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.

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​​

JESS SETTLES

Big Ten Commentator, Farmer & Former Iowa Basketball Player
• ​​Announcer with Big Ten Network 
• ​​Played basketball at University of Iowa (1993-99)
• Big Ten Rookie of the Year 1993
• All Big Ten 1995
• Previously coached high school and college basketball
• Farms on the family farm in Southeast Iowa
• ​​Winfield, Iowa native

ANDRE ALLEN

​Former NFL, CFL & UNI
​Football Player 
Member UNI Hall of Fame​
• ​Played for University of Northern Iowa 1991-1995
- ​Received the leagues All-Decade honors - 1994
- At UNI posted 358 career tackles - ranking No. 4 in Panther history
- Registered 31 quarterback sacks which is No. 3 in Panther record book!
• ​Free agent with Philadelphia Eagles - 1995  & 1996
• ​After NFL joined World Football League with London Monarchs
• ​​Played in the Canadian Football League with Montreal Alouettes and Winnipeg Blue Bombers 
• ​Wrapped up career with Arena Football League playing for Nashville Kats and Iowa Barnstormers
• ​​Inducted into to University of Northern Iowa Hall of Fame in 2013
​• André resides in West Des Moines with his wife, Holly and has three adult boys; AJ (former UNI football ), Trevor (former UNI football ) & Ayden (graduated from Waukee NW)! 

TAVIAN BANKS

Coach, Trainer & Motivational Speaker; Former NFL & Hawkeye Football Player ​
• ​John R. Grubb Community YMCA Executive Director
• ​​IGNIT Sports & Fitness Director of
Athletic Development - 2016-2019
• ​​Carpe Diem Sports Founder & CEO - 2013-2016
• ​​Coach -2006-Present
- University of Louisville Assistant Coach  - 2006-2007
-TNT Football Camps (Tavian Banks & Tim Dwight)
• ​​NFL Running Bank - 1998-2004
-Drafted by Jacksonville Jaguars - 1998
-New Orleans Saints Free Agent 
• ​​Iowa Hawkeye Football Player - 1993-1999 
-NCAA Rushing Record
- Big Ten Player of the Year & MVP
- 1st Team All American & Big Ten
• Heisman Trophy Candidate - 1997
• Iowa High School & Quad Cities
​Hall of Fame Inductee - 2008

RODNEY FILER

​Trainer & Entrepreneur;
Former NFL, AFL &
Hawkeye Football Player 
• John R. Grubb Community
​YMCA Youth Program Director
• ​​Co-Owner CrossFit Restart
• ​​Nationally registered EMT
• 2x Des Moines City View Personal Trainer of the Year
• ​​Trainer "Biggest Loser" Season 8 at-home winner
• ​​ Played for the Iowa Hawkeyes - 1993-1997
• ​​Played in the NFL & AFL for 15 years
- Undrafted free-agent San Diego Chargers (1997)
- AFL player and coach including Iowa Barnstormers
• ​​Married to wife Gigi

JAMIE ​CHADWICK

INDY NXT DRIVER
• Drives for Andretti Autosport
• Made American racing series debut in 2023
• First female to in 13 years to compete full-time in INDY NXT championship
​​• ​​2019, 2021 and 2022 W Series Champion
​​• Loves to golf
​​• From Great Britain​​

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

KEVIN LAZARD

Former Iowa State
​Football Player
• Played football at Iowa State University
1989-1993
• ISU Team Co-Captain 1993
• In high school played football, basketball and track with All State, All Conference honors in all​
• Married 23 years and has 4 children
- Son: Anthony is Assistant Director of Sports Performance at Stanford University
- Son: Allen is WR in NFL for New York Jets
-Son: Ammanuel is attending Iowa Central
- Daughter: Attiyah (Ade) is a sophomore at Iowa State 
• Works as an IT Systems Analyst for 25 years 
​​

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, 2022, and Iowa Speedway July 23, 2022
​​• 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

LEVI ​PAULSEN

Former Iowa Hawkeye
​Football Player
• ​Iowa Hawkeyes Offensive Lineman - 2015-2019
• He and twin brother Landen both
​played Hawkeye football
•  Member of the 2015 Rose Bowl 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
•  Enjoys anything outdoors, loves dogs,
hunting, biking and running

NICK EASLEY

Former Iowa Hawkeye & NFL Football Player
​​•  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 ​

​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

ELIAS JOHNSON

WHO13 News Anchor
​Former Pro-Golfer
• ​ Evening News Anchor at WHO-TV
​​​• Nationally recognized journalist
• 4x Emmy award-winner
• 6x Edward R. Murrow Recipient
• 2007 Hearst National Broadcast Champion at Arizona State
• Member of the 2006 PAC-10 champion Arizona State University Sun Devil's wrestling team at 141
• Married with three children in Urbandale
• Two-sport athlete at Iowa Central Community College in wrestling and golf
• Played golf two years as a professional on the Pepsi Tour in Arizona

KAHLIL CARTER

​Former NFL, CFL, AFL & NFL Europe Football Player;
​Coach & Actor
•  10 year Professional Football career
​(NFL, CFL, AFL, NFL Europe)
• Played for NFL with Buffalo Bills & Cleveland Browns
​​• Played for NFL Europe with Scottish Claymores
• 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
• Actor and Entrepreneur

COLE FISHER

Former Iowa Hawkeye
Football Player
​​•  Played football at University of Iowa as a Linebacker from 2012-2015
- 2015 Coaches Appreciate Award Special Teams
- Academic All-Big Ten
​​•  Completed a Masters in Civil Engineering at the U of Iowa from 2015-2017
​​•  Structural EIT for ERA Structural Engineering in St. Paul, MN 2017-2019
​​•  Structural PE for ERA Structural Engineering 2019-Present
​​• Moved back to IA in 2021 and currently opening a new ERA branch in Ankeny, IA

NICK ANDERSON

Former Iowa Hawkeye
Football Player
• Iowa Hawkeye Special Teams Player
​​• Academic All Big 10 - 2019 and 2020
​​• Hometown: Waukee, Iowa

JAMES MOSES

Former Iowa Hawkeye Basketball Player, Radio Announcer, Coach
• Former University of Iowa Basketball Player (1988-1992)
• Tipped in winning basket in OT to upset #4 Indiana in 1991
• Works for the Department of Corrections 5th District as a Probation/Parole Officer for 28+ years.
• iHeartMedia Radio Announcer for Iowa Men’s & Women’s basketball post game shows
• Coaching youth at all levels, including; Mt Mercy College Men’s program, Cedar Rapids Xavier Assistant Coach, Cedar Rapids Prairie Varsity Head Coach and Cedar Rapids Washington Boys Assistant Coach.  James has also coached for several AAU programs: All Iowa Attack, Martin Brothers Basketball, Team Iowa & Cedar Rapids Panthers.
• Continues to provide skills development for youth, High School and Collegiate players.
• Lives in Urbandale with wife, Peg and son, Jaylon.  
• Native of Carson, California  

AUSTIN ​McCARL

Sprint Car Driver & 2018 Knoxville Raceway Champ 
•  Competing weekly for the Knoxville Raceway Championship series - sitting 2nd in points
•  Driving with Country Builders Racing in 2023
•  2018 Knoxville Raceway Track Champion
•  2022 Knoxville Nationals Pole Starter 
•  Traveling the country competing in the World of Outlaw Sprint Car Series
• Member of a Sprint Car racing family:
father - Terry McCarl & brother - Carson McCarl
• Married to Alyssa and new dad to Cole born 2023
​​• Altoona native

SEAN ROBERTS

KXnO Radio Personality
• ​​Producer/Host at KXnO 1460 AM Radio
• Host of the afternoon show on KXnO - “The Drive with Heather and Sean”
• In the Game host for Drake Men’s Basketball 
• ​​Former 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
•  Just married to Kaylee in June 2023
•  Has a pug named Rosie

MATT JETER

Collegiate Football Coach
25 years coaching collegiate level
​• Simpson College Head Coach
• University of Missouri Coaching Staff 
​• Drake University Recruiting
Coordinator  and Defensive Coordinator
• American Rivers Conference Coach of the Year in 2018
​• NCAA Expert Coaches Forum Participant
​• 2004 PFL Champions
​• Des Moines Lincoln High School Assistant Coach 
​• Played football at Simpson College 
- Helped the Storm to 2  IowaConference championships
​• Married to Kimberly with two sons, Jordan and Jayden

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

HURL BEECHUM

Former ISU Basketball & Professional Europe Leauge
• Born in Des Moines, Iowa
• Played basketball for Iowa State 
• Played Professional Basketball in Europe for 11 years
-Record for most 3 pointers made in a single game. (12)
-Record holder for most 3 pointers made in a season. 
 -2005 German league champion!
• VP Business Development and Distribution TNBC/Vanbridge 

LUKE GALEAZZI

Collegiate Golfer
• Qualified individually for state golf as a sophomore 
• First Team All State junior year 
• Member of the Mike Bender Elite Golf Academy in Orlando, Florida for 6 months 
• Played collegiate golf at Hawkeye CC in 2021-2023
• Transferring to William Penn University in the fall 2023 
• 2x Winner in collegiate golf
• Qualified for Nationals freshman year of college 
• From Knoxville, Iowa
* Please note, celebrity guest appearances are subject to change. Celebrities will be paired with VIP Sponsors and then Standard Foursomes as available. We encourage everyone to chat with celebrities, get photos and ask for autographs. 
Due to circumstances beyond our control Austin Blythe, Tim Dwight, Nate Teut, Ketih Duncan, Thom Darden, Ryan Gersonde, Pat Angerer and Scott Siepker regret they no longer able to attend the 2023 NCC. They all hope to join the fun again in for 2024!