Ira Vandever
Encyclopedia
Ira Matthew Vandever' is the starting
quarterback
for the Stuttgart Scorpions
in the German Football League
. He attended McCluer North High School
in Florissant, Missouri
where he was a two year starter, and also Drake University
in Des Moines, Iowa
where he was a four year starter. During his time at Drake, Vandever set 15 individual records as well as helped Drake win the Pioneer Football League
in 2000.
Indian reservation
in Haystack, New Mexico. His father is a diesel machanic and his mother is a special education teacher. He is the eldest of four children. At the age of 14 Vandever moved to Florissant, Missouri where in high school he excelled in four sports: football
, basketball
, baseball
, and wrestling
. Before graduation, Vandever was split between pursuing playing football or baseball in college. After a freak accident in a baseball game that required 50+ stitches in his face, Vandever chose to play football at Drake University.
to a Pioneer Football League championship in his first year as a full time starter. By the end of his tenure at Drake, Vandever set records in career passing yards (7,868), most net passing yards in a season (3,239), most passes completed in a season (205), most passes attempted in a season (361) and in a game (51), highest completion percentage in a career (.548), most touchdown passes in a career (67), most touchdown passes in a season (32), most touchdown passes in a game (6), most career interceptions (35), most yards total offense in a career (9,161), a season (3,654), and a game (464), and most total offensive plays in a career (1,353) and a season (488), and a game (66).
touchdown pass with four seconds remaining to win the game against the Berlin Adler
. The play is well known to the people of Stuttgart as "The Pass".
Vandever is also an avid painter, songwriter, and music producer.
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
for the Stuttgart Scorpions
Stuttgart Scorpions
The Stuttgart Scorpions are an American football team from Stuttgart, Germany.The clubs greatest success came in 2007, when it reached the German Bowl but lost to the Braunschweig Lions.-History:The Stuttgart Scorpions were formed in December 1982...
in the German Football League
German Football League
The German Football League is the elite league for American football in Germany. Playing rules are based on those of the American NCAA....
. He attended McCluer North High School
McCluer North High School
McCluer North High School, founded in 1971, is a public school in Florissant, Missouri. The McCluer North campus is centrally located in the Ferguson-Florissant School District. Located in a residential area, the campus is bounded by Waterford Drive, St. Catherine and Parker Road. Facing the site...
in Florissant, Missouri
Florissant, Missouri
Florissant is a second-ring suburb of St. Louis, located in northern St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. The city has a total population of 52,158 in 2010 census.-History:...
where he was a two year starter, and also Drake University
Drake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
in Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines, Iowa
Des Moines is the capital and the most populous city in the US state of Iowa. It is also the county seat of Polk County. A small portion of the city extends into Warren County. It was incorporated on September 22, 1851, as Fort Des Moines which was shortened to "Des Moines" in 1857...
where he was a four year starter. During his time at Drake, Vandever set 15 individual records as well as helped Drake win the Pioneer Football League
Pioneer Football League
The Pioneer Football League is a college athletic conference which operates in the East, Midwest, and California of the United States. It has member schools that range from New York, North Carolina, and Florida in the east to California in the west. The conference participates in the NCAA's...
in 2000.
Early life
Ira Vandever was born and raised on a NavajoNavajo Nation
The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering , occupying all of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern portion of Utah, and northwestern New Mexico...
Indian reservation
Indian reservation
An American Indian reservation is an area of land managed by a Native American tribe under the United States Department of the Interior's Bureau of Indian Affairs...
in Haystack, New Mexico. His father is a diesel machanic and his mother is a special education teacher. He is the eldest of four children. At the age of 14 Vandever moved to Florissant, Missouri where in high school he excelled in four sports: football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
, basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
, and wrestling
Scholastic wrestling
Scholastic wrestling, sometimes known in the United States as Folkstyle wrestling, is a style of amateur wrestling practised at the high school and middle school levels in the United States. This wrestling style is essentially Collegiate wrestling with some slight modifications. It is currently...
. Before graduation, Vandever was split between pursuing playing football or baseball in college. After a freak accident in a baseball game that required 50+ stitches in his face, Vandever chose to play football at Drake University.
Drake University
As a freshman, Vandever split quarterback duties with Solon Bell. As a sophomore he led the BulldogsDrake Bulldogs
The Drake Bulldogs are the athletic teams of Drake University. Athletic scholarships are offered in basketball, cross-country, golf, soccer, softball, track and field, tennis, and volleyball. However, all football players are walk-ons as Drake does not offer athletic scholarships in that sport...
to a Pioneer Football League championship in his first year as a full time starter. By the end of his tenure at Drake, Vandever set records in career passing yards (7,868), most net passing yards in a season (3,239), most passes completed in a season (205), most passes attempted in a season (361) and in a game (51), highest completion percentage in a career (.548), most touchdown passes in a career (67), most touchdown passes in a season (32), most touchdown passes in a game (6), most career interceptions (35), most yards total offense in a career (9,161), a season (3,654), and a game (464), and most total offensive plays in a career (1,353) and a season (488), and a game (66).
Future
Vandever is currently playing professional football in Germany with the Stuttgart Scorpions. He led the team to a second place finish in the German Bowl 2007. To get to the final game, Vandever threw a fourth down Hail MaryHail Mary pass
A Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary route in American football refers to any very long forward pass made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half....
touchdown pass with four seconds remaining to win the game against the Berlin Adler
Berlin Adler
The Berlin Adler is an American football club based in Berlin, Germany. The club is one of the most successful clubs in the sport in Germany, having won six German Bowls as well as a ten Ladies Bowls and five Junior Bowls....
. The play is well known to the people of Stuttgart as "The Pass".
Vandever is also an avid painter, songwriter, and music producer.