CELEBRITY GUESTS
When participating in Newton Cares Classic you will be swinging your clubs alongside some amazing talent on the pavement, field, court or screen.
NCC gets you up close and personal with some of the most popular athletes,
​actors and celebrities in Iowa and beyond.

TIM 
DWIGHT

Entrepreneur, NFL Star &
Iowa Hawkeye Legend
• ​​Founder Tim Dwight Foundation
• Principal at Solar Integrators
• ​​An NFL Wide Receiver - 1998-2007 - with Falcons,
Charges, Patriots, Jets and Raiders 
• ​​Iowa Hawkeye  track and field legend.
• In football held a number of school records and was a two-time All American
• ​​Big Ten Conference award in his and Johnny Rodgers honor -- Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year
• ​​1999 Big Ten Champion in 100 meter dash, 4x400-meter relay and 4x100-meter relay teams

CASEY BLAKE

Former MLB Player
​​• 11-year MLB  Career - 167 homeruns and 616 RBIs 
• Played first and third base for 
Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Dodgers 
• Also played with Blue Jays, Twins,
 Orioles and Rockies 
​​• Attended Wichita State  - 3x All-American,
2x Academic All-American & played in College World Series
​​• Created a foundation with his wife to help
​his hometown and local school district 
​​​• ​​Indianola, Iowa native​​

HUNTER
McELREA

Indy Lights Driver
​​• Joined Andretti Autosport team in November 2021
Won his first Indy Lights race at the Indy Lights Presented by Cooper Tires on July 2
​​• Began his career karting at age 7
​​• Third generation driver - Grandfather Rod McElrea won the New Zealand Beach Racing Championship in 1971; Father Andy McElrea won the New Zealand Formula Ford Championship in 1991
​​• McElrea is a New Zealand native and grew up in Australia

SCOTT
SIEPKER

Iowa Nice Guy/Actor/Writer
​​• ​​Best known as the Iowa Nice Guy
• Actor, writer, producer, and filmmaker
• Co-founder of Iowa Filmmakers
​​• ​​Iowa Outdoors Co-Host
​​• ​​Sound Off Guest Host
​​• ​​Regular guest on WHO TV-13 Sound Off & RV TV
​​• ​​Catch Des Moines spokesperson​​

KEITH 
​DUNCAN

Former Iowa Hawkeye player
​​• Placekicker for Iowa Hawkeyes 2016-2021
​​• Played in 2017 Outback Bowl, 2019 Outback Bowl and 2019 Holiday Bowl
​​• Consensus First-team All American (2019)
​​• Bakken-Andersen Kicker of the Year (2019)
​​• First-team All Big Ten (2019)
​​• Third-team All Big Ten (2020)
​​​​• Set North Carolina high school state records for most field goals in a season (22) and total field goals (51) and consecutive extra points made (104)

MERV 
​KRAKAU

Former NFL Linebacker & 
Member of ISU HOF
• ​​Played six seasons in NFL with Buffalo Bills
and New England Patriots
• Played at Iowa State from 1969-1972
•  Named Sports Illustrated Lineman of the Week and was an All-American Defensive End - 1972
• Member of the Iowa State University
​Athletics Hall of Fame - 2007

TUCKER
DeVRIES

Drake University Men's Basketball Player
​​​​• Freshman starter on Drake University Men's Basketball (2021-22)
• MVC Freshman of the Year
​​• All-MVC Second Team
​​• All-MVC Newcomer Team
​​• Led Bulldogs with 13.9 points per game and scored double figures in 30 games
​​• As a high school player, he was named 2002-21 Mr. Basketball & ranked 98th nationally
​​• Gatorade Boys Basketball Player of the Year
​​​​• In 3 years at Waukee High School he scored 1,092 points with 430 rebounds, 268 assists, 121 steals and set the school's single-season scoring record with 554 points his junior year

GARRETT
STURTZ

Drake University Men's Basketball Player
• Drake Bulldogs Men's Basketball 2018-2022
• All-MVC Second Team & MVC Scholar
Athlete Team (2021-2022)
•  Named to the All-Bench & Scholar
​Athlete Teams (2019-2020 & 2020-2021)
•  2019 Conference Regular Season Champions
•  2021 NCAA Tournament Appearance
• Scored more than 1,500 points in high school
• From Newton, Iowa

SCOTT
​HELVERSON

NCAA & NFL Referee
​​​​• Played football at University of Iowa; Starting wide receiver for two Big Ten Conference titles
• Participant in five bowl games -- Rose, Peach, Gator, Freedom, Rose and was Co-MVP 1985
• Iowa High School football officiant 1988-1995
• Iowa Conference officiant 1990-1995
• Division III National Championship officiant Alonzo Stagg Bowl 1993
•  Iowa High School State Championship officiant 1994
• Big Ten officiant 1995-2002 - Officiant in five bowl games
Las Vegas Bowl, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl National Championship 2001, Gator Bowl, Peach Bowl
• NFL Europe officiant 2000 - 2002
NFL Europe World Bowl officiant 2002
• NFL Back Judge 2003 - current
-16 playoff games
-Five Wild Card games
-Five Divisional Playoff games
-Three Championship games
-One Pro Bowl
-Three Super Bowls - 2008 XLII, 2011 XLV and 2021 LXI 
•Proud father of three beautiful daughters 27, 24 and 21

NICK 
​EASLEY

Former Iowa Hawkeye Football Player & Outback Bowl MVP
​​•  Played for Iowa Hawkeyes in 2017-18 & 2018-19 seasons after transferring from junior college
​​•  2019 Outback Bowl MVP
​​•  Undrafted free agent with Buffalo Bills in 2019
​​•  Buffalo Bills practice squad member (2019-2020)
​​• From Newton, Iowa 

LEVI
​PAULSEN

Former Iowa Hawkeye Football Player
• ​Iowa Hawkeyes Offensive Lineman (2015-2019)
• He and his twin brother Landen both played for Hawkeye football
•  Member of the 2015 Rosebowl Team
•  Member of 2019 senior class that set Iowa football record most total wins in a 5-year span
•  Academic All-Big Ten player  for four years
•  Lives in Kalona, Iowa with his girlfriend
•  Enjoys anything outdoors, loves dogs, hunting, biking and running

FRED
JACKSON

Coe College Hall of Famer & Former NFL Player
•  Played nine season with Buffalo Bills
•  Retired as a Bills player in 2018
•  2010 Bills Walter Payton "Man of the Year" award
​• First player in NFL history to compile 1,000 rushing and 1,000 kickoff return yards in a season (2009)• 7x All American in football and track at Coe
​•  Inducted into Coe College Hall of Fame in 2017
for football and men's track and field

PATRICK JACKSON

Coe College Hall of Famer & Semi Pro Football Player
​​• Played semi-pro football for 12 years with Sioux City Bandits, Cedar Valley Vikings, Iowa Lightning and North Iowa Bucks, which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2016
• Inducted into Coe College Hall of Fame in 2017
for football and men's track and field
​• 2x All American in track
​• Member of the two record holding relay teams: indoor 4x200 meter relay time of 1:29:98 (2002) and 4x100-metere relay of 41.26 (2003)

KAHLIL 
CARTER

Former NFL & European Professional Football Player
•  10 year Professional Football career
​(NFL, CFL, AFL, NFL Europe
• Member of  coaching staff for  for Iowa High School State champions Valley High School, Pioneer Conference champions Drake University, 2x CFL Divisional champions Calgary Stampeders
• Played for NFL with Buffalo Bills in
​​• Played for NFL Europe with Scottish Claymores

SEAN ROBERTS

KXnO Radio Personality
• ​​Producer/Host of KXnO Morning Rush
• ​​Host of KXnO Saturday Morning Pregame
• Host/Creator of The Seantourage Show Podcast
• Loves radio, playing golf and in my men’s wood bat league baseball league
•  Has a pug named Rosie

AUSTIN
​McCARL

Sprint Car Driver & 2018 Knoxville Raceway Champ 
•  Competing weekly for the Knoxville Raceway Championship series - in a tight point battle this season
•  Driving with Country Builders Racing in 2022
•  2018 Knoxville Raceway Track Champion
• 6 career wins - Most recent at
​Knoxville Raceway - May 2022
• Member of a Sprint Car racing family:
​son of Terry McCarl and brother of Carson McCarl
​​• Altoona native

BROOKS
​REYNOLDS

Founder of Bacon Fest & Philanthropist
• ​​Founded Blue Ribbon Bacon Fest in 2008
• ​​Expanded Bacon Fest to Colorado, Minnesota, Iceland, and Japan
• Has raised over $1 million for nonprofits since 2008
• Volunteers with Boys and Girls Club of Central Iowa, Young Variety, Central Iowa Shelter & Services, Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and many more
• Des Moines Register Juice Young Professionals Award 2010 and received the Variety the Children's Charity International Presidential Citation Award in 2011     
•  Newest venture is the newly remodeled "J.R's Southpork Ranch" which opened to rave reviews at the 2021 Iowa State Fair

THOM
​DARDEN

Former NFL Player
• 1st Round/Pick 18 in the 1972 NFL Draft
• Played for Cleveland Browns from 1972-1981
• 3x Second-Team All Pro - 1976, 1978, 1979
• 1st Team All -Pro Bowl - 1978
•  NFL Interception Leader - 1978
• Played at University of Michigan-1969-1971
•  All-American - 1971
•  2x First Team All Big Ten - 1970, 1971
• ESPN chose Darden's Nov. 21, 1971, interception against Ohio State as one of the
"100 Plays, performances and moments
​that define college football"
• From Sandusky, Ohio
• Today he is Principal of The Darden Group, Inc., a financial services company
• Lives in Cedar Rapids with his wife Melissa

MASON
​MITCHELL

ARCA Champion & Entrepreneur
• ​​2014 ARCA Racing Series Champion 
• 2015 Iowa Speedway ARCA Race Winner
• Springfield Mile Track Record Holder
• Toledo Speedway Track Record Holder
• In 55 ARCA starts, 1 championship, 3 wins, 24 top 5's, 44 top 10's, 7 Pole awards, and 793 laps lead
• President of Alpha Properties
• West Des Moines native​

RYAN
​GERSONDE

Former Iowa Hawkeye Player
• Special Teams - University of Iowa
​Hawkeyes (2017-2021)
• Coaches Appreciation Award, special teams (2021)
• ​​​Earned All-American honors as high school senior 
• ​​Senior Consultant at YOUNG & Associates
• ​​From Milwaukee, Wis. 
* Please note, celebrity guest appearances are subject to change. Celebrities will be paired with sponsors and then foursomes as available. We encourage everyone to chat with celebrities, get photos and ask for autographs.