Reading final stories about a ‘love of sports’

Sports can be a funny thing. Not a funny, “ha-ha” thing, but a funny “odd” thing at times.

Sports are not important in the grand scheme of life. Right?

I mean, no coach or athlete is going to perform lifesaving surgery while on the field. No athlete or coach is going to cure hunger while on the court.

Yet sports dominate our landscape is some strange, yet heartwarming at times, ways. Sometimes in some funny “ha-ha” ways, too.

There’s all those license plates declaring your loyalty to Coe, UNI, Wartburg, Iowa or Iowa State. There’s flags flying from your cars, boats and homes.

And, then there are obituaries. That’s when you really see how important sports are to us. We’re writing about them in what, for most, will be the final piece telling our story.

Maybe it’s because I’m getting older, a few steps closer to end. Maybe it’s because I’ve watched and listened as family and friends have battled illness and died.

Maybe it’s because I recently was at a funeral of a man I thought I knew fairly well. Turns out this man led a fascinating life that I mostly was oblivious to.

Maybe I’m just curious — nosy — and want to look into other people’s lives. I read obits for a lot of reasons, like many of you. To see if someone I grew up with has died, or maybe a parent of an old friend.

But I also enjoy seeing how people lived their lives, what gave them pleasure. There’s an adage in journalism that everybody has a story to tell. It’s true and, unfortunately, sometimes those stories aren’t written until somebody dies.

Rich Koolbeck of Cedar Rapids died May 29. If you know sports in Cedar Rapids and Eastern Iowa, you probably knew Rich. His son, Mike, is a friend and former colleague in The Gazette’s sports department.

“Husband, Father, Grandfather, Athlete, Teacher, Coach, Referee and Friend” is how Rich’s obit starts.

“While at Kirkwood, he was the first coach of the baseball and basketball programs and taught all levels of math to thousands of students. It was here that Rich also began officiating High School athletics, culminating in an appointment to the Iowa High School officials Hall of Fame.

“His family will carry on his love for sports ...” the obit concluded.

Rich likely is more well-known than many of the others who grace the obituary pages in this paper and many others. But he’s not the only one who had a real “love for sports.”

“Steve graduated from Washington High School and was a member of the 1969 State Championship basketball team ... He enjoyed watching ESPN, playing golf and tennis, attending professional sporting events and rarely missed attending or watching an Iowa Hawkeye game — Go Hawks!”

Not all sports lovers were athletes.

Jacki, for instance, “was an avid sports fan and loved cheering on her sons in all activities ...often keeping the scorebook at baseball games. She was a longtime member of the Iowa City High Little Hawks Booster Club and served as secretary eight of those nine years. Jacki attended University of Iowa football games for over 40 years. ...”

Dale “was an avid reader and enjoyed watching sports, especially the Iowa State Cyclones and the Chicago Cubs. For over 20 years he was a scorekeeper for the Center Point-Urbana Stormin’ Pointers basketball teams.”

Then there is Betty, who “shared her love of swimming and her synchronized swimming experience from Fort Madison and her University of Iowa days by organizing swim shows for the Marcus community that were appreciated by many young swimmers.”

And, finally, there was Earle, who co-founded the Garden Club with late Iowa athletics director Bump Elliott , “holding pep-rally luncheons during football season. In 1972, he was a founding board member of the Johnson County I-Club and was president in 1974. The National I-Club named him the ‘Hawk of the Year’ in 1975.“

Why are sports so important? It’s hard to pinpoint one thing and everybody’s passion is personal. I suspect it’s the entertainment, the joy of playing, coaching or cheering. I also think it’s the relationships — the teammates, the coaches, the colleagues and the friends at our tailgate who we simply enjoy spending time with.

So enjoy the games — and cherish the friendships.

And “Go Team.”

Comments: (319) 398-8461; jr.ogden@thegazette.com