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Special Awards Salute: Lifetime Achievement honor awarded to Iowa's Phil Haddy, who retires in June

Date postedMay 18, 2012
Awards,

College Sports Information Directors of America

Special Awards Salute: Lifetime Achievement honor awarded to Iowa's Phil Haddy, who retires in June after 41 years with the Hawkeyes

Below, see the schedule of the 2012 Special Award recipient feature stories which will be written by CoSIDA members throughout the spring. The full slate of 2012 Special Awards was announced March 2. All awards will be presented during the 2012 CoSIDA Convention in St. Louis (June 23-26).

Iowa's Phil Haddy to receive CoSIDA Lifetime Achievement Award; to retire after 41 seasons with the Hawkyes*****by Larry Scott, Minnesota State University Moorhead (retired)***

It’s always been about consistency and reliability in the sports information office at the University of Iowa. No wonder Phil Haddy was a perfect fit.

Now, after 41 seasons with the Hawkeyes, Haddy will officially retire in June and will receive the Lifetime Achievement Award by the College Sports Information Directors of America this summer.

Haddy was only the third sports information director in the history of intercollegiate athletics at Iowa, following Eric Wilson and George Wine. A member of the Iowa staff since 1990, Steve Roe was named Director of Athletic Communications in July of 2011 and became the fourth Hawkeye SID.

“I’m very proud of the fact that we have had only four sports information directors since 1926,” said Haddy. “I doubt many colleges or universities can make that claim.”

Haddy served as Iowa’s Sports Information Director from 1993-2010 and completed his remarkable run as a special assistant. Haddy became part of the Hawkeye staff in 1971 and was named Director of Sports Information in July, 1993.

“I have no regrets; I’ve truly been a blessed person,” said Haddy. “I think I’ve been good for the University of Iowa, but the University of Iowa has been twice as good to me, my wife and my family.”

Roe is anxious to carry on the unique Hawkeye tradition and admits he owes much to his predecessor.

“Phil has been a mentor to me since I was fortunate enough to join the staff in 1990,” said Roe. “He has been dedicated to the Iowa athletic program for a long time, and that’s a credit to him for all the long hours and weekends that are required in this profession. Because of dedicated directors such as George Wine and Phil Haddy, the Iowa sports information office has had great stability. I hope we can maintain the reputation they have established in the years ahead.”

“Personally Phil has been a great listener and problem-solver,” Roe said. “This is a profession in which you spend a lot of time with co-workers in the office and on the road. Phil has a great sense of humor, but he is also a caring person who has helped me grow and mature in every phase of life.”

A native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, Haddy completed two degrees at Iowa and worked for two combination radio-television stations before joining the UI staff. His wife, Elaine, has been employed in the Human Resources Department at the university, and the Haddys have combined for a remarkable 86 years of service to the university. Phil and Elaine have a son, Jason, and a daughter, Jamie, both graduates of the University of Iowa. They are the grandparents of Nick (11) and William (8) Haddy and Evelyn (6) and Marty (4) Powers.

“I’ve truly been blessed to have had the greatest bosses like Bump Elliott and George Wine, and coaches like Hayden Fry and Kirk Ferentz in football, Tom Davis and Fran McCaffrey in basketball, Dan Gable in wrestling and Vivian Stringer in women’s basketball,” said Haddy.

He has also been witness to some remarkable milestones in his four decades plus at Iowa.

“I’ve worked 483 football games (261-215-7) and been to 24 bowl games. I’ve been to the Final Four in basketball, three Rose Bowls and had 21 national championship teams in wrestling.”

Haddy joined the Hawkeye athletic family in 1971 after a brief career in television. “I was working at KCRJ Radio-TV in Cedar Rapids when I heard there was an opening in the sports information office. I think I kept bugging George (Wine) so much he gave me the job,” Haddy remembers.

There are memories to last a lifetime for Haddy. His favorite?

“Our first Rose Bowl trip," said Haddy, recalling the Hawkeyes’ appearance at the 1983 Rose Bowl and a date with the University of Washington at Pasadena, Calif. “We were all set to accept the Liberty Bowl bid; it would be our first bowl game in 24 years, but on the last day, everything came together. I think at least half of the 60,000 people at Kinnick Stadium were crying they were so happy to be going to the Rose Bowl. The saddest moment was the death of Chris Street in 1993. He was taken from us far too quickly, and I am sure he would have been a great player in professional basketball.”

While Haddy may be retiring, he is not about to abandon his beloved Hawkeyes.

“I’ve been the public address voice of Iowa wrestling for the last 20 years and will keep that.”

Individual recipient feature story schedule for 2012 Special Awards

General 2012 Special Awards release March

May

June

Awards to be presented during CoSIDA St. Louis Convention, St. Louis, Missouri

Sunday, June 24: Kickoff Luncheon

  • Awards presented: 25-Year Awards; Trailblazer, Kenworthy Community Service, Rising Star (University and College Divisions), Keith Jackson honors

Monday, June 25: (two award presentations) CoSIDA Hall of Fame luncheon

  • Awards presented: Esposito, Lifetime Achievement, CoSIDA Hall of Fame awards

Capital One Special Awards Gala (dinner/ceremony)

  • Awards presented: Arch Ward, Warren Berg, Jake Wade, Lester Jordan, Enberg awards; Capital One Academic All-America Hall of Fame induction

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