They’re all superstars, and though they may not be superhuman away from the action of major-college athletics, I’m here to speak more to the simple decency of Audi Crooks, Drake Ayala and Aaron Graves in a world often short on real humility and leadership. There’s always been something ...

This Thanksgiving holiday isn’t just the usual perfect time to appreciate your loved ones and blessings. It’s also an opportunity to pause for perspective. About a week ago, word quickly spread that The Gazette in Cedar Rapids had been purchased by a multi-media group from Minnesota. ...

The college football calendar flips to November this weekend. The Big Ten standings tell a miserable, almost surreal tale for Penn State, Michigan State, Wisconsin and Purdue. All proud programs with their own prior chapters of sustained success, the Nittany Lions, Spartans, Badgers and ...

About 30 years ago, I noticed a rapidly-developing trend in sports journalism. Tired of going the respectful, impartial route in search of professional legitimacy, many writers and on-air radio or television personalities realized the exact opposite approach opened a short-cut window to far ...

The question had lingered for as long as I can remember. When will state softball be moved to a different location? The theory, through the years, kept the rumor mill churning. Not a matter of if, but when. Fort Dodge had enjoyed a good run for decades, but at some point, a changing of the ...

Ryan Flaherty put me on the spot. I was inconspicuously having lunch with my second-grade daughter on Friday when Mr. Flaherty — the affable principal at Duncombe Elementary School here in Fort Dodge — announced to the entire room that I would soon be revealing the winner of the Iowa-Iowa ...