Roy Marble passed away on Friday at the age of 48.

The news wasn't a surprise, but it doesn't take away the sting and the sadness that is associated with his passing.

Marble was diagnosed with cancer more than a year ago and the prognosis wasn't good. He vowed to fight and that's exactly what he did to the very end.

He left Iowa as the all-time leading scorer with 2,116 points and if you were around for his time as a Hawkeye, you know he was our version of Michael Jordan. He took the team by storm as a freshman in 1986 with his high flying above the rim game filled with highlight reel plays and did that for four years in an Iowa uniform. By the way, nearly 30 years later, Marble's all-time scoring mark still stands. That tells you all you need to know about just how good he was on the court.

No Iowa fans will forget the three year run, starting in the 1987 under Dr. Tom Davis, where the Hawkeyes were ranked #1 in the nation and made the Elite Eight. During that three year run, the Hawkeyes won 71 games and lost just 25. Those teams were just successful on the court, but they were perhaps the most entertaining teams of my lifetime watching Iowa Basketball.

Marble was a first round pick of the Atlanta Hawks in 1989 and his time in the NBA wasn't as long as he had hoped due to violations of the NBA substance abuse policy. He had his off the court issues and those are well documented, but in recent years he cleaned up his life and was on a much more positive path before being diagnosed with cancer.

In recent years, Marble was a fixture at Iowa basketball games watching his son, Devyn Marble, play for the Hawkeyes. During that time I was fortunate to spend quite a bit of time with Roy and if there was a prouder father in the stands, I'd have a tough time finding him. Roy was a guiding force in the life of his son during his time at Iowa and he was a significant influence on Devyn's teammates, helping them to develop their game.

Roy was never prouder when he saw his son shine in an Iowa uniform and join him on the list of elite scorers in Iowa Basketball history. He even prouder when he saw Devyn selected in the second round of the NBA Draft by the Orlando Magic and then make the team last season.

The one bit of comfort I get from his passing today is that Roy was able to witness his son achieve so much in his playing career. I also get some level of comfort from the fact that Iowa finally honored Roy Marble at the end of this past season in some way. I still believe his number 23 should be retired, but in the final game of last season they were able to honor him for all of his accomplishments as a Hawkeye and that was a good thing.

This has been a tough week for Hawkeye fans, losing two outstanding Hawkeyes in two different sports way too soon. The passing of Tyler Sash earlier this week was sudden, unexpected, and tragic at the age of 27. While we had time to prepare for Roy Marble's passing at the age of 48, knowing his cancer diagnosis, but that doesn't make it any easier and any less sad. He too was gone far too soon.

Roy Marble made his share of mistakes, but in his heart of hearts, he was a really good and caring man. Loved his children, his family, and his friends and would do anything for them. He was a special player for the Hawkeyes with an infectious smile and laugh. Rest in peace Roy and thank you for all the great memories you gave every Iowa fan.