AMES (ISU) — Long-time Ames resident Dale Williams, known to thousands of Iowa State sports fans as the radio play-by-play voice of Cyclone football and basketball from 1943 to 1968, died Monday. He was 93.
A communications specialist at Iowa State, Williams worked 38 years with WOI radio and television and the ISU Cooperative Extension Service.
Williams recalled Iowa State's 39-37 basketball win over Wilt Chamberlain and No. 1 ranked Kansas on Jan. 14, 1957 as one of the great moments of his broadcasting career. He also broadcast the Iowa high school boys and girls state basketball tournament for many years.
Williams' expressions included his favorite phrase "Holy Cow, what a ball game."
"I don't know why I said that," Williams said. "I guess I just started saying it and people picked it up as a kind of trade mark."
With no formal training as an announcer, Williams developed a loyal following on radio and television in athletics and agriculture.
"My first year (at Iowa State) there was no one to do football games," Williams said. "They asked me if I would try until they could get somebody else. That went on for 25 years."
Williams was also well-known for his farm reporting on WOI radio and television. He graduated from Iowa State in 1939 with a bachelor's degree in animal husbandry.
He became a county extension agent in Winona, Minn., where he broadcasted a weekly extension service radio program that began his broadcasting career.
In 1942, Williams returned to Iowa State as an extension radio-TV specialist and later became assistant extension editor for radio and TV of the state extension service. Considered one of the most competent livestock judges to come out of Iowa State, he was a judge at the Waterloo Cattle Congress and served as assistant superintendent of the International Livestock Show in Chicago. His noon radio program, Farm Facts, was an Iowa fixture.
Williams retired from Iowa State in 1980.
Dale is survived by his wife Elsie (Kim) of Ames, daughter and son in-law Mary Lou and Tim Linder of Solon, Iowa, son Kyle Williams of St. Paul, Minn., grandchildren, Alecia (Jared) Bucksa of Nisswa, Minn., Kelsie (Chris) Campbell of Denver, Colo., Nick Linder San Diego, Calif., and Gabrielle Williams of St. Paul, Minn., and one great grandson Louis Bucksa.
Memorials may be directed to his church or Iowa State University Foundation.
Grandon Funeral and Cremation Care is assisting the family.
A gathering of friends and family will be Wednesday 4 p.m. – 7 p.m. with the family present from 5:30 -7 p.m. at Grandon Funeral and Cremation Care 414 Lincoln Way, with a private family graveside service at Iowa State University Cemetery. A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Thursday at the United Church of Christ - Congregational, 6th and Kellogg in Ames.