Editor's Note: The following article first appeared in the November 1, 1979 edition of The Cedar Rapids Gazette.

Already the Iowa crowd is making him a favorite.

When he trots on the field at Kinnick Stadium, the chants of "Reggie, Reggie" seem to grow louder and louder with every game. And so far, he has earned every cheer.

Reggie Roby, freshman kicker, is becoming a hero.

Yet, Roby, a solid 6-foot-3, 215-pounder from Waterloo, is surprised and somewhat taken aback by the publicity and notoriety brought on by his kicking exploits.

"I don't know about all of that," he said, acknowledging that he is frequently recognized on campus. "I really didn't expect this to happen in my first year."

But it has happened, thanks to a strong right leg that has thrust Roby to the top of the Big Ten Conference punting statistics. He also handles Iowa's placekicking chores and many an opponent has watched his booming kickoffs sail out of the end zone.

Roby took over the kicking duties from veterans Scott Schilling and Dave Holsclaw and his early performance were erratic, just as Coach Hayden Fry had predicted when he recruited the prep All-American from Waterloo East High School.

"Reggie has the strongest leg I've ever seen," Fry said before the season, adding, "he's liable to kick one 80 yards, but it's liable to end up in the press box."

In recent weeks, however he has become more consistent, particularly with his punting. He leads the Big Ten and is eighth nationally, averaging 43.5 yards per kick on the season and 45.3 in conference play.

His best game was the 24-7 loss to Minnesota. Roby punted four times in that contest and averaged 52.3 yards per kick, establishing an Iowa record. He had kicks of 61 and 60 yards with the wind, and 35 and 53 yards against the stiff breeze.

Last year, Iowa averaged 36.6 yards per punt, a figure Fry called "less than adequate."

In addition to his punting, Roby has kicked 18 of 20 extra points and made five of 10 field goal tries. One of his misses was a 50-plus-yarder against Minnesota that would have been a school record. He had the distance, but the kick was wide.

Roby booted three extra points and a field goal in the Hawkeyes' 24-13 victory over Wisconsin last Saturday. The Badgers had recruited Roby heavily and he says he was leaning toward them momentarily.

"I came here because I like the atmosphere and the coaches," Roby said. "Yes, I think they (Wisconsin) might be a little bit bitter. They thought I was going to go there, but I really hadn't made up my mind."

Roby said the Iowa coaches, especially Fry, spend considerable time with the kickers "telling us how we can improve."

With Roby's size and strength and with a fair amount of speed - 4.8 seconds for the 40-yard dash - it seems logical he might want to try something other than kicking.

He does.

"I'd love to play tight end," Roby said with a smile. "But coach thinks I should concentrate on my kicking and I guess he is right."

Roby hasn't given up, though. He said he plans to go out for baseball in the spring. In high school, Roby played first bast, batted "around .330" and hit 11 home runs.

Iowa's Reggie Roby may not have a candy bar named after him, but he certainly offers a "sweet" future for Hawkeye fans.