UNI’s Rima is Retiring After ‘the Madness’

Passionate Panther Broadcaster Retiring

(St. Louis, MO) – ‘Kaboom’, ‘Oh Baby, I love this team!’ ‘Down Goes Kansas, Down Goes Kansas!’ Are some phrases we will never forget and won’t hear from Gary Rima after the madness has ended this spring. Northern Iowa play-by-play man Gary Rima is retiring at the end of the Panthers post season play.

For 29 years UNI fans have been treated to Rima’s passionate calling of Panther football and basketball. Ironically, his story reminds me of another Panther, Kurt Warner. Rima was working in grocery store and needed to find a career path and took a shot at a small radio station’s high school play-by-play job, and the rest, as they say is history.

Prior to his final visit to Arch Madness here in St. Louis, we met in a hotel lobby to talk about his career, why he’s retiring and some of his best memories. It will surprise no one that Rima is still filled with passion for his Panthers.

Here is our conversation. 

One of my favorite conversations all-time was a podcast the two of us did when we were re-living historic UNI basketball moments. In ‘Down Goes Kansas‘ we discussed UNI’s gigantic 2010 win over Kansas.

While our friend Gary Rima is retiring, we will never forget his huge contributions to Valley history.

Do Good