa State plays in the Little … Continue reading →

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Nov 27

Combined, complete football playoff brackets for 2019

Posted on Wednesday, November 27, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

I shouldn’t have to do this. I don’t really have to do this. And yet, I do. This is, once again, my way of expressing extreme brow-furrowing at the IHSAA for being strange in how it goes about publishing finalized … Continue reading →

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Nov 22

Iowa high school football championship preview

Posted on Friday, November 22, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

VALLEY DOWLING VALLEY DOWLING VALLEY DOWLING VALLEY DOWLING VALLEY DOWLING VALLEY DOWLING VALLEY DOWLING VALLEY DOWLING VALLEY DOWLING VALLEY DOWLING VALLEY DOWLING VALLEY DOWLING VALLEY DOWLING VALLEY DOWLING VALLEY DOWLING (etc.) I believe that the move to reseed brackets in the semifinals is beneficial overall, even if it takes out “east vs. west” championships. … Continue reading →

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Nov 21

Decade milestone of the week (2) (continued)

Posted on Thursday, November 21, 2019, at 10:00 AM by Jeff

November 21, 2009, 5:07 PM: The second-to-last time the words “IowaSt.” would appear on a scoreboard at Faurot Field in Columbia, Missouri. Iowa State at Missouri 2009 was, at the time we left the stadium (and went to see the … Continue reading →

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