Master Builders of Iowa

This years special guests and keynote presenters for The Masters Awards Luncheon are two of Iowa’s most famous athletes, Bobby Hansen and Ed Podolak.  In addition to the announcement of the prestigious 2010 Masters Awards honoring industry excellence, Bobby and Ed will describe their reaction to some of the big pressure moments of their careers and how they responded for a successful outcome.

A resident of West Des Moines, Iowa, Bobby Hansen played for Lute Olson and The University of Iowa Hawkeyes from 1979 -1983. As a freshman in the 1979-80 season, he helped the Hawks reach the Final Four in Indianapolis, Indiana. He graduated in 1983 as the 10th all-time leading scorer in Hawkeye history. Drafted in the 3rd round by the Utah Jazz he played 9 seasons in the NBA. Traded to the Sacramento Kings in 1990 and eventually to the World Champion Chicago Bulls where he helped the Bulls rally from a 15 point 4th quarter deficit with a 3 pointer and steal while subbing for Michael Jordan in the final game. After retirement, Bobby joined the Hawkeye Radio Network as color analyst and has established himself as one of college basketballs finest radio analyst. Currently starting his 18th season in the broadcast booth, Bobby teams up with Gary Dolphin for all Hawkeye broadcasts. He also currently works for the Iowa Speedway located in Newton, Iowa in sales and marketing.

Ed Podolak has enjoyed many different careers in his life time. His career adventures have taken him through pro football, banking, insurance, real estate development and sales, and sports broadcasting. He is probably best known for his 9-year career as a running back for the Kansas City Chiefs. He remains the Chiefs 2nd leading rusher with 4,451 yards. His 350 total combined yards in 1971 AFC playoff game against the Miami Dolphins is still a NFL record. That performance was rated as the 7th best individual performance in the first 75 years of the NFL. Ed retired from football after the 1977 season and moved to his present home near Aspen, Colorado. He is active in real estate development and sports broadcasting. Private golf development and Costa Rica resort development fills most of his schedule until fall arrives, and his weeks are dedicated to the University of Iowa football season. Ed joins play-by-play announcer Gary Dolphin to bring the action to Hawkeye fans over the Learfield radio network.