100 Notable alumni of
Drake University
Updated:
Drake University is 703rd in the world, 263rd in North America, and 243rd in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from Drake University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Jeremy Piven
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actoractorfilm producervoice actor
- Biography
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Jeremy Samuel Piven is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for his role as Ari Gold in the comedy series Entourage, for which he won a Golden Globe Award and three consecutive Emmy Awards. He also starred in the British period drama Mr Selfridge, which tells the story of the man who created the English department store Selfridges, and portrayed Spence Kovak on Ellen DeGeneres's sitcom Ellen.
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Michael Emerson
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Michael Emerson is an American actor who is best known for his roles as Benjamin Linus on Lost (2006–2010) and as Harold Finch in the CBS series Person of Interest (2011–2016). Other prominent roles include Zep Hindle in the horror film Saw (2004) and the recurring role of Cayden James on Arrow (2017–2018). He currently stars as Dr. Leland Townsend in the Paramount+ thriller series Evil (2019–present).
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Bill Bryson
- Occupations
- travel writerscience writerautobiographertravelerscience communicator
- Biography
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William McGuire Bryson is an American–British journalist and author. Bryson has written a number of nonfiction books on topics including travel, the English language, and science. Born in the United States, he has been a resident of Britain for most of his adult life, returning to the U.S. between 1995 and 2003, and holds dual American and British citizenship. He served as the chancellor of Durham University from 2005 to 2011.
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Steve Allen
- Occupations
- comedianfilm actorcomposertelevision presenterwriter
- Biography
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Stephen Valentine Patrick William Allen was an American television and radio personality, comedian, musician, composer, writer and actor. In 1954, he achieved national fame as the co-creator and first host of The Tonight Show, which was the first late-night television talk show.
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Sam Wanamaker
- Occupations
- television actorfilm directorstage actortheatrical directorfilm actor
- Biography
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Samuel Wanamaker,, was an American actor and director who moved to the United Kingdom after becoming fearful of being blacklisted in Hollywood due to his communist views. He is credited as the person most responsible for saving The Rose Theatre, which led to the modern recreation of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre in London, where he is commemorated in the name of the Sam Wanamaker Playhouse, the site's second theatre.
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Zach Johnson
- Occupations
- golfer
- Biography
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Zachary Harris Johnson is an American professional golfer who has 12 victories on the PGA Tour, including two major championships, the 2007 Masters and the 2015 Open Championship. At the 2023 Ryder Cup, Johnson captained the U.S. squad against Europe in Rome, Italy. The U.S. Team lost 16.5–11.5 and Reuters wrote that American fans were "fuming" at the manner of defeat and pointed out that Johnson was being criticized by golf pundits and roasted on social media as the worst U.S. Ryder Cup captain ever.
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Julee Cruise
- Occupations
- singeractormusician
- Biography
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Julee Ann Cruise was an American singer and actress, known for her collaborations with composer Angelo Badalamenti and film director David Lynch in the late 1980s and early 1990s. She released four albums beginning with 1989's Floating into the Night.
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Ira Levin
- Occupations
- writernovelistscreenwriterlyricistscience fiction writer
- Biography
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Ira Marvin Levin was an American novelist, playwright, and songwriter. His works include the novels A Kiss Before Dying (1953), Rosemary's Baby (1967), The Stepford Wives (1972), This Perfect Day (1970), The Boys from Brazil (1976), and Sliver (1991). Levin also wrote the play Deathtrap (1978). Many of his novels and plays have been adapted into films. He received the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award and several Edgar Awards.
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Terry Branstad
- Occupations
- lawyeracademic administratorpoliticiandiplomat
- Biography
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Terry Edward Branstad is an American politician and former diplomat. A member of the Republican Party, he served three terms in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1973 to 1979 before serving as governor of Iowa from 1983 to 1999 and again from 2011 to 2017. He is the longest-serving governor in United States history. Branstad served as the United States Ambassador to China from 2017 to 2020 under President Donald Trump.
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Syleena Johnson
- Occupations
- actorsinger-songwriter
- Biography
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Syleena Johnson is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television presenter from Chicago, Illinois. She is best known for her guest appearance on Kanye West's 2004 single "All Falls Down," which peaked at number seven on the Billboard Hot 100. She signed with Jive Records to release three albums: Chapter 1: Love, Pain & Forgiveness (2001), Chapter 2: The Voice (2002), and Chapter 3: The Flesh (2005), each received critical acclaim and modest commercial response. She returned to work with West for his tenth album Donda (2021), performing on his spoken word song "Donda Chant."
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Abby Finkenauer
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Abby Lea Finkenauer is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative from Iowa's 1st congressional district from 2019 to 2021. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
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John August
- Occupations
- podcasterfilm directorscreenwriterfilm producerjournalist
- Biography
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John August is an American screenwriter, director, producer, and novelist. He is known for writing the films Go (1999), Charlie's Angels (2000), Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003), Big Fish (2003), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), Corpse Bride (2005), Frankenweenie (2012), the Disney live-action adaptation of Aladdin (2019), the novels Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire (2018), Arlo Finch in the Lake of the Moon (2019) and Arlo Finch in the Kingdom of Shadows (2020).
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Billy Cundiff
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
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William Ambrose Cundiff is a former American football placekicker. He played college football for Drake University, and was signed by the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent in 2002.
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Carol Morris
- Occupations
- actormodelbeauty pageant contestant
- Biography
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Carol Ann Laverne Morris is an American actress, model and beauty queen who was the second Miss USA to win the Miss Universe title in the pageant's fifth edition in 1956. She was crowned by Hillevi Rombin, Miss Universe 1955, of Sweden.
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Roger Williams
- Occupations
- pianistmusician
- Biography
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Roger Williams was an American popular music pianist. Described by the Los Angeles Times as "one of the most popular instrumentalists of the mid-20th century", and "the rare instrumental pop artist to strike a lasting commercial chord," Williams had 22 hit singles–including the chart-topping "Autumn Leaves" in 1955 and "Born Free" in 1966–and 38 hit albums between 1955 and 1972.
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Susan Glaspell
- Occupations
- novelistwomen's rights activistplaywrightwriterbiographer
- Biography
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Susan Keating Glaspell was an American playwright, novelist, journalist and actress. With her husband George Cram Cook, she founded the Provincetown Players, the first modern American theatre company.
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Chet Culver
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Chester John Culver is an American politician who served one term as the 41st governor of Iowa, from 2007 to 2011. A member of the Democratic Party, he had previously served as the 29th secretary of state of Iowa from 1999 to 2007. He was elected governor in the 2006 Iowa gubernatorial election and ran unsuccessfully for reelection in 2010, losing to former Governor Terry Branstad.
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Mark DeCarlo
- Occupations
- actor
- Biography
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Mark DeCarlo is an American actor, television host, comedian, travel, internet personality, and foodie expert. He is currently known for being a contributor to WLS-TV morning show Windy City Live, a locally produced Chicago program that replaced The Oprah Winfrey Show following its 2011 ending. DeCarlo has been awarded three local Emmy Awards for his work on Windy City Live.
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Brian Wansink
- Occupations
- nutritionist
- Biography
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Brian Wansink is a former American professor and researcher who worked in consumer behavior and marketing research. He is the former executive director of the USDA's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion and held the John S. Dyson Endowed Chair in the Applied Economics and Management Department at Cornell University, where he directed the Cornell Food and Brand Lab.
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Sherrill Milnes
- Occupations
- opera singer
- Biography
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Sherrill Milnes is an American dramatic baritone most famous for his Verdi roles. From 1965 until 1997 he was associated with the Metropolitan Opera. His voice is a high dramatic baritone, combining good legato with an incisive rhythmic style.
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David Young
- Enrolled in Drake University
- In 1991 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- politicianmilitary chief of staffcongressional staffbusinesspersoncampaign manager
- Biography
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David Edmund Young is an American politician who currently serves as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives from the 28th District, and previously served as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 3rd congressional district from 2015 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, he is a native and resident of Van Meter, a western suburb of Des Moines. He was first elected in 2014 and reelected in 2016; he lost reelection in 2018 to Democrat Cindy Axne. Young unsuccessfully challenged Axne in 2020 in a rematch, losing by 1.3%.
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Robert D. Ray
- Enrolled in Drake University
- In 1952 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in business science
- In 1954 graduated with Bachelor of Laws in law
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Robert Dolph Ray was an American lawyer and Republican politician. He served as the 38th governor of Iowa from January 16, 1969 to January 14, 1983.
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Goli Taraqqi
- Occupations
- screenwriterwriter
- Biography
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Zohreh Taraghi-Moghadam, better known as Goli Taraghi is an Iranian novelist and short story writer.
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Matthew Stover
- Occupations
- science fiction writernovelistwriter
- Biography
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Matthew Woodring Stover is an American fantasy and science fiction novelist. He is most well known for his four Star Wars novels, including the novelization of Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith. He has also written several fantasy novels, including Iron Dawn and Jericho Moon. He has written four science-fiction/fantasy hybrid stories featuring a hero named Caine: Heroes Die, Blade of Tyshalle, and Caine Black Knife, with the most recent, Caine's Law, released April 4, 2012.
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Johnny Bright
- Occupations
- Canadian football player
- Biography
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John Dee Bright was an American professional football player in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football for the Drake Bulldogs. He is a member of the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, the College Football Hall of Fame, the Missouri Valley Conference Hall of Fame, the Edmonton Eskimos Wall of Honour, the Alberta Sports Hall of Fame, and the Des Moines Register's Iowa Sports Hall of Fame.
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Ezra Hendrickson
- Years
- 1972-.. (age 52)
- Occupations
- association football managerassociation football player
- Biography
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Ezra Hendrickson is a Vincentian professional football coach and former player. He was the head coach of Major League Soccer club Chicago Fire FC from November 24, 2021 until his dismissal on May 8, 2023.
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Adam Gregg
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Adam Gregg is an American politician serving as the 47th lieutenant governor of Iowa. He has held this position since 2019. Gregg previously served as Acting Lieutenant Governor from 2017 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party, Gregg served as Public Defender of Iowa from 2014 to 2017. He was the Republican candidate for Attorney General of Iowa in the November 2014 elections.
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Mark Doty
- Occupations
- poet
- Biography
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Mark Doty is an American poet and memoirist best known for his work My Alexandria. He was the winner of the National Book Award for Poetry in 2008.
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Bob Vander Plaats
- Occupations
- teacher
- Biography
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Robert Lee Vander Plaats is an American politician and political activist. Since 2010, he has been the president and CEO of The Family Leader, a socially conservative organization in Iowa.
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Jim Nussle
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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James Allen Nussle is an American businessman and retired politician who has been president and chief executive officer of the Credit Union National Association since 2014. Nussle served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2007 and was the Republican nominee for the 2006 Iowa gubernatorial election, losing to Democrat Chet Culver. He was then appointed director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in 2007 by President George W. Bush, an office he retained until 2009.
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Zach Nunn
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Zachary Martin Nunn is an American politician and United States Air Force officer who has served as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 3rd congressional district since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he was a member of the Iowa Senate for the 15th district from 2019 to 2023 and the Iowa House of Representatives for the 30th district from 2015 to 2019.
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George Cohon
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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George Alan Cohon was an American-born Canadian businessman and lawyer who was the founder and senior chairman of McDonald's Canada and McDonald's Russia.
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Ray Rizzo
- Years
- 1992-.. (age 32)
- Occupations
- professional gamer
- Biography
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Raymond Rizzo is a three-time Pokémon Video Game World Champion. He is regarded as one of the best players of competitive Pokémon of his time.
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Dayton Duncan
- Occupations
- writerscreenwriterfilm producerdocumentarianopinion journalist
- Biography
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Dayton Duncan is an American screenwriter, producer and former political aide.
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Bob Netolicky
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Robert Netolicky is a retired American basketball player. A 6'9" power forward/center, he played professionally in the now–defunct American Basketball Association (ABA) from 1967 to 1976. Netolicky was a four–time ABA All–Star and two–time ABA Champion.
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Rayvonte Rice
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Rayvonte Rice is an American professional basketball player for the Kaohsiung 17LIVE Steelers. He is a guard from Champaign, Illinois who completed his college career at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He previously played at Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa from 2010–2012 and transferred after his sophomore season.
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Stephen Rapp
- Years
- 1949-.. (age 75)
- Occupations
- diplomatpoliticianlawyer
- Biography
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Stephen J. Rapp is an American lawyer and the former United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues in the Office of Global Criminal Justice.
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Willie Wise
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Willie M. Wise is an American former professional basketball player. After a successful ABA tenure, which eventually resulted in him making the ABA All-Time Team, Wise’s NBA career was ended prematurely by a knee injury.
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Johnny C. Taylor, Jr
- Born in
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United States - Occupations
- international forum participantlawyer
- Biography
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Johnny Clayton Taylor Jr. is an American lawyer, author, board member and public speaker who is the president and chief executive officer of the Society for Human Resource Management. He was previously president and CEO of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), which represents the 47 publicly-supported historically Black colleges and universities in the United States. In February 2018, President Donald Trump appointed Taylor chair of the President's Advisory Board on Historically Black Colleges and Universities. He is vice chair of the University of Miami, and trustee of Jobs for America’s Graduates. Taylor sits on the corporate boards of Guild Education, Internet Collaborative Information Management Systems (ICIMS), and XPO Logistics.
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Andy McKean
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Andrew John McKean is an American politician and retired attorney in the state of Iowa. He represents District 58 in the Iowa House of Representatives. McKean represented District 23 from 1979 to 1983 and District 44 from 1983 to 1993. Afterward, he served in the Iowa Senate, representing District 28 from 1993 to 2003. He served as a supervisor of Jones County from 2003 to 2011. McKean returned to the Iowa House in 2016 after being elected to District 58, defeating Jessica Kean. In 2018, he was reelected, defeating Joe Oclon.
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Nate Boulton
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Nate Boulton is an American politician serving in the Iowa Senate since 2017. Boulton, a Democrat, represents the 20th District. Boulton was first elected in 2016 to replace retiring Democratic Senator Dick Dearden.
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Merwin Coad
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Merwin Coad is an American former politician who was a Democratic U.S. Representative from Iowa's 6th congressional district for six years, serving from January 1957 to January 1963. His election snapped the Republican Party's fourteen-year hold on every U.S. House seat from Iowa. Coad is the earliest-serving living member of the House, having been first elected in 1956.
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Dominik Olejniczak
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Dominik Olejniczak is a Polish professional basketball player for Saint-Quentin of the LNB Pro A. He played college basketball for the Drake Bulldogs, the Ole Miss Rebels and the Florida State Seminoles.
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Felix Wright
- Occupations
- player of American footballCanadian football player
- Biography
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Felix Carl Wright is a former professional American football player who played defensive back from 1985 to 1992 for the Cleveland Browns and Minnesota Vikings in the National Football League (NFL).
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Ron Kouchi
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Ronald Dan Kouchi is a Democratic politician from Hawaii, representing the 8th district in the state Senate. He has served as the 14th President of the Hawaiʻi Senate since 2015.
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Liam Robbins
- Years
- 1999-.. (age 25)
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Liam Robbins is an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Drake Bulldogs, Minnesota Golden Gophers and Vanderbilt Commodores.
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Roxanne Conlin
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Roxanne Barton Conlin is an American lawyer who served as United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa from 1977 to 1981. A Democrat, she was a candidate for Governor of Iowa in 1982 and for United States Senate in 2010 but was not elected to either post.
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Seth Barnes Nicholson
- Occupations
- astronomer
- Biography
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Seth Barnes Nicholson was an American astronomer. He worked at the Lick observatory in California, and is known for discovering several moons of Jupiter in the 20th century.
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Mark Cady
- Occupations
- judge
- Biography
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Mark Steven Cady was an American jurist. He served on the Iowa Supreme Court for 21 years from 1998 to 2019. From 2011 to 2019, he was the chief justice of the court. He was the author of the court's opinion in Varnum v. Brien, which legalized same-sex marriage in Iowa.
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Ann Williams
- Years
- 1968-.. (age 56)
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Ann M. Williams is a Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives who has represented the 11th District since 2011. The district includes the Chicago neighborhoods of West Lakeview, Roscoe Village and North Center, as well as parts of Lincoln Park and Lincoln Square.
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Jack Whitver
- Occupations
- player of American footballpolitician
- Biography
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Jack Whitver is an American businessman and politician, who is currently the Iowa State Senator for the 23rd District. Since 2018 he has served as Senate Majority Leader. Whitver played college football for Iowa State University, starting at wide receiver.
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Jack Hatch
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Jack G. Hatch is a former Iowa State Senator and American business owner. He was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Iowa in the 2014 election. A Democrat, Hatch served in the Iowa Senate from 2003 to 2015, and was an assistant majority leader. Prior to his election to the Iowa Senate, Hatch served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 1985 to 1993 and 2001 to 2003.
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Linda R. Reade
- Occupations
- judgelawyer
- Biography
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Linda Rae Reade is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa.
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Mark W. Bennett
- Occupations
- judgelawyer
- Biography
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Mark Warren Bennett is a former United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Iowa and a professor at Drake University Law School.
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Guy Gillette
- Enrolled in Drake University
- Studied in 1900
- Occupations
- prosecutorpoliticianlawyer
- Biography
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Guy Mark Gillette was an American politician serving as a Democratic U.S. Representative and Senator from Iowa. In the U.S. Senate, Gillette was elected, re-elected, defeated, elected again, and defeated again.
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Carla Nelson
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Carla J. Nelson is an American politician from Minnesota who is a member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, she represents District 24, which includes parts of Olmsted County and Dodge County in the southeastern part of the state. Much of the southern half of Rochester and parts of northwestern Rochester are in her district.
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Brenna Bird
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Brenna Bird is an American lawyer and politician from Iowa. A member of the Republican Party, she is the incumbent Iowa Attorney General.
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Willie McCarter
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
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Willie J. McCarter was an American basketball player. He was a 6'3" (1.90 m) 175 lb (79 kg) guard. He played at Drake University, averaging 19.9 ppg in three seasons. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Lakers with the 12th pick in the 1969 NBA draft, and played three seasons with the Lakers and Portland Trail Blazers.
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Linda Upmeyer
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Linda L. Upmeyer is an American politician who served in the Iowa House of Representatives from the 54th district from 2003 to 2021 and as the Speaker of the Iowa House of Representatives from 2016 to 2020. She was the first female Speaker in Iowa's history. She received her BSN from the University of Iowa and her MSN from Drake University. On August 19, 2015, Upmeyer was elected by the members of the Iowa House of Representatives Republican majority to serve as the Speaker of the House. Upmeyer's father, Del Stromer, served as Speaker from 1981–82.
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Jeff Lamberti
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Jeffrey M. Lamberti is a former Republican Senate leader and two term state senator representing the 35th District of the Iowa Senate, and served two terms as State Representative. In the 2006 mid-term election, Lamberti was the Republican nominee for U.S. Congress in Iowa's 3rd congressional district, losing to incumbent Democrat Leonard Boswell in a hotly contested race. Lamberti received 46% of the vote to Boswell's 52%. He was succeeded in the Iowa Senate by Republican Larry Noble.
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Jessie Taft
- Years
- 1882-1960 (aged 78)
- Occupations
- social workereducator
- Biography
-
J. Jessie Taft (June 24, 1882, in Dubuque, Iowa – June 7, 1960, in Flourtown, Pennsylvania) was an American philosopher and an early authority on child placement and therapeutic adoption. Educated at the University of Chicago, she spent the bulk of her professional life at the University of Pennsylvania, where she and Virginia Robinson were the co-founders and innovators of the functional approach to social work. Taft is the author of The Dynamics of Therapy in a Controlled Relationship (1933). She is also remembered for her work as the translator and biographer of Otto Rank, an outcast disciple of Sigmund Freud; in addition, development of the functional approach to social work was greatly inspired by her work with Rank. She and her lifelong companion, Virginia Robinson, adopted and raised two children.
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Robert E. Cowen
- Occupations
- judgelawyer
- Biography
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Robert E. Cowen is a Senior United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit based in Philadelphia. He joined the court in 1987 after being nominated by President Ronald Reagan. Cowen has served in the federal judiciary since 1978.
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Dennis McKnight
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
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Dennis Neal McKnight is an American football coach and former guard who was recently the offensive line coach for the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL. He played in the National Football League for the San Diego Chargers, Detroit Lions, and the Philadelphia Eagles. McKnight played college football at Drake University.
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Janet Petersen
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Janet Petersen is an American politician and a Democratic member of the Iowa Senate representing the 18th District since January 2013. She previously served as the Senate Minority Leader and has previously represented the 64th district in the Iowa House of Representatives between 2001 and 2013. She received her BA from the University of Northern Iowa and her MA from Drake University.
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Wayne Kreklow
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Wayne R. Kreklow is an American volleyball coach and former professional basketball player. Kreklow won an NBA championship with the Boston Celtics in 1981. He was the women's volleyball coach at the University of Missouri from 2005 through the 2018 season. Kreklow retired in July 2019.
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Neal Edward Smith
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Neal Edward Smith was an American politician who was a member of the United States House of Representatives for the Democratic Party from Iowa from 1959 until 1995, the longest-serving Iowan in the United States House of Representatives.
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Ed Fallon
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Ed Fallon is an American activist, former politician, talk show host, author and urban farmer from the State of Iowa. He was previously a Democratic candidate for Governor of Iowa and the U.S. Congress, and served as a member of the Iowa General Assembly from 1993 to 2006.
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Kevin McCarthy
- Enrolled in Drake University
- Graduated with Juris Doctor
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Kevin M. McCarthy is an American Democratic legislator who served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2003 until 2013 and, for his last two years there, was the House Minority Leader. McCarthy was born, raised, and resides in Des Moines, Iowa. He received his B.A. from Wartburg College and his J.D. from Drake University.
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Wendy J. Olson
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
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Wendy J. Olson is an American lawyer who served as a United States attorney for the District of Idaho from 2010 to 2017. She was appointed in 2010 by President Barack Obama, replacing Thomas E. Moss. As one of 93 United States attorneys, she represented the government in all civil and criminal cases within her district.
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Megan Hess
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Megan Jones is an American politician from Iowa. Jones is a Republican member of Iowa House of Representatives from District 6 and has been a Representative since 2013.
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Robert D. Blue
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Robert Donald Blue was an American politician, the 30th Governor of Iowa from 1945 to 1949.
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Jeff Halliburton
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Jeffrey Halliburton is an American former basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for two seasons. He is the cousin of Basketball Hall of Famer Julius Erving.
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Miriam Weiner
- Occupations
- writercolumnistarchivistgenealogistresearcher
- Biography
-
Miriam Weiner is an American genealogist, author, and lecturer who specializes in the research of Jewish roots in Poland and the former Soviet Union. Weiner is considered to be one of the pioneers of contemporary Jewish genealogy through her work to open up archives and is described as a trail-blazing, highly respected guide and leading authority on archival holdings and resources in pre-war Belarus, Lithuania, Moldova, Poland, and Ukraine.
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Tarryl Clark
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
-
Tarryl Lynn Clark is an American activist, attorney, politician and a former member of the Minnesota Senate. A Democrat, she represented District 15, including portions of Benton, Sherburne, and Stearns counties, from 2006 to 2011. She was a Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party nominee for United States Congress in 2010, unsuccessfully challenging incumbent Republican Michele Bachmann.
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Michael S. Bennett
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Michael S. Bennett is an American politician from Florida who is a member of the Republican Party. He served as a member of the Florida Senate representing the 21st District from 2002 to 2012. He was a member of the Florida House of Representatives from 2001 to 2002.
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Bucky O'Connor
- Occupations
- basketball coachhead coach
- Biography
-
Frank "Bucky" O'Connor was a college men's basketball coach. He was the head coach of the Iowa Hawkeyes men's basketball team from 1949 to 1958. Born in Monroe, Iowa, O'Connor spent much of his early life playing golf, as his parents managed a country club. O'Connor attended and played basketball at Newton High School and Drake University; he became team captain in his senior year of college despite his slight frame and bad eyesight. After graduating, he coached at Boone High School and Harrisburg High School. When the United States entered World War II, O'Connor joined the United States Army Air Corps, serving in Japan and climbing to the rank of captain.
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Brian Lohse
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
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Brian K. Lohse is an American attorney and politician. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2018, succeeding Zach Nunn in District 45. Prior to his state legislative service, Lohse sat on the city council of Bondurant, Iowa, for eight years.
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Wayne Ford
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Wayne W. Ford is the Iowa State Representative from the 65th District. He has served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 1997.
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Cassius C. Dowell
- Years
- 1864-1940 (aged 76)
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
-
Cassius Clay Dowell was a Republican U.S. Representative from Iowa. He served from 1915 to 1935, and again from 1937 until his death in 1940, with the interregnum caused by an unsuccessful campaign for reelection in 1934.
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Carl W. Hoffman
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
-
Carl William Hoffman was a decorated United States Marine Corps major general. He is most noted for his service with 2nd Battalion, 8th Marines during World War II or later as commanding general of III Marine Amphibious Force during Operation Frequent Wind.
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Peter Cownie
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Peter Cownie is an American politician.
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Tony Bisignano
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Tony Bisignano is an American politician and state senator from the state of Iowa.
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Rick Mathews
- Years
- 1947-.. (age 77)
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Rick Ray Mathews is an American professional baseball scout for the Colorado Rockies and the former (1993; 1995; 2003–2008) bullpen coach for the club.
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Al Stewart
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Al Stewart is an American professional basketball player for the Moncton Magic of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL).
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Elesha Gayman
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Elesha L. Gayman is a former Iowa State Representative from the 84th District. She served in the Iowa House of Representatives from 2007 to 2011. Gayman served on several committees in the Iowa House - the Agriculture committee; the Appropriations committee; the Education committee; and the Public Safety committee. She was vice-chair of the Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee.
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Ronald K. McMullen
- Years
- 1955-.. (age 69)
- Occupations
- diplomat
- Biography
-
Ronald Keith McMullen is an American foreign service officer and a career member of the Senior Foreign Service. He served as the U.S. Ambassador to Eritrea 2007–10.
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Robert Dana
- Occupations
- poet
- Biography
-
Robert Dana was an American poet, who taught writing and English literature at Cornell College and many other schools, revived The North American Review and served as its editor during the years 1964–1968, and was the poet laureate for the State of Iowa from 2004 to 2008.
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Brian Meyer
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
-
Brian Meyer is an American lawyer and politician from the state of Iowa. A member of the Democratic Party, Meyer serves in the Iowa House of Representatives, representing the 29th district. He previously served on the Des Moines, Iowa City Council.
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Sandy Salmon
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Sandy Salmon is an American politician, military veteran, and farm manager. Salmon is a Republican member of the Iowa Senate from District 29 and previously served on the Iowa House of Representatives as the Representative from District 63 from 2013-2023.
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Hubert Utterback
- Occupations
- lawyerpoliticianuniversity teacherjudge
- Biography
-
Hubert Utterback served very briefly on the Iowa Supreme Court, then was elected as a Democrat to the United States House of Representatives, serving only one term.
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Jo Oldson
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Jo Oldson is an American politician serving as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives for the 41st district. A Democrat, she has served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2003. Oldson was born and raised in Eagle Grove, Iowa and resides in Des Moines. She received her BA and JD from Drake University.
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Joe Mitchell
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Joe Mitchell is an American politician from the state of Iowa. He was elected to the Iowa House of Representatives in 2018. Sworn in at the age of 21, he was the youngest member to ever be elected to the Iowa House. Mitchell was previously a student at Drake University.
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Joe Crail
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
-
Joseph Steele Crail was a United States representative from California. He was born in Fairfield, Iowa. He attended the public schools and graduated from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa in 1898.
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Steve Warnstadt
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Steven Henning "Steve" Warnstadt was the Iowa State Senator from the 1st District. A Democrat, he has served in the Iowa Senate from 2003 until 2011. He received his BA from Drake University and his MA from Temple University, and is serving as an adjunct instructor with Western Iowa Tech Community College and as an intelligence officer with the Iowa Army National Guard.
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Daryl Beall
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Daryl Beall is an American politician. He was the Iowa State Senator from the 5th District. A Democrat, he served in the Iowa Senate from 2003 to 2015, in Iowa Senate district 25 before Iowa's 2012 redistricting. He received his A.A. from Iowa Central Community College, his B.A. from Buena Vista University, and his MPA from Drake University.
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Ralph Watts
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Ralph C. Watts is the Iowa State Representative from the 19th District. A Republican, he has served in the Iowa House of Representatives since 2003. He received his BS from the University of Wyoming and did MBA work at Drake University and at Creighton University.
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Red Murrell
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Phillip Ray "Red" Murrell was an American basketball player, best known for his college career at Drake University.
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Paul Brechler
- Occupations
- sporting director
- Biography
-
Paul W. Brechler was an athletic director for the University of Iowa for 13 years and the first commissioner of the Western Athletic Conference.
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Duane Miller
- Years
- 1947-.. (age 77)
- Occupations
- gridiron football player
- Biography
-
Duane Miller is a former college and professional football player. He holds nine Drake University football records, many which have withstood the test of time. Miller's career at Drake (1966–1970) included record-breaking performances on offense, defense, punt returns and kickoff returns. He was selected for the Drake Football All-Century Team.
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Erik Helland
- Years
- 1980-.. (age 44)
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
-
Erik Helland is a lawyer and a former Republican member of the Iowa House of Representatives (2008-2013). In 2023, Governor Kim Reynolds appointed him Chair of the Iowa Utilities Board.
