Former University of Iowa linebacker Pat Ungerer will replace longtime commentator Ed Podolak on Iowa football radio broadcasts this fall, the University of Iowa athletics department and Learfield Communications announced Monday. Ungerer will join Gary Dolphin, who in 1997 became the sole play-by-play announcer for Iowa football and men's basketball.
Ungerer, 37, was a first-team All-American linebacker in 2009, leading the team to an 11-2 record, an Orange Bowl win and its highest Associated Press final ranking (No. 7) since 1960. A two-year starter, he recorded 258 tackles (11.5 for loss) and six interceptions.
Indianapolis selected Ungerer in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft, and he was selected to the All-Rookie Team for the 2010 season. A shoulder injury ended his professional career after four seasons, during which he recorded 328 tackles, 2.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, and two interceptions.
“Ed (Podolak) and Gary (Dolphins) played a huge role in my Hawkeye football experience as both a player and a fan, and I hope I can give back to them, the university, the football program and the fans,” Ungerer said in a statement. “I plan to bring the same passion into the booth that I had as a player.”
Podolak, 76, retired this spring after 42 years as a radio commentator for the Hawkeye Radio Network, which hired him along with play-by-play announcer Jim Zabel in 1982. Podolak later joined the Dolphins in 1997.
Podolak accumulated 8,343 all-purpose yards, including 6,907 from scrimmage, and scored 40 touchdowns during his nine-year NFL career with the Kansas City Chiefs. He is best known for throwing an NFL-record 350 all-purpose yards in a double-overtime playoff loss to Miami on Christmas Day in 1971.
Is this the right choice for Iowa?
There were other strong candidates — former kicker Nate Kaeding, former quarterback James Vandenberg and former defensive lineman Mitch King — but Ungerer's combination of personality, game knowledge and potential for growth made him the ideal candidate. He's an everyman in Iowa football.
Funny, self-deprecating and insightful, Ungerer delivered more memorable lines than most players during his playing career, and he was also serious and introspective, a combination that made him the perfect person to describe the play on the field and provide analysis to radio audiences.
Ungerer is a party animal, as he demonstrated when he invited thousands of Iowa fans to a giant bar in Indianapolis before the 2015 Big Ten championship game, where they all drank the establishment's beer.
(Photo by Doug Benk/Getty Images)
