• Klinkenborg Masters Formula for Success both in Sport and Classroom
• Clark Values Impact both On and Off the Field

Klinkenborg starts as an athlete and educator, and makes time for community service.

Mike Klinkenborg is good at football. The 6’2”, 240-pound senior ranked seventh in the Big Ten for tackles per game in the 2007 season, averaging 8.8, and has amassed 224 career tackles in his time as a Hawkeye linebacker.

But his talents aren’t limited to the playing field. Thanks to his strong efforts in the classroom, Klinkenborg earned an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship as a 2007 National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete.

The foundation awards approximately 15 scholarships each year to senior players around the country who have demonstrated “outstanding academic success, exemplary community leadership, and superior football performance.”

Klinkenborg, an Elementary Education major with a math specialization, has a 3.95 grade point average and was chosen first-team Academic All-American in 2006.

He is the fifth Iowa player to earn the National Football Foundation scholarship and the first University of Iowa College of Education student.

In addition to his efforts in sports and academics, Klinkenborg makes time for community service. He has served as a youth counselor for the University’s sports camps and volunteered for the Iowa City Shelter House, the Ronald McDonald House, and Camp Courageous.

Head Hawkeye Football Coach Kirk Ferentz said he’s proud of Klinkenborg’s achievements.

“Mike has done an outstanding job for us, on and off the field,” Ferentz said. “He epitomizes everything that’s good about college football today.”

Klinkenborg, a Rock Rapids, Iowa, native, said he decided to be an Elementary Education major early in his freshman year at the UI.

“My coaches and teachers from back home have had a big impact on my life, and I felt like I wanted to have that kind of impact on students as well some day,” he said.

He especially credits Dan Snyder, his fifth-grade teacher and high school strength, baseball, and track coach, with steering him toward a career in education.

“He’s had a major impact on me,” Klinkenborg said.

Snyder (BA ’90) describes Klinkenborg as the “ideal” student athlete—the first to arrive at the weight room in the morning and the last to leave after school.

“And his academics were just as important as athletics, probably more important,” Snyder said, adding that he’s proud his former student athlete has had continued success on the field and in the classroom.

“Mike proves that if you work hard and keep your nose out of trouble, good things happen,” he said.

Klinkenborg did his practicum teaching in a second-grade classroom at Iowa City’s Mark Twain Elementary School and said he loved the experience.

“The kids were awesome,” he said. “The biggest thing I learned is that with younger students, you need to have better management skills than with the older grades.”

He said he’s not sure where he’ll do his student teaching, but expects it will be in the Iowa City area. He’s also not sure how he’ll put that $18,000 to use.

“I’m not quite sure of my plans after graduation,” he said. “There are a lot of possibilities, especially now with the scholarship.”

Clark Values Impact both On and Off the Field

Clark looks on as participant in the Special Olympics goes for the gold.

Dallas Clark (BA ’07) may be a Super Bowl champion, but first he was a dedicated student in the College of Education with plans to become an elementary school teacher.

Clark, who joined the Indianapolis Colts as a tight end in 2003, caught four passes for 36 yards in the Colts’ 2006 Super Bowl victory.

The Livermore, Iowa, native decided he wanted to major in elementary education during his sophomore year in college.

“I’ve always enjoyed the classroom atmosphere and really wanted to be in a position to influence kids,” he said. “You can have a great impact on children as a teacher.”

In fact, Clark credits his sixth-grade teacher and coach, Bill Francis, with inspiring him to pursue teaching.

“I can vividly remember the impact he had on me while I was in his class,” Clark said. “He gave me confidence as a student and as a young athlete, teaching me the importance of practice.”

Francis, now a guidance counselor for Boyden-Hull Community Schools, said he remembers Clark as a hard working sixth grader who always gave his best effort, and as someone who cared about others.

As a Hawkeye, Clark is remembered as much for his dedication to education as he is for his moves on the field.

“Dallas would go out of his way to help anyone he could,” Francis said. “Even at recess, when we would play basketball and football, he would pick the kids for his team that would get picked last. He just hated to see those kids feel bad.”

Clark, who took time off from his education to prepare for the NFL, finished his degree in 2007. He said he hasn’t completed his student teaching requirement due to timing issues.

Although Clark’s career has taken a different path so far, Francis said he’s sure the qualities he already displayed in sixth grade would make Clark a great teacher.

“I’m very proud of the fact that he chose to go into education,” Francis said. “He could be one of the best teachers there is. His big heart and warm personality would be a great fit in any elementary classroom.”