An effort to raise money for a Reggie Roby memorial fund is continuing in Roby’s hometown of Waterloo. The former Iowa all-american and NFL pro-bowl punter died early last year of an apparent heart attack at the age of 43.
Six months ago, three of Roby’s former Hawkeye teammates — Robert Smith, Norm Granger, and Kerry Burt — announced plans to establish the memorial fund to keep Roby’s legacy alive. Smith says the fund-raising effort is making progress, as he says former football players are stepping forward and helping with the fund.
One of those former players is Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, who recently contributed one-thousand dollars to the effort. Smith is confident that other ex-Hawkeye players will support the campaign. Smith says it shows the value of how the Hawkeyes look out for each other and how much Roby meant to everyone.
Contributions to the memorial fund will pay for a new fitness center and several other projects at Roby’s alma mater, Waterloo East high school. The money will also be used to finance a Waterloo school district scholarship. Organizers had hoped to raise 250-thousand dollars by February, but smith says it’s been a time-consuming project. He remains confident that organizers will meet — and possibly surpass — the goal.
Smith says there’s plenty of local support for the memorial fund. He says he hasn’t even had a chance yet to get out in other counties. Smith says they wanted to get thing going locally before moving out into the state. Smith says things are moving in the right direction.