Public address announcer Mark Abbott retires after 26 years with Iowa football

IOWA CITY — It’s been almost 37 years since Mark Abbott last sat in the stands of Kinnick Stadium.

He still remembers the classic, unforgettable Iowa football wins, however. He remembers watching fans storm in the field after defeating Penn State in 2021. Then there’s the two-day football game a year later, where Kaleb Johnson scored on both Saturday and Sunday. There’s the win over UNI that was secured by two blocked field goals.

The list goes on, and he’ll recount those wins with ease. His seat was stories above the football field, protected from the rain, wind, snow or sun Hawkeye fans are subjected to during fall football Saturdays.

Those fans will certainly recognize his voice, however.

“It always catches me by surprise,” Abbott told The Gazette. “I have never thought about it in those terms.”

Abbott, dubbed the “Voice of Kinnick Stadium” since 2000, calls his final game on Saturday, in the Hawkeyes’ home finale against Michigan State. He’s just the third public address announcer Iowa has had for football in the last 70 years.

“I want to salute Mark Abbott stepping aside after 26 years,” head coach Kirk Ferentz said. “Just a great voice in Kinnick, and Mark's done a great job.”

Abbott took the role after Reverend Robert Holzhammer, more commonly known as Father Bob, retired in 1999. Before then, Bud Suter held the role from 1955 to 1974.

Abbott was originally an athletics administrator, and took up the public announcing role as a hobby. He gave it his first try at the 2000 spring game.

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Year after year, Abbott continued to fill the role with no idea how long he’d stay. It was simply fun and he got used to it.

“I tell people that I had a series of one-year contracts with myself, and I just kept renewing,” Abbott said. “I really didn't give it much thought. I just went from year to year.”

He finally decided this year was the right time to end that one-year contract.

Abbott hasn’t been a part of the 70,000 fans cheering on the Hawkeyes since the very early days of Ferentz’s tenure. There are people who’ve told him they’ve only known Abbott’s voice.

The reality hasn’t fully sunk in for Abbott, either, but he’s excited to see what an Iowa football game looks like among the fans who’ve grown synonymous to the likes of his voice.

“it's just a joy to think back on those days and all of the times that I've been able to participate in such a great activity,” Abbott said. “And I think maybe next fall, I'll begin to really realize what has transpired these last 26 years.”

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