Longtime Iowa PA for football, basketball dies

IOWA CITY - Former University of Iowa public-address announcer the Rev. Robert E. Holzhammer died on Tuesday. He was 92.

Holzhammer, who was better known as 'Father Bob,” began announcing Iowa football and men's basketball games in 1974. He retired from announcing basketball games in 1999 and football in 2000.

'Anybody that's been around Iowa sports for a long time knows what a great person he was and just a great enthusiast for all of our teams,” Iowa football coach Kirk Ferentz said Wednesday. 'Very sorry to hear about that.”

Holzhammer was a graduate of Bellevue (Iowa) High School and served in the Air Force during World War II. After the war, Holzhammer graduated from Iowa in 1949 and later earned degrees in Divinity from Virginia Theological Seminary (1952) and American Church History from the University of the South (1971). He worked for parishes in Iowa Falls, Webster City, and Dubuque before moving to Iowa City in 1962, when he became rector at Iowa City's Trinity Episcopal Church.

In 1989, Holzhammer was named an Honorary Letterman by the National Iowa Varsity Club. He also was a member of the University of Iowa Alumni Association and the Varsity I-Club.

Holzhammer is survived by his son, David (Jean) Holzhammer of Iowa City, and his daughter, Mary 'Tina” (John) Strauss of Deerfield, Ill.; six grandchildren, Andrew (Amanda) Strauss of Carlsbad, Calif., Lindsay Holzhammer of Redondo Beach, Calif., Joseph Holzhammer of Iowa City, Rachel Strauss of Denver, Colo., Ben Holzhammer of Iowa City, and Riley Strauss of Deerfield, Ill. He was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Edward, and his wife, Meredith.

Trinity Episcopal Church in Iowa City will hold a memorial service at 10 a.m. April 11. The family will celebrate Holzhammer's life at Kinnick Stadium's Paul Brechler Press Box from 1-3 p.m. on April 11.