Denny O’Grady, most notably named the “Voice of the Maroons,” will be a name certainly remembered and dearly grieved in the Dowling community. Dennis Robert O’Grady, 76, passed away Sunday, December 8, 2024, in West Des Moines after learning of a cancer diagnosis in October. He was known for his iconic announcing voice, kind soul, and selfless efforts in representing the student body of Dowling Catholic High School.
I can remember the first time I was introduced to the voice of Denny O’Grady. It was my first middle school track meet, and the man on the microphone rang over the bustling Dowling field. Under the lights of the Dowling track, hundreds of middle school boys and girls gathered on the turf together in excitement. The same middle schoolers chased alongside their friends who were sprinting down the runway. This single experience of being an eager middle schooler at the first track meet of the year is a memory that many students at Dowling can recall. As I look back on my own memories, there is one voice that rings clear in my head. With runners crossing the finish line in exhaustion, one by one, the encouraging voice of Denny O’Grady belted “Finish Strong!”
O’Grady often came on the intercom to remind all spectators and runners that there was a runner still finishing their race. He would chant “Keep Going Young Man!” as the audience followed his lead and cheered the young racer on. O’Grady had a knack for recognizing each kid in their individual races, and his level of respect on the track field was a tell-tale sign of the way he treated others with support in his everyday life. O’Grady continued to carry his kindness and passion for sports while working for Dowling Catholic High School, where he was recognized for his announcer voice heard at nearly every Dowling sporting event.
As I transitioned into my freshman year at Dowling and became a part of the volleyball team, I too became more accustomed with the voice of Denny O’Grady. He had been the announcer for home volleyball games, a role he took pride in as he told head volleyball coach, Mary Beth Wiskus, “I do it all for the kids.” I can remember my first match as a Maroon when Denny O’Grady began to lead the large gym audience in prayer. Both teams had players lined up on the court’s end line while O’Grady requested that people join in prayer with him, which was often a Dowling Catholic Athletics pre-game routine. I now recall the thoughts that ran through my head leading up to this prayer, feeling nervous and unready to perform on my highschool’s court. But when I think back to this moment when my heart was pumping and my hands started sweating, in the background of this memory was the familiar voice of Denny O’Grady who distracted me from my anxieties. In these moments before games, I became grounded in God and focused on the words O’Grady prayed aloud. I never realized until his passing just how much those routine prayers became a comforting sound to me, a way for me to let someone else take the lead in prayer before I took the lead on the court.
In a sense, I feel as though I have grown throughout the years with his distinct voice somehow slipping into some of my happiest moments of my high school experience. For example, this past September, I had the opportunity to walk across the field of the Valley stadium as a nominee on the homecoming court. The families of both the queen and king candidates made their debut as they strutted down the field together. Sure enough, Denny O’Grady took on this role of announcing for each candidate, voicing some of our accomplishments over the intercom as well. There in the box, sitting high above the field, O’Grady took his halftime break in announcing for the football game, but that did not stop him from the opportunity of making other Dowling students feel special. As I remember these moments in honor of his memory, I cannot help but realize how much Denny O’Grady was truly involved with the school and in my personal life, let alone the lives of so many other students. “After the football games he would always come down to congratulate us; he always had this positive attitude about him,” claims senior football player, Cartyr Smith.
O’Grady announced his last sporting event this fall for the varsity volleyball team before becoming sick. After his diagnosis and once he became absent from the matches, the home games never felt the same without him. One of my final memories as a senior on the volleyball team was being able to hand make cards to be given to O’Grady as he battled his diagnosis. We wrote the words “Stay Strong” and other motivational sayings, most of them being his own notorious phrases of encouragement that once soared over the intercom at Dowling. Coach Mary Beth Wiskus, who delivered the cards to O’Grady in person, says, “he never knew how much we appreciated him. As he read the cards, tears came to his eyes.” Knowing how much his job and sports teams meant to O’Grady, my heart was warmed to provide him the support and encouragement this time around, since after all, his life’s work was to spread that feeling to all those around him.
Seven years have passed since my middle school track meets and only three months since Denny O’Grady announced for the last time. In that chunk of time, O’Grady had seamlessly weaved his positive light throughout my life, and I know I am not the only person who has been touched by his incredible character. O’Grady’s passion for announcing and in making students feel appreciated was valued greatly. He embodied authentic sportsmanship and the true Maroon spirit, one that is dearly missed when it comes to Dowling Catholic High school. Denny O’Grady sadly lost his battle with cancer in early December, but the Dowling community can agree he was the definition of “Finishing Strong.”
In loving memory, Denny O’Grady.
