Former SID Wine passes away
Posted on 05. Jul, 2012 by admin in Iowa Basketball, Iowa Football
Former Iowa SID George Wine died from a heart attack Thursday morning. He was 81 years old. (Photo courtesy of the Iowa sports information department)
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
Former Iowa sports information director George Wine died from a heart attack Thursday at the University of Iowa Hosptials and Clinics in Iowa City. His death came two days after having hip replacement surgery performed. He was 81 years old.
Wine served as Iowa’s head sports information director from 1968-1993 and was only the second person to ever hold the position at Iowa. During his tenure, the Hawkeye football team made three appearances in the Rose Bowl under head coach Hayden Fry and the men’s basketball program went to its most recent Final Four during the 1979-80 season.
Prior to working at the UI, Wine served in the U.S. Air Force and would later receive a Bachelor’s degree in journalism from the UI in 1956. He held SID positions at both Northern Iowa and Memphis before returning to Iowa City. He was succeeded as SID at Iowa by recently retired Phil Haddy and current SID Steve Roe.
After officially retiring in 1996, Wine helped co-author Fry’s autobiography, High Porch Picnic, which was released shortly after Fry’s retirement following the 1998 season. He then wrote another book released in 2003 titled Black and Gold Memories: The Hawkeyes of the 20th Century.
In 2000, Wine was inducted into the UI Athletics Hall of Fame by the National Varsity Club. Six years later, he was among the first class of people honored along the Media Wall of Fame located inside the Paul W. Brechler Press Box at Kinnick Stadium.
Wine was preceded in death by his parents and first wife and is survived by his second wife, Dr. Barry Anderson, son Steve, sister Virginia Wine Alderson, and multiple nieces, nephews, great nieces and great nephews. A memorial service is scheduled to take place at Trinity Episcopal Church in Iowa City at a time and date still to be determined.
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