Phil Haddy

Phil Haddy

One of the Iowa fans who’ll be at the Rose Bowl watching the Hawkeyes has seen all their modern day trips to the game from a unique perspective.

Phil Haddy served as the sports information director for the University of Iowa Athletic Department for 41 years before retiring in 2012. Haddy is going to the Rose Bowl as a fan for the first time after the last trip in 1991 that was part of his job.

Haddy says it was a smaller, closer knit group of media that covered Iowa in 1991, and the hotels and a lot of other things have changed to. “Everything evolves, everything changes,” said Haddy, “the good thing is we’re in it.”

Haddy says one thing that hasn’t changed is the Rose Bowl’s position as one of the top postseason sites.

“The Rose Bowl, when you just say Rose Bowl, there are no other bowls on at that time when that is one, everybody is watching you when you are in the Rose Bowl. So, it is something special.”

Haddy says he is looking forward to cheering Iowa on to a victory in the Rose Bowl on January 1st, and this time once the game is over, he won’t have to go to work.