An Iowa high school graduate who rose through the ranks of undrafted player to Super Bowl winning quarterback and eventual Pro Football Hall of Famer, will add another honor to his legacy.

Kurt Warner will be part of the University of Northern Iowa Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026, the school announced.

Warner, a graduate of Cedar Rapids Regis High School (which would later be renamed Cedar Rapids Xavier), was a multi-sport standout in football, basketball and baseball.

He enrolled at Northern Iowa after and earned the opportunity to start for the Panthers at quarterback as a senior, earning Gateway Conference Offensive Player of the Year and first team all-league honors.

Warner, though, would go undrafted, receiving an invitation to try out with the Green Bay Packers. After being cut, he returned to Cedar Falls, stocking shelves at a local grocery store before finding a home with the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena Football League.

From Stocking Grocery Shelves To Throwing Super Bowl Touchdowns

In 1998, Warner played in NFL Europe, leading the league in touchdowns and passing yards. He earned a spot with the St. Louis Rams later that year in the NFL, taking over as the starter after Trent Green suffered a season-ending injury.

The rest was history, as Warner led the Rams to a win over the Tennessee Titans in Super Bowl XXXIV and won the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. He threw for 414 yards and two touchdowns, earning him the Super Bowl MVP, as well.

Warner twice on the MVP award for the season, was a four-time Pro Bowl selection, twice named to the all-pro first team and set three NFL all-time records. He finished his career with 32,344 yards passing and 208 touchdowns.

Several Other Former Iowans Set To Be Enshrined

Joining Warner in the Class of 2026 will be Des Moines Hoover High School graduate and swimmer, Mark Crouch, Fort Dodge native and wrestler, Jim Sanford, West Delaware High School grad and volleyball standout Ashten Stelken, State Center native and multi-sport star Kay (Whitaker) Wieck and Cedar Falls native Hannah Bermel, who will be honored with the Merlin Taylor Academic Award.

Gary Rima, the voice of the Panthers and a native of Strawberry Point, will be presented with the Dr. Jitu Kothari Meritorious Service Award with Bob Justis.

“We are thrilled to announce a Hall of Fame class worthy of the honor as the university marks its 150th anniversary,” Northern Iowa Director of Athletics Megan Franklin said in a press release from the school. “The inductees represent program defining players, voices that brought iconic moments to life and lifts up the celebration of scholarship definidng the student-athlete experience.

“Needless to say, in this sesquicentennial year, the Hall of Fame committee put together a very special class highlighting the very best in UNI athletics history.”

The induction ceremony is set for Friday, September 11 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, with the class being recognized the following day during Northern Iowa’s home opener inside the UNI-Dome vs. Drake.

AMES — After six years and two different roles at Iowa State, Emily Ryan was named an assistant coach for Iowa State’s women’s basketball program Thursday. 

Ryan spent five years as a player for the Cyclones from 2020-25  and, most recently, the 2025-26 season as a graduate assistant for the program.

“Emily’s loyalty and commitment to Iowa State women’s basketball has been truly special,” head coach Bill Fennelly said via a news release. “Our players will be learning the Iowa State Way from one of the best Cyclones ever!”

Prior to coaching, Ryan quickly established herself as a Cyclone and became one of the program’s most notable point guards. 

Ryan concluded her time as a Cyclone with 1,632 points, 656 rebounds and 993 assists. These statistics marked Ryan as the third NCAA women’s basketball player to have more than 1,500 points, 600 rebounds and 900 assists. 

Additionally, as a player, Ryan earned three Big 12 selections in the Big 12 Tournament, and 2024 marked Ryan as an All-Tournament Team member. Outside of the Big 12, Ryan was on the Naismith Trophy Watch List three times.

After transitioning from on the court to the sidelines, Ryan’s graduate assistant role focused on developing the program’s point guards.

The most notable point guard Ryan worked with was former Cyclone Jada Williams, who spent one season with the team.

 During the 2025-26 season, Williams quickly filled the role of the floor general, averaging 15.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 7.7 assists while shooting 41.7%. 

The new role for Ryan will quickly escalate as the team welcomes seven guards to the program ahead of the 2026-27 season.

“Emily made a tremendous impact on our program as a player, and that will continue as a coach,” Fennelly said.

DES MOINES, Iowa — Forty Iowa lawmakers, including Iowa House Majority Leader Bobby Kaufmann, are urging federal regulators to reject a request from utility companies that would temporarily halt competition for major electric transmission projects.

In a letter sent to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, or FERC, lawmakers asked regulators to deny a complaint filed by utilities seeking a moratorium on transmission competition, arguing the move would increase electricity costs for consumers and reduce market competition.

The complaint, filed in April by incumbent utilities against regional grid operators Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, and Southwest Power Pool, seeks to pause competitive bidding for transmission projects across multiple states.

Supporters of competition argue the change would effectively allow utilities to receive no-bid control over billions of dollars in future transmission projects tied to growing electricity demand, including from data centers.

The lawmakers wrote that Iowa has repeatedly rejected anti-competitive legislation in recent years and pointed to President Donald Trump’s executive order aimed at reducing regulatory barriers for new market participants.

“The utility complaint is tone deaf to the electricity affordability crisis facing Americans,” Paul Cicio, chair of the Electricity Transmission Competition Coalition, said in a statement. “Suspending competition in MISO and SPP would expose consumers in these regions to billions in unchecked cost escalation for years, guaranteeing higher utility bills.”

Utilities that filed the complaint include ITC Midwest, Ameren Services, Xcel Energy and several other regional electric providers.

The coalition opposing the complaint argues competitive bidding has historically lowered costs for transmission projects in MISO and SPP regions, while utilities say changes are needed to speed project development amid growing energy demand.

The dispute comes as energy providers face increasing pressure to expand electric infrastructure to meet demand from large-scale developments, including data centers.