Mike passed away Thursday evening in Des Moines at the Mercy Medical Center. One day after Thanksgiving he suffered a heart attack and according to my sources, he couldn't right the ship. It was a series of one setback after another. To anyone that did know him, it's common knowledge, that He...Will...Be...Hard.. To....Replace.
Mike Newell was a local sports broadcaster in Iowa. He covered a variety of sports, everything from minor league baseball to University of Iowa Women's Basketball, to high school state tournaments...you name it and he covered it at one time or another.
I first met Mike in the late 1970's when he was play by play announcer for the Iowa Oaks. It was then, that I took a liking to him. Not just for his sports knowledge, but for everything else he soaked up. By all accounts, he was a Renaissance Man. He loved old time television....the "Golden Years" he would call them. In fact, he provided the stand-ups for Iowa Public Television when they broadcast the series. He introduced each show and led the audience back in time....to the good old days of shows like "The Twilight Zone".
I mentioned that Mike would be hard to replace. If anyone knows what I mean, it would have to be long-time Iowa broadcasting legend, JIm Zabel. For many, many years, Mike served as Jim's potential successor. Newell did it all. He'd spend long days at WHO Radio reading the early morning sports and then writing the afternoon shticks for Zabel. There were times where his day would last well into the evening producing one of the sports programs on the station....arranging the guests for Zabel. He performed these duties faithfullly, because he dreamed up being the "sports man" at the station known coast to coast and border to border, 1040, WHO Radio. That day never came. Not only did Zabel outlast Mike on the air, he did in life as well. Jim recently celebrated his 90th birthday....Mike was 66 when he passed away.
One particularly funny side of Mike was his disgust of the "logo" phase of everything in our society. He'd say, "I'm not going to wear a t-shirt with somebody's logo or saying, unless they pay me". And he meant it. I can recall him wearing a t-shirt a time or two, but never with anything on it. The same goes for a hat. Never. In truth, I can't remember him wearing a hat period. Mike was partially bald and I think he was quite proud of that fact. I never heard him say "Bald is Beautiful", but I have to wonder.....
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| Newell......One of a Kind |
Now I want you to realize Mike and I had a falling out in 2004...more on his part than mine. We hadn't spoken to each other in over five years. I knew it wasn't going to be an easy phone call, but it had to be made. "Hey, Mike....this is Kelling", I said. " I think I have something of yours". "Really? what would that be?", he countered. "Let's get together and I'll show you", I threw back.
Well....we got together for a beverage...a "pop" he called them. He had his brew and I had a lemonade. At the end of an hour long chat, I walked with him to the parking lot and gave him the box of audio tapes. He was, I think, one happy camper to get them back. "Let's stay in touch", Mike said as we parted.
That was the last time I saw Mike. When I heard of his passing Friday morning, I could only think how blessed I was to have come across those "memory" tapes to return to him. Fortunately, the memories I have of Mike are stored in my head and can't be lost or replaced. Much like him.
Mike Newell.....not just another fella. He was one of a kind. You left us far toooooo early.
Thanks for reading,
John
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