If You Build It, They Will Come

    National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is located in Kansas City, Missouri and is home to around 300 members.  Here's the best list I can come up with of Iowa Connections in this HOF. Iowa Hawkeyes George Raveling Lute Olson Ralph Miller Sam Barry

So, I thought it would be fun to put together a set that was solely produced for this blog, the If You Build It, They Will Collect It Set if you were.  It'd be produced by Upper Deck and distrubuted across the nation to those who were awesome collectors.  But alas, this is just but a pipe dream.  But I can still make mock up a card and make up a set for posts. (Content baby!) First, IYBITWCIS does not make a good set name, so from here on out I shall declare them the Iowa Connection Yearly set, or ICY.  With Hot and Cold parallels, of course.   Cards must be for events this year.  Tristan Wirfs was drafted in 2020, so he'd have to be in the 2020 set, BUT Wirfs winning the Super Bowl would be ok because that happened in 2021. The first card of the set NOTE : This checklist will update as the year progresses.  As I create cards, I'll post links to them in here, so every card listed below that isn't linked will have a card eventually... Football Tris...

        Profile Danai Gurira was born in Grinnell*, the daughter of parents who worked at Grinnell College.  She spent her formable years in Africa before moving back to the states and becoming an actor.  Danai has won a multitude of awards for her work on the stage**, the small screen and the movies.  She is best known for her work on the Walking Dead and a couple of small indies films including Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame.   * Two former NFLers Kirby and Jeff Criswell also came from Grinell ** Including a Tony nomination in Best Play for Eclipsed  Personal Notes So, it's awesome that she's in Walking Dead and Marvel movies because they have a multitude of card sets.  However, search for actors in these sets are difficult.  They typically aren't marked by the actor's name, rather a character.  Its easier to find Okoye, not Gurira.  So it takes some work, but its worth it in the end. Collectio...

        Profile Roger Craig was a running back for the San Francisco 49ers, Los Angeles Raiders, and Minnesota Vikings and had a HOF worthy career (missed out on election in 2020*).  Craig was the first RB to rush and receive for a 1000 yds in a season, and is one of three rbs to lead the league in receptions.  He won three Super Bowls with the 49ers.  He was born in Davenport, and went to high school at Central High School**.   * Other Iowa connections eligible for that call: Alex Karras, Duke Slator, Jimmy Johnson, Dallas Clark, Merton Hanks, Reggie Roby, and Bob Sanders.  ** NFL Players from Central : Julian Vandervelde, Austin Howard, Jamie Williams, Jim Jensen, and Jim Hester. Personal Notes Remember Nebraska?  There was a time back in the day when it was the biggest program in the midwest, and this is where Iowans used to go when they wanted to be competitive for national titles.  Trev Alberts , Roger Craig, Jaime Willia...

Four Iowa teams have made the NCAA tournament this year, so we don't need to do a "Who Should Win" post this year, it should be one of them!  Let's check in on the seasons for the 8 major Iowa college basketball teams in 2020-21. Iowa Hawkeyes - Women Finished 6th in the Big 10 (11-8) Lost in Big Ten Championship game to Maryland Earned #5 Seed in the NCAA Tournament Beat #12 Central Michigan 87-72 in the 1st Round Beat # 4 Kentucky 86-72 in the 2nd Round Caitlyn Clark : 1st Team All Conference (Unanimous), 1st Team Freshman Team, Freshman of the Year, 2nd Team All-American Monika Czinano : 1st Team All Conference Kate Martin : Sportsmanship Award Iowa State Cyclones - Women Finished 4th in the Big 12 (12-6) Earn #7 Seed in the NCAA Tournament Beat #10 Michigan St. 79-75 in the 1st Round Ashley Joens : 1st Team All Conference (Unanimous) Kristin Scott : 2nd Team All Conference Lexi Donarski : 1st Team Freshman Team, Freshman of the Year Emily Ryan : 1st Team Freshman ...

  Baseball Hall of Fame The Baseball Hall of Fame is located in Cooperstown, New York and is over 300 members.  Here's the best list I can come up with of Iowa Connections in this HOF. Born in Iowa Cap Anson (Marshalltown) Fred Clarke (Winterset) Dave Bancroft (Sioux City) Red Faber (Cascade) Bob Feller (Van Meter) Dazzy Vance (Orient) Milo Hamilton, Sportscaster (Fairfield) Lived in Iowa Ed Barrow (Des Moines)

        Profile Lew Fonseca was a MLB player in the 1920s, playing for 13 seasons and ending with a .316 batting average.  Lew is one of the first people to use film in studying the performance of players after his work on the film "Slide, Kelly, Slide" *.  Lew passed away in Ely, Iowa**. * Starring  Harry Carey , not  Harry Caray ** A little town in Iowa with just over 2000 residents, and 1 store called The Downtown Dachshund , so you know its a nice town. Personal Notes So...Lew Fonseca was definitely in Iowa at one specific time of his life, specifically his death.  Lew died in Ely in 1989.  His home was in California, and that's about all I could dig up.  Some sources had the note of his death preceded with a comment about an earthquake near his hometown a month before.  Was he in Iowa because of the earthquake?  Was the earthquake notable because it was the earthquake that stopped a World Series?  I don't know, a...

        Profile Joe Bugel was a head coach for both the Arizona Cardinals* and Oakland Raiders in his career, but is probably most regarded for the offensive line that he build with the Washington Redskins in the 1980s.  The "Hogs" were the driving force that led the team to 3 Super Bowl appearances and 2 titles.  Joe Bugel was an assistant coach for the Iowa State Cyclones in 1973**.   * Other Iowa connected Cardinal Head Coach: Dennis Green (U of I) ** 1973 ISU team included: Keith Krepfle (Eagles), Earl Bruce (OSU and UNI Head coach), Ike Harris (Cardinals and Saints), Mike Strachan (Saints), and Matt Blair (Vikings) Personal Notes Much ado has been done about the Iowa coaching staff, especially the remarkable 1983 staff, but Iowa State has a bunch of big name coaches that have worked there way through Ames.  How about NFL coachs Joe Bugel (Cardinals) and John Fox(Panthers)?  Oh, you want champions?  How about Gene Chizik (A...

        Profile Kevin Gamble was a former Iowa Hawkeye who was drafted in the 1987 NBA draft* by Portland.  Kevin spent 10 years in the league, mostly with Boston.  Current he is a scout for the Toronto Raptors**.  Gamble also played for the Quad City Thunder in the CBA. * Iowa connected from this draft: Steve Alford (future UofI coach), Winston Garland (Southeastern CC), Brad Lohaus (UofI), Tom Schafer (ISU), Mike Morgan (Drake), Gerry Wright (UofI), Sam Hill (ISU) ** Along with Nick Nurse (UNI) Personal Notes Kevin Gamble had a decent career, but his best team may have been the 1986 Iowa Hawkeyes team.  He was part of a 1985 recruiting class which included B. J. Armstrong, Roy Marble, Les Jepsen and Ed Horton.  All of them played in the NBA.  The 1986 team reached #1 and was last second shot of making the final four that year. Collection Notes I have 20/108 (19%) cards in my collection.

        Profile La'Michael Pettway was a wide receiver from Iowa State* who had transferred from Arkansas** as a graduate, thus avoiding the year off.  La'Michael had a solid year with the Cyclones, with 676 yards (after leading Arkansas with 499 the year before) and 6 TDs.   * Pettway filled in Hakeem Butler 's spot after he left early the year before ** In Iowa/Arkansas history, this completes the trade of A.J. Derby to Arkansas. Personal Notes So...how does SAGE build their list of players they will have in their set?  I imagine there is some sort of deadline when the checklist has to be complete, especially since they have to acquire signatures from the players.  I assume that they check mock drafts, try to nail as many 1st rounders as they can, then gather QBs and RBs that may get looks in training camps, but then how does La'Michael Pettway get a card?  Never a top prospect, but I wonder if they saw his Iowa TD or his Texas game an...

   Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is located in Springfield, Massachusetts and is home to just over 400 members.  Here's the best list I can come up with of Iowa Connections in this HOF. Iowa Hawkeyes Connie Hawkins George Raveling Ralph Miller Don Nelson Lute Olson C. Vivian Stringer Sam Barry Coe Kohawks Bill Fitch

       Profile Mike Busch was a third baseman for the Dodgers, drafted in the 4th round in 1990.  Also, Mike Busch was an All-American tight end* from Iowa State drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1990.  He chose baseball** and played two years in the majors, and has done some coaching in his post playing career.  He was born in Davenport. * In case you are wondering what kind of stats a TE needed to be first team in 1989: 23 passes for 375 yards (16.3-yard average) and two touchdowns.  Must have be a heck of a blocker ** In case you thought it was rare to be drafted in multiple sports, here are the non MLBers drafted in the 1990 MLB draft: NFL (Chris Weinke, Jeff Brohm, Mark Fields, Kerry Collins, Greg McMurtry, Rodney Peete), NBA (Bimbo Coles, Scott Burrell, Dino Philyaw) Personal Notes Mike Busch is semi famous for being the first replacement players to make it to the pros.  He was never admitted to the MLBPA because of this, and will ...

        Profile Shawna Robinson was a racecar driver at a variety of levels in the NASCAR* tree, all the way up to the Winston Cup.  Born in Des Moines**, she competed in the highest of levels, and is one of three women to race at the Daytona 500.   * Other racers with Iowa connections: Michael Annett (Des Moines), Landon Cassill (Cedar Rapids), Joey Gase (Cedar Rapids), Dick Hutcherson (Keokuk), Johnny Beauchamp (Harlan), Tiny Lund (Harlan), Brett Moffitt (Grimes) ** Des Moines (well, really Newton) is also the home of the Iowa Speedway, a track where I saw Kyle Busch and Matt Kenseth compete Personal Notes Shawna was a trailblazer, being one of the "firsts" or among the firsts for a variety of things in the racing world, yet you really won't hear about it from her.  She put on her flame-retardant pants one leg at a time like the rest of the driver, and didn't want to be seen or treated any differently. Shawna i...

        Profile George Kittle is a tight end for the San Francisco 49ers, and is considered one of the best in the game.  He received a player of the year award for his record breaking 2019 season, leading his team to the Super Bowl.  He attended both Iowa City West and Cedar Falls before becoming an Iowa Hawkeye.  He was drafted in the 2017* draft **. * Iowa connections in this draft: Desmond King (UofI), Jaleel Johnson (UofI), C.J. Beatherd (UofI), Amara Darboh (Dowling Catholic, West Des Moines), Eric Saubert (Drake) ** Tight ends drafted before Kittle (146): O.J. Howard (19), Evan Engram (23), David Njoku (29), Gerald Everett (44), Adam Shaheen (45), Jonnu Smith (100), Michael Roberts (127), Jake Butt (145) Personal Notes Iowa has reputation for developing great tight ends (yes, I know how that sounds you 7 year old), and have been represented by a number in the pros. A short list of the most prominent, probably a few guys that you've had on a fant...

        Profile George Pipgras was a pitcher for the New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox, winning 4 World Series titles with the Yankees.  George was a starting pitcher with the 1927 Yankees*, widely regarded as the greatest team of all time.  George was born in Ida Grove, Iowa**. * While being a part of the starting staff, he was the fifth starter who gave up more earned runs than any other starter, despite having 100 less innings than Waite Hoyt.  But, when you play with a steller lineup, you can still put up a 10-3 record. ** Joel Dreessen (NFL) also comes from Ida Grove.  Two other notables (although notably with cards) are Harold Hughes (Governor and presidential candidate) and Mildred Lillie (first woman nominated for the Supreme Court before her nomination was pulled).  Personal Notes Collections are like living things that are constantly growing.  A Joe Burrow collection is like a tomato plants and when it starts produc...

  Profile Nick Bell was a running for the Iowa Hawkeye football team from 1988 to 1990, earning 1st Team Big Ten* honors in the 1990 season.  Afterwards, Nick received a bunch of 1st round projections, before ultimately going in the 2nd round** of the 1991 NFL Draft*** to the Las Vegas Oakland Los Angeles Raiders, where he spent three years.   * Notables from team: Desmond Howard, Jeff Graham, Alonzo Spellman, Dixon Edwards.  Hawkeyes include Matt Rodgers, Mike Titley, Rob Baxley (2nd), Jim Johnson, Matt Ruhland, Melvin Foster, John Derby (2nd), and Merton Hanks   ** Of the 28 2nd Rounders, there were 3 Pro Bowlers, including Brett Favre, Chris Zorich, and Ricky Watters, who went two picks after Bell. *** Iowa Players in this draft: Iowa (2nd: Nick Bell, 5th Merton Hanks, 10th Michael Titley, 11th: Tony Stewart, and 1st: Dan McGwire(?! A future post)), Northern Iowa (3rd: James Jones), Iowa State (4th: Marcus Robertson, 5th Gene Williams, 6th Blaise ...