(Iowa City, IA) – The voice of Iowa football, Ed Podolak, has announced that he will be transitioning out of the radio booth as the color commentator. The now-former commentator will step into a new role of providing analysis during pregame shows and on podcasts.
Podolak had quite a bit of time in the broadcast booth, calling nearly 500 Hawkeye football games as a radio analyst over 42 seasons. He started out working at WHO on radio broadcasts for Iowa football games in 1982 while serving as an NFL commentator for NBC and a college football commentator at ESPN. Podolak worked with WHO up until 1997 when he joined Learfield Sports in 1997.
“I have decided that this is a good time for me to step back from my role as color commentator for the Hawkeye football radio broadcasts,” said Podolak. “I believe there is no greater honor than to be part of the Iowa Hawkeye Football team. I have loved watching these young men and coaches compete for the past 42 years. Sharing my perspective for the incredible Hawkeye fans from coast to coast has been a thrill.
Atlantic residents know Podolak very well as he was born on a small farm in Atlantic on September 1, 1947. During his time at Atlantic, he was part of the Trojan football teams that went undefeated in both his junior and senior seasons. Atlantic made it to the state tournament a total of two times with Podolak as the quarterback while earning the conference title in both seasons.
Ed Podolak Drive in Front of Atlantic Middle School and Schuler Elementary
Podolak was well-known to many Hawkeye fans as a quarterback and running back for Iowa. He ranks in the top 20 in Iowa history in career rushing yards (1,710 yds 14 TD’s), passing yards (2,316 yds 8 TD’s), and total offense (4,026 yds) and was named first-team All-Big Ten in 1968. Speaking of impressive numbers, he set a then-school and Big Ten record while rushing for 286 yards on 17 attempts against Northwestern.
After his career at Iowa, he jumped into the 1969 NFL Draft by the Kansas City Chiefs and even was part of the Super Bowl winning team in 1970. Podolak still holds the NFL record for all-purpose yards in an NFL game with 350 total yards against Miami on Christmas Day in 1971. He is a member of the Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Honor, the Iowa Letterwinners Club Hall of Fame, and the University of Iowa Media Hall of Fame.
The University of Iowa Athletics Department will start a search for a replacement for the Hall of Famer.
