​As the United States nears its 250th anniversary, USA TODAY Sports will celebrate the 250 greatest American sports figures of all time. In tandem, the USA TODAY Network will highlight the roots of the country’s sports culture by spotlighting the high school athletes and sports figures who shaped communities and defined their states. For Iowa, we conducted 10 polls to identify the best athletes from individual sports such as football, volleyball, wrestling, track and field, basketball, baseball, and softball. The final poll includes those selected by Register readers from these polls, along with a few additional superstars we felt were essential for a list of this magnitude. Voters can choose the best all-time athlete from Iowa from this elite group or write in a candidate who may have been overlooked or who deserves recognition.
Who is the best all-time athlete from Iowa? Lisa Banse (Birocci), Des Moines Lincoln: A Des Moines native, Banse was a standout in high school, earning first-team all-state honors from 1998 to 2001 and helping Lincoln win state championships in 1999 and 2001. She continued to excel at Iowa, becoming a two-time NFCA All-American with third-team honors in 2003 and 2005. Banse went on to play professionally in Italy, Guatemala, and Taiwan and was a member of Italy’s national team.
Tammi Blackstone, Cherokee: The 6-foot-4 basketball star from Cherokee was an All-American in high school, scoring nearly 2,000 points and grabbing close to 1,000 rebounds in her prep career. She stayed in-state for college, joining the Drake women’s basketball team. During her tenure, the Bulldogs advanced to three NCAA Tournaments and reached the WNIT final four, and Blackstone still holds Drake’s single-season field goal percentage record at .624.
Caitlin Clark, Dowling Catholic: Although Clark did not win the Register’s women’s basketball poll, her enduring legacy warranted her inclusion due to her remarkable time in Iowa. She totaled 2,547 points in four high school seasons—the fourth-most in Iowa high school five-on-five history—before becoming a nationally recognized star with the Hawkeyes. Clark became the fastest Division I player in the last 20-plus seasons to reach 1,500 career points and finished with 3,951 career points, making her the all-time leading scorer across NCAA Division I men’s and women’s basketball. She also became the first Division I player to post 3,800-plus points, 1,000-plus assists, and 950-plus rebounds in a career. As a junior, she led Iowa to its first national championship game, which the Hawkeyes lost to LSU, and earned numerous accolades, including the Naismith College Player of the Year (2023, 2024), among many others.