Interview with Marv Cook

Below are exerpts from an interview I conducted with Marv Cook. The interview begins with Cook discussing his introduction to football, with input from his high school football coach Tom Nosbish.

From there, Cook and former teammate Chuck Hartlieb talk about his time at Iowa; from "four long months on the scout team" during his redshirt freshman year to an All-American his senior year.


1985

Six games and six wins into the 1985 season came a moment still able to generate chills. The night of October 19 saw top-ranked Iowa playing host to second-ranked Michigan, with both teams undefeated. The game had the ingredients of an all-time classic, and that’s exactly what was produced.

After a game described by Cook as “back and fourth, back and fourth,” Iowa kicker Rob Houghtlin made a 12-yard field goal as time expired to give Iowa the dramatic 12-10 victory.

“That was the beginning, to me, of many, many great, exciting football games.”

In 1985 Iowa earned a 7-1-0 conference record, a Big Ten championship and an invitation to the Rose Bowl; where they ultimately lost to UCLA, giving Iowa an overall record of 10-2-0.

“To me, that’s why I went to Iowa. To win Big Ten championships, to play for championships, and to be able to do that my redshirt and freshman year was a great thrill.”



1986

Cook used the experience from the Rose Bowl the year prior to help prepare him for the Holiday Bowl.

“That’s the thing the Rose Bowl teaches you. When you have your three hours of football, you have to make it a great three hours. You can’t be thinking about Disney World or all that other stuff. You’ve got to be thinking about football.”

“There’s just so much great stuff to do. Tijuana, the zoo, we even visited an aircraft carrier; but you’ve still got to focus for a football game.”

With 47 seconds left in a shootout of a game, San Diego State’s kicker knocked in a 21-yard field goal to put the Aztecs up 38-36. It seemed as though another fantastic Iowa season would end in disappointment.

But Iowa’s Kevin Harmon set a Holiday Bowl record on the ensuing kickoff, returning it to the San Diego State 37 yard line. As the television broadcaster put it, “There couldn’t have been a bigger play at a bigger time for Iowa.”

After a two yard run up the gut, an incomplete pass intended for Cook, and another short run, Iowa sent on the field goal unit.

Kicker Rob Houghtlin was 0-2 on the night, but he was no stranger to last second field goals where victory hangs in the balance.

Time expired as Houghtlin made the 41-yard field goal, giving Iowa the 39-38 Holiday Bowl victory.

“My vivid memories of that game was that it was just a great game, I had a touchdown, which was fun for me, and just the experience of being in San Diego.”




1987

Cook had now solidified himself as a premier player in college football and his role on the team had become more defined.

“I was getting more and more involved in the offense,” Cook said. “I was starting to get more of a game-plan role, where they wanted to get the ball to me in certain ways.”

“Through the course of the season I started to step up in some pretty big games and have some impact on those. It sort of all led up to the Ohio State game.”

4th and 23. 16 seconds left in the game. Iowa’s ball on the 29-yard line and the Hawkeyes trail 27-22.

“We called a timeout and I went to the sidelines to collect my thoughts,” Hartlieb said. “And I knew coach Fry would ask for my input.

“I was thinking, ‘I want to rely on someone I trust more than anyone else.’ I wanted to get Marv involved, so I suggested a play that would give Marv the chance to get the ball downfield.”

“There was sense of urgency but not a sense of panic. I remember looking around the huddle and the intensity of the setting and the noise,” Cook said. “Everybody has to lean in and listen for the play call, and he’s (Hartlieb) yelling and it’s so intensely loud.”

“The focus.” He places emphasis on the ‘f’, as if a quick shot of adrenaline just went through him as he retells the story, the pace quickening. “And looking around at the different faces and realizing; we’ve got to find a way to make this happen, we worked too hard not to finish this thing off.”




For the full version of this story, email me at sean-patchett@uiowa.edu or
SMPatchett@aol.com.

photo from www.hawkeyesmic.com.