Bill Quinby is a name most Central Iowans are not familiar with. Cedar Rapids may be a bit outside of our normal footprint, but it’s my hometown where he’s a legend. I recall meeting Bill who was as an NFL official, mostly at side judge. Truly a remarkable man with many accomplishments. He was also the principal at Kennedy High School when I saw him speak in the early ’80s. He was a school administrator at several high schools in that area. Highlights of his colorful career include:
- Big Ten football official
- NFL side judge – 17 years, retired in ’95, Super Bowl XIX
- Amateur boxer – Golden Gloves
- Hawkeye football player under Forest Evashevski (1 year)
- Student manager for the Hawkeye football team (3 years), including an incident where he had to punch a Minnesota Gopher fan who took a swing at Evy (Bill tells the story video in the Gazette story below).
- Hawkeye baseball player
- Coe College athletic director
- Original board member for CR’s minor league baseball team (Reds, Kernals, etc.)
- Longtime advocate for The Special Olympics, and a board member
- Volunteered his time to mow the baseball fields at Coe (now Bill Quinby Field) for nearly 20 years
Mike Hlas of The Cedar Rapids Gazette published this article almost a year ago about Bill Quinby and this includes several video clips from their interview. Bill is still going strong at age 92, sharp as ever and lives in a Robins, Iowa retirement home.
Let me know in the comments below if you’ve met Bill Quinby and have similar stories of your own.
UPDATE: Bill Quinby recently died on April 20, 2024 in Cedar Rapids. Gazette Editorial here.
