Tory Brecht

Davenport

Columnist at Hawkeye Report

Writer at Freelance

Tory is a dad, husband, writer, editor, angler, cyclist, music lover, and avid Hawkeye fan.

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Articles

Development dichotomy a problem in downtown Davenport

3 weeks ago | torybrecht.substack.com | Tory Brecht

Like many mid-sized cities in the United States, Davenport has what residents define as a “good side” of town and “bad side” of town. Here, the western portions of the city — roughly anything west of Gaines Street — is viewed as poorer, more crime-ridden and has less new development than points east. Where I grew up, Madison, is the opposite: there the west side is the rich part of town and the east side is more blue collar and rough-and-tumble.
Tuesdays with Torbee

Feb 18, 2025 | on3.com | Tory Brecht

The first and only time I spoke one-on-one with Iowa basketball coach Fran McCaffery was in the summer of 2011, shortly after his first season at the helm of the Hawkeyes wrapped up. The season was a slog, finishing 11-20 overall, 4-10 in the then 11-team Big 10 conference, good for 10th out of 11. Still, there were signs of optimism. Iowa beat Michigan State by 20 in early February and closed out its regular season with a stunning upset of #6 Purdue at Carver Hawkeye Arena.
Tuesdays with Torbee

Dec 3, 2024 | on3.com | Tory Brecht

Nebraska is not Iowa’s oldest rivalry (Minnesota.) It’s not the most evenly contested (Wisconsin.) Nor is it the most contentious (Iowa State.) But it definitely best exemplifies the imperative instruction of the Iowa Fight Song. Come on and cheer until you hear the final gunThe word is “Fight! Fight! Fight!” for IowaUntil the game is wonFor long stretches of the Black Friday tussle against the Cornhuskers, things looked bleak for the shivering black-clad fans of Iowa inside Kinnick Stadium.
From Mason City to the Motor City

Nov 19, 2024 | torybrecht.substack.com | Tory Brecht

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Tuesdays with Torbee

Nov 11, 2024 | on3.com | Tory Brecht

O great calamityDitch of iniquity and tearsHow I abhor this placeIts sweet and bitter tasteHas left me wretched, retching on all foursLos Angeles, I’m yoursLos Angeles, I’m yoursLos Angeles, I’m yours – The DecemberistsI feel like a jerk for pointing this out, but I kind of saw this one coming.
Who are we?

Nov 6, 2024 | torybrecht.substack.com | Tory Brecht

We the People elected, by majority, an adjudicated rapist convicted felon and misogynist President of the United States of America. That isn’t a hyperbolic statement designed to make the bad sound worse than it is. It is cold, hard, objective truth.
Tuesdays with Torbee

Nov 5, 2024 | on3.com | Tory Brecht

Whew, I may need a cigarette after that one!As most who read this column know, this game is personal for me. Every season for about the last decade it feels like I’ve predicted an old school, hard-hitting, knockdown street fight with the tougher team eking out a narrow victory. This year, only one tough guy showed up.
Tuesdays with Torbee

Oct 29, 2024 | on3.com | Tory Brecht

I’m a sucker for nostalgia, particularly when it relates to Big 10 football, so I apologize in advance if this week’s column is a bit misty-eyed and sentimental. I know as a serious college football fan the fact my favorite team is out of its conference title race and contention for the 12-team college football playoff means everything it does from now to bowl season should be meaningless. But sorry, I’m not wired that way.
Tuesdays with Torbee

Oct 22, 2024 | on3.com | Tory Brecht

Reporting from the sideline following a half in which the Iowa Hawkeyes managed a miniscule 0 points, 30 total yards and went 0 for 5 on third down, NBC field reporter Kathryn Tappen said when she asked Kirk Ferentz what needed to change in the second half, he said “we’re just going to keep doing what we’ve been doing.”Indeed. If anything illustrates the frustration many Iowa fans have with the approach of late-stage Kirk Ferentz, it’s exactly this type of tone-deaf response.
Farewell to an absolute journalism legend - North Scott Press

Oct 8, 2024 | northscottpress.com | Tory Brecht

Guest columnPosted 10/9/24The first full-time newspaper job I took after graduating college in the early 1990s resulted in the biggest disparity between what I would be paid and how hard and long I had to work in my entire career. This item is available in full to subscribers.