Gary Rima

Oh baby, I love this team!

This week’s guest might be one of the easiest voices to identify that has ever come across the Moonlight airwaves. Gary Rima joins Tim to talk about a career spent in sports as he prepares for his final ride as the voice of UNI basketball. Rima has deep roots in Iowa sports that reach nearly every corner of the state and beyond. In almost 30 years on the microphone and many adventures in Iowa sports, Rima has a story about everything and a connection to just about everyone.


Gary Rima knows sports and the UNI Panthers. His love and passion for sports were always evident. His career started when he was 19 years old by calling high school and college sports. One close connection he shares with Tim is with Moonlighter Rick Heller. Heller and Rima go a long ways back to Rima’s summer semi-pro team, the Strawberry Point Cubs. Heller brought in Rima to be his assistant when he took the job at Upper Iowa. Then, years later when UNI needed a new baseball coach it was Gary Rima who insisted the committee take a close look at Heller.


Gary Rima has been the voice of the Panthers for some of the biggest wins in UNI history. From UNI baseball taking down #1 Nebraska and Moonlighter Ali Farokhmanesh’s shot to take down Kansas to UNI football playing in the 2005 National Championship game. Rima doesn’t just remember plays, he remembers the players, their high schools, and the calls he made that described the moment for the audience. 


A critical part of being a play-by-play guy on radio or TV is the in-depth knowledge of the team and sport you are covering. Gary Rima has that in spades. But what makes him a legend is his unique ability to bring the game to life. Tim asks Rima where some of his famous calls like “Kaboom”, “Kabullseye”, and “Oh baby!” came from. While there will be someone else on the microphone for the Panthers next year, nobody can really take his place.

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