Eight months after former Iowa All-American punter Reggi Roby’s life was cut short by an apparent heart attack, three former Hawkeye players want to make sure his legacy lives on.
Robert Smith, Norm Granger, and Kerry Burt are working to establish a memorial fund that would finance youth projects in Roby’s hometown of Waterloo. Smith says their goal is to raise a-quarter-of-a-million dollars by February.
The contributions will pay for a new fitness center and other projects at Waterloo East high school. The money will also finance a scholarship fund for the Waterloo school district. He says some of the money will be used for student aid, and not just for East, but for all the Waterloo schools.
Roby devoted much of his life to helping young people in the state of Iowa, and especially Waterloo. Smith says establishing a memorial fund is one way of showing appreciation for what he accomplished. He says working with young people was a passion of Roby’s, and he says they want to make sure that the community never forgets Roby. Roby died in February at the age of 43.
After graduating from Waterloo East in 1979, he was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds as a pitcher, but chose to play football instead. Roby played 16-years in the NFL after being drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1983. Smith says Roby was the athlete most-credited for helping Hayden Fry turn around a losing program at Iowa. Smith says Roby was the first recruit signed by Fry and was the point person to get the program turned around. To make a contribution to the Reggie Roby memorial fund, contact the Waterloo school district at 319-433-1800.
