Mike Banks 
Mike is obviously known for his football talents, but he was an outstanding high school all purpose athlete at Ogden. He held the school record for most single-game points (43) in a basketball game and led the conference in scoring with 21 points per game, and earned four letters in track and field. Mike selected ISU for college where he was a 3 year starter, finishing his career with 59 receptions for 584 yards (9.9-yard average) in 43 games. While at ISU he was a two-time All-Big 12 Conference honorable mention selection. In 2002 Mike was drafted by Arizona where he played until 2004. He then spent the 2005 season with the New Orleans Saints before retiring from the NFL. Today Mike is a successful businessman in the insurance industry in Des Moines.
Phil Bourjaily 
Phil sold his first magazine story in 1985. A full-time outdoor writer since 1993, his work has appeared in numerous national publications including Field & Steam, Outdoor Life, Sports Afield, American Rifleman and Time. Named Field & Stream’s Shooting Editor in 2002, he contributes a monthly shotgunning column to the magazine. He is also the author of the Field & Stream Turkey Hunting Handbook. He has traveled to 19 states, 3 Canadian provinces and South America in pursuit of upland birds.
Kendal Briles 
Kendal is in his second season as Baylor University’s inside receivers coach, and his first as the offensive recruiting coordinator. The son of head coach Art Briles, Kendal entered coaching in 2008 following a highly successful high school and collegiate playing career. A two-time Texas 4A Offensive Player of the Year and first-team all-state quarterback, Briles also played safety. He totaled 9,322 total-offense yards and 98 total touchdowns over his final two high school seasons. Kendal also earned a pair of letters in track and was an all-district basketball player.
Following a standout prep career, Briles signed a national letter of intent with the University of Texas and redshirted as a true freshman in 2001. He played in seven games as a safety in 2002, but was slowed due to an ankle injury. In his first game on defense, Briles picked off two passes in the Longhorns’ shutout of Baylor in 2002 to share player of the game honors. When his father was named Houston’s head coach, the younger Briles left the Longhorn program and became a Cougar. He sat out the 2003 season due to transfer rules, then caught 25 passes for 311 yards as a junior in 2004. In his final season at Houston, Briles ranked second on the team in receptions with 45 catches for 369 yards and one touchdown.
Barnie Calef 
Barnie shot his first duck in 1976 at the age of 16, and was hooked. Since that first experience in the blind, he has pursued ducks and geese across much of the United States and Canada, and in that time, has arguably become one of the best duck callers the sport has ever seen. In 1989 Barnie captured his first World Duck Calling Championship. He added a second World Championship ring to his collection in 1999, and in 2000 he made history. When Barnie walked off the stage in Stuttgart, AR in November 2000, he had won his third World Duck Calling Championship, and in doing so, became the first person in 26 years to win back-to-back championships. His third title, which forced him into automatic retirement, put him into an elite fraternity of callers. Today, Barnie owns and operates Calef Calls and works as a contractor with his brother.
Sean Considine 
Sean was born in Dixon, IL and attended Byron HS where he was an outstanding all-around athlete. He led his football team to a state championship and was twice named to the Illinois Coaches Association all-state football team as well as lettering 3 times in both baseball and basketball. Following high school, Sean went on to become a standout college football player at the University of Iowa where he was a stellar performer on defense and the recipient of many team, conference and national awards. After college, Sean was selected by the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles during the 2005 draft. He played in 46 games and started 17 times with the Eagles in four seasons. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent on February 27, 2009. He was signed by the Cardinals after a brief stint with the Carolina Panthers in 2011 and continues to play today.
Hailey Dunn 
Growing up on a farm in Eddyville, Iowa, Haley Dunn began shooting with her father in 1993 at the age of eight. Developing a love of the outdoors, Dunn spent the next two years, hunting and clay target shooting with her father. When Dunn turned 12, her father began entering her in local shooting sports competition. At 14, Dunn entered the Iowa State Sporting Clays Championship and claimed the Gold Medal, the youngest lady champion in the event’s history. She went on to claim the Iowa state championship three more times and two times as the Missouri State Ladies Sporting Clays Champion. While attending high school and college, Dunn actively competed internationally travelling to over thirty different countries representing the United States, competing in Olympic skeet and winning more than 25 Gold Medals and other awards. An alternate on the 2004 and 2008 U.S. Olympic teams, Dunn is continuing her competitive career working towards the 2012 games in London, UK. In her “free time”, Dunn works with organizations such as Women on Target and Women in the Outdoors introducing women to the outdoors and the shooting sports.
Erik Jensen 
Erik hails from Appleton (WI) where he was a highly prized prep earning Super Prep and Prep Star all-American, second team all-state linebacker as a junior and senior, unanimous all-conference first team selection as both fullback and linebacker in his final two seasons, and Running Back of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year in the Fox Valley Association as a senior. Erik ranked as third best prospect in Wisconsin and 30th best linebacker prospect in the nation coming out of high school. As a senior he won the state title in weight lifting, lifting a career-best total of 1,450 pounds in the bench press, squat and dead-lift. After high school Erik decided to cast his lot with the Hawks and join the long list of outstanding tight ends that have donned the black & gold. While at Iowa Erik was an accomplished student and was honored on the Academic all-Big 10 Team and was a key component in the resurgence of the Hawkeye football program under Coach Ferentz. Erik signed on with the St. Louis Rams and then went on to San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Rhein Fire and Cincinnati. He is now retired and lives in Wisconsin.
Jim Jensen 
Jim was a collegiate all-star running back and track star at the University of Iowa and was a 2 sport varsity letterman in football and track. He was a second round draft choice of the Dallas Cowboys in 1976 and played 7 years as a running back in the NFL. He spent 4 years with the Denver Broncos and led the team in rushing and receiving in 1980. He also played in Super Bowl XII. He finished his career by playing two seasons for the Green Bay Packers. Since his retirement Jim has spent 20 years as a commercial artist, marketing specialist and journalist. He is currently the Vice-President of Marketing for Water Valley, Northern Colorado’s largest resort style community in Windsor.
Jim Kelly 
NFL Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly comes to us following a long and successful career as a pro quarterback in the NFL for the Buffalo Bills and the USFL’s Houston Gamblers. Kelly was the third quarterback drafted in the 1983 NFL Draft, the same draft class where John Elway was first overall. Employing the K-Gun offense, he lead one of the great NFL scoring juggernauts and led the Buffalo Bills to four consecutive Super Bowls, from 1991 to 1994. In 2002, in his first year of eligibility, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jim Kelly’s number 12 is the only number ever retired in Buffalo Bills history and, in 2009, Kelly was elected to the Buffalo Bills 50th Season All-time Team.
Jim has devoted much of his post-football life to his son, Hunter James Kelly, who was diagnosed with Globoid-Cell Leukodystrophy (Krabbe disease) shortly after his birth on February 14, 1997. Hunter died as a result of this disease on August 5, 2005 at the age of 8. To honor his son, Jim established a non-profit organization in 1997: Hunter’s Hope. Kelly’s advocacy on behalf of Krabbes’ patients has increased national awareness of the disease. Kelly and his wife Jill founded the annual Hunter’s Day of Hope, which is held on February 14, the birthdays of both Jim and Hunter Kelly.
Bruce Kimm 
Bruce was a man born to spend his entire life in baseball. Bruce was born and raised in Norway, Iowa, which has produced an astonishing number of outstanding baseball players. Although he has more recently been known for his managing and coaching accomplishments, Bruce was drafted by the White Sox out of high school and made his major league debut in 1976. He spent a total of 12 years in the pros and played catcher for the White Sox, Cubs and Tigers. After Bruce hung up his cleats in 1980 he continued his career in baseball by coaching in the minor leagues for Lakeland, Cedar Rapids (Reds), Orlando and Iowa (Cubs). In 2002 Bruce was named the manager of the Chicago Cubs.
Kevin Kolb 
Kevin spent 2011 as the quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals after 4 years with the Philadelphia Eagles who drafted him in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. Kolb attended Stephenville High School in Stephenville, Texas, where he was a three-year starter at quarterback. He moved on to the University of Houston where he earned Conference USA Offensive Most Valuable Player of the Year honors in 2006. In the NFL, Kolb started two games for the Eagles in 2009 in place of the injured Donovan McNabb and earned NFC Player of the Week honors following his week 3 performance against the Kansas City Chiefs. Following McNabb’s trade to the Washington Redskins in April 2010, Kolb became the starting quarterback for the Eagles, but was traded to the Cardinals prior to the start of the 2011 season. In the offseason, Kolb is an avid outdoorsman and competes in North Texas fishing tournaments as well as hunting wild hogs in his spare time.
Todd Lodwick 
As a little kid growing up in a ski town, everything Todd did was outside. He’s the second of four boys in a family where his mom insisted that playing inside was not an option. Todd lived next to a creek that was loaded with fish, hills to climb everywhere and the ski mountain within a stones throw to the house. He grew up with a love to be outdoors and a family that holds the traditions of hunting close to the heart. He still continues those traditions in every season of the year. Whether it is big game or a big mountain, Todd loves to hunt and ski out West. Growing up in Steamboat Springs Colorado,”Ski Town USA”, the opportunities to become a world-class athlete were at his fingertips. He just had to work hard enough. He was very fortunate to be a talented ski jumper and with a strong work ethic, Todd became a Nordic Combined skier and has participated in four Olympic Winter Games. His road to a 5th Olympic Games in Vancouver is in full swing and he’s working harder than ever to become the first American to win a medal in Nordic Combined.
Orlan Love 
Orlan is the Gazette’s outdoor writer since 1994 and has been hunting pheasants around his hometown of Quasqueton for the past 45 years. He grew up in the glory days of Iowa pheasant hunting, when nearly every Iowa farm was as full of roosters as the fields of Highland Hideaway. Though he has learned to content himself with fewer birds, he still looks eagerly forward each fall to the company of dogs and like-minded people and the thrill of rocketing roosters. His writings have earned several awards including Iowa Newspaper Association master columnist, best series and best news feature and the Associated Press Managing Editor’s first-place awards for investigative reporting.
Sean McCarty 
Sean is a local product of West Branch. While a Bear he was 1989, 1990 and 1991 state high school golf champion. At Iowa he was immediately successful and was 1992 Big 10 Freshman of the Year and 1st Team All-Big 10. As a senior he was 2nd Team All American and 1st Team All Big Ten. As a professional golfer Sean has spent several years on tour with many accomplishments, including: 1997 Iowa Open Champion, 1998 Waterloo Open Champion, 2002 and 2003 Assistant Player of the year of the Iowa Section, 2003 Iowa Section Champion for Low Scoring Average, 2003 National Buick Scramble Champions, 2003 U.S. Open participant. Today, Sean continues with his golf career and he and his wife, Mundi, make their home in the Iowa City area with their son Reed and daughter Grace. Sean is an avid hunter and is the Head Golf Pro at Brown Deer Golf Course and a professional for J.D. Turner Golf Schools.
Lon Olejniczak 
Olejniczak, from Decorah, IA, was a four year letterman and standout for the University of Iowa football team. As a receiver he caught 23 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns. He was also a punt return specialist with the Hawkeyes. During his Iowa career he played defensive back, tight end and wing back. Lon has had a highly successful post-football career as well, serving in a number of senior executive positions in the insurance and financial services industry. He currently serves as a Senior Vice-President with Transamerica, a division of AEGON, in Cedar Rapids, IA, and remains an instrumental volunteer and worker in numerous athletic and University of Iowa related efforts.
Alex Rutledge 
Alex is Host and co-owner of Bloodline TV and Radio and has over 30 years of hunting experience. Alex is an accomplished turkey, deer, elk, and predator caller. He holds several turkey calling titles, including the National Amateur Turkey calling Championship in 1987, the Missouri State Turkey Calling Championship in 1987, and the Grand National Gobbling Championship in 1988. He is also a two-time South Central Missouri Ozark Calling Champion, Southeast Missouri Gobbling Champion, and the Southwest Open Turkey Calling Champion. When hunting season stops, fishing season starts – and that’s just the way Alex likes it!
Tim Sylvia 
Tim, known as the “Maine-iac” grew up in Eastbrook, Maine and in high school participated in Karate and wrestling. After that, he was involved in semi professional football and eventually worked his way into Mixed Martial Arts. Tim’s MMA career started on 1/19/01 with a TKO victory over Randy Durant in an IFC event. Tim’s career was off to a great start as he won his first 13 matches before even entering the UFC, 11 by way of stoppage. His rapid rise in the sport gave him a shot at the UFC Heavyweight Championship Belt against Ricco Rodriguez on 2/28/03. Since that time he has held the title multiple times and currently has a lifetime MMA record of 30-7.
Allen Treadwell 
Allen is a Realtree and Hunter’s Specialties pro staffer, from Seligman, Missouri. He is an avid hunter and decorated shotgun shooter who has won numerous titles, including 2000 Missouri State Athlete of the Year, 2001 Championship of the American Champion and 2003 National Collegiate Champion (shooting). He’s the holder of two National Records in International Skeet Shooting, and he is an Olympic Team Alternate. Allen is also a pro staff member of Bass Pro Shops Red Head Pro Hunting Team and Nikon Optics. He’s also a pro shooter for Mathews Bows. When Allen isn’t competing in shotgun competitions, he’s winning tournaments with his rifle, bow and muzzleloader.
Brenda Valentine 
Brenda Valentine, aka “First Lady of Hunting”™, is a National Spokesperson for the National Wild Turkey Federation. She is a member of Bass Pro Shops’ RedHead National Pro-Hunting Team and the National Legends of the Outdoors Hall of Fame. She is host of NWTF’s “Turkey Call” TV show and co-host to Bass Pro Shops’ “Real Hunting” show as well as a frequent guest on many other outdoor and conservation oriented programs. Brenda is pleased to endorse a few select companies that manufacture exceptional products for the discerning hunter.