Thousands of Iowans traveled to Long Beach, California Thursday for a pep rally on board the U-S-S Iowa. Many kids toured the ships with their parents, including ten-year old Zander Schuett. “It’s very cool to see all the cannons and everything,” Zander says. Brother Nile Shuett says it’s a piece of history. He says it’s amazing that the ship is in the same shape that it was in when it was used in World War Two. Their father Clay Schuett had much the same reaction.

“I think it is fantastic to see the size of the 16 inch guns, it’s just amazing, just very impressive, very cool. Great to see the crowd out here too, see all the Hawkeye fans,” Clay Schuett says. Jim from the Quad Cities was walking along the deck with some friends. “Oh it’s really neat, it was worth the trip alone,” he says. Cory Kusick of North Liberty brought her kids to California for the game, and said they had to see the battleship too. “It’s amazing, it’s massive, amazing, the whole thing has been a really neat experience,” Kusick says. Her son Ben Kusick was also impressed.

He says he can’t imagine being on the ship for the amount of time sailors were aboard. Zack Kusick says the size of the ship stood out. Battleship Larry is a tour guide aboard the U-S-S Iowa. He got his name from his service on another battleship. “I served on the Missouri, so that kind of drew me to the ship,” he says. People who tour the ship can learn all about its history. He says you can see the 16 inch guns, and see where the three presidents who were carried on the ship stayed, as well as a list of all the crew members who served on board the ship through 1990. He says the Iowa was a first of its kind.

“This is the prototype of the Iowa class, this is the Iowa class that started the other ships, the Iowa, New Jersey, Missouri, Wisconsin,” according to Larry. The Iowans enjoyed food and music along with the tours of the ship, and got to witness the firing of one of the smaller guns on the ship. The State of Iowa help save its namesake battleship from the scrap heap and the U-S-S Iowa is open free to Iowa residents throughout the year.

(Radio Iowa)

WICHITA, Kan. (AP) – Ron Baker scored 14 points, Fred VanVleet added 13, and Wichita State beat Drake 67-47 on Thursday for its eighth straight victory. Baker was 3 of 4 from 3-point range as Wichita State made 8 of 24 from distance. Zach Brown added 10 points for Wichita State (7-5), which has won six straight Missouri Valley Conference openers.

Kale Abrahamson hit a 3-pointer for Drake to tie it at 25-all before Wichita State closed on an 8-0 run, with a Baker 3-pointer, for a 33-25 halftime lead. The Shockers started the second half on a 13-2 run, with balanced scoring from VanVleet, Brown and Anton Grady, as Drake only made one field goal in the first six minutes.

Abrahamson and Graham Woodward scored 12 points apiece for Drake (5-8). The Bulldogs were held to 16-of-43 shooting (37 percent), were outrebounded 38-28 and turned it over 18 times.

The patriarch of an Atlantic family and long-time supporter of the Iowa Hawkeyes, is being featured in an online article about their trip to the Rose Bowl.   ESPN.go.com has done an in-depth story on Jim Tyler and his family.

James “Jim” Tyler

Tomorrow (Friday) morning, the 91-year-old Jim Tyler and his custom coach bus, filled with his children and grandchildren, will roll into Pasadena and park outside the Rose Bowl as part of a weeklong celebration of Iowa football, family and their business of more than 100 years, Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Company.

Jim and his wife Dottie have made the journey to Pasadena for every Iowa Rose Bowl — in 1957, 1959, 1982, 1986 and 1991. Tyler was inducted in early December into the Iowa Business Hall of Fame.

He remains chairman of the board of Atlantic Coca Cola Bottling Company. For more on the article, go to: http://espn.go.com/blog/bigten/post/_/id/129150/iowa-fans-celebrate-football-family-business-on-rose-bowl-journey

Former Iowa quarterback Chuck Long is seeing the Rose Bowl in a much different role as the Hawkeyes prepare to take on Stanford. Long is working as an analyst for the Big Ten Network. “I really have enjoyed being in the media now and you see a lot more perspective…when you are a player and a coach you’re focused on your position. When you are part of the media you see all aspects and you find those little stories, those unique stories,” Long says. Long went into coaching for a time after his playing career, and says some of his work in the media is similar to being a football coach.

“I love the prep, really media prep or T-V prep is not much different than coaching prep. You still need to put a lot of time into it and be prepare and the more time you put into it, the smoother it goes,” according to Long. Long was the starter for the Hawkeyes in the 1986 Rose Bowl and says the excitement now is much the same as it was then. He says the fan interest after the Hawkeyes learned they were going to the Rose Bowl was incredible. Long says the Rose Bowl has been able to remain a top bowl even with all the changes in the playoff system. He says that’s partly because of the setting.

“It’s a special game, just the little moments of this game, the week, all the functions, and then the actual bus ride to the stadium,” Long says. “And when you see the stadium for the first time — it hits you –you know, the majestic scenery and the way it is in the valley there. Yu see the Rose Bowl on the stadium –it’s quite a scene,” according to Long. As an analyst, he expects this Rose Bowl to be a good matchup.

“I think it is going to be like the Michigan State game. I think it is going to be a slugfest, I think it is going to be a very physical football game. Both of these programs have been built on physicality in their program. There’s no spread offense wheeling the ball around like some of these teams do now,” Long says. In addition to his work with the Big Ten Network, Long is now the C-E-O of the Iowa Sports Foundation, the organization that runs the Iowa Games, the Senior Games and the Live Healthy Iowa challenge.

(Radio Iowa)

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – An Iowa state legislator says he’ll try again to pass a bill that would allow fantasy sports players in the state to claim prizes. The Des Moines Register reports those who play fantasy sports in Iowa are currently banned from obtaining cash prizes. The state Senate approved a bill last session to legalize payouts, but it failed to clear the House.

Republican state Rep. Jake Highfill, the House bill’s chief author, says he’s reworking the bill in hopes to reach a consensus among key parties in the upcoming session. He says the legislation would set an age limit and develop a regulatory structure and tax provisions. Democratic state Rep. Dan Kelley says he is strongly opposed to legalizing payouts, saying daily fantasy games are like gambling.

The 7:20-a.m. Sportscast w/Chris Parks.

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AMES, Iowa (AP) — Abdel Nader led six players in double figures with 21 points and 11th-ranked Iowa State beat Coppin State 104-84 on Wednesday night in its final tune-up for Big 12 play. Deonte Burton scored 17 points for the Cyclones (11-1), who open their conference schedule at No. 3 Oklahoma on Saturday.

Iowa State went ahead by 21 points midway through the first half and won by at least 20 for the sixth time. Monte Morris had 10 points with 11 assists for his fourth double-double of the year for the Cyclones. Josh Treadwell had 21 for Coppin State (2-13), which lost its 11th straight.

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa (AP) — Jeremy Morgan scored 18 points and Northern Iowa routed Bradley 80-44 in the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both schools on Wednesday night. Northern Iowa (9-5, 1-0) has won 13-straight conference home games dating back to the 2013-14 season. Its 36-point win set a conference record for largest margin of victory.

Morgan was 6 of 8 from the floor and had six rebounds and four assists. Bennett Koch scored 15 points, and Paul Jesperson and Klint Carlson added 12 apiece for Northern Iowa. Matt Bohannon chipped in 11 points with three 3-pointers. Scottie James scored nine points to lead Bradley (2-12, 0-1). The Braves shot 33 percent from the field, scored a season-low 44 points, and have lost three straight.

It was tied at 9-all five minutes into the game. The Panthers used a 13-0 run and led 22-9 midway through the first half and cruised from there.

ATLANTA (AP) – Kirk Ferentz has been selected the Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year after leading Iowa to 12 wins and a spot in the Rose Bowl. Ferentz, completing his 17th year, is the longest tenured coach in the Big Ten. He also won the Eddie Robinson Award, given to the nation’s top coach in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Clemson’s Dabo Swinney was named The Associated Press coach of the year.

The Bobby Dodd Trophy, presented by the Peach Bowl and the Bobby Dodd Foundation, recognizes scholarship, leadership and success on the field. From 2013-15, the Iowa team served more than 1,500 community service hours.

Iowa will play Stanford in Friday’s Rose Bowl. Alabama’s Nick Saban won the award in 2014.