Journalists of the Gazette: Meet Jeff Linder

How long have you been at The Gazette?

I’ve been with The Gazette since 1995.

Where did you go to school?

I am originally from a small town, Stanwood, 30 miles east of Cedar Rapids. I went to Drake University. I was in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications at Drake, met my wife at Drake and both of our kids both went to Iowa State.

Which sports do you cover?

I cover a lot of girls sports, girls’ basketball, girls’ softball, volleyball, and then I cover boys’ and girls’ track and field and boys’ and girls’ cross country. I also help with the high school football beat and I cover the University of Iowa women’s basketball.

What do you like about being a sports reporter?

I like the diversity going from season to season. People always ask, ‘what sport do you like most?’ I just really enjoy whatever’s in season at the time. Covering the Final Four for Iowa women’s basketball the last two years was a lot of fun, but I also get equally jazzed up just going to a high school track and field meet or high school cross country meet.

Share a memorable story you’ve covered.

One memorable story I was fortunate enough to cover was Megan Gustafson between her junior and senior years at the University of Iowa. We went up to her small town in Port Wing, Wisconsin, and we went up there hoping maybe we’d get an hour and a half or two hours of time with her. She was so gracious, she gave us the whole day.

Another unforgettable story was Iowa City West’s run to the state volleyball championship in 2011, in the wake of Caroline Found’s tragic death earlier that year.

Share a fun fact about yourself.

I had the grand champion market pig and derby pig at the Cedar County fair in the early ‘80s. I also had a grand champion at the State Fair in dog obedience in 1984.

Tell us about your podcasts.

In the winter, Jeff Johnson and I do the “Call It Both Ways” high school basketball podcast. During the fall, KJ Pilcher, Jeff Johnson and I do the “Prep Football Huddle” podcast, talking about high school football. Expect a lot of banter back and forth.

Where can we read your latest work?

You can read my latest work at thegazette.com/jeff-linder.

Comments: jeff.linder@thegazette.com