2025 Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame Spotlight: Elena Callas King

BY JOHN BOHNENKAMP

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Elena Callas King (82BGS) laughs as she looks back on her days with the Iowa women’s golf team, a time when resources were scarce but the camaraderie was strong.

“We weren’t flying on chartered jets,” she says. “We traveled in a van, and I think we got one golf ball to use every round.”

Those trips, she says, built a bond among the team.

“We had a great time because we were always together,” King says. “We didn’t have cell phones, we didn’t have our noses in a screen, so there was a lot of communication. You’re stuck in that place with the people, and you learn to like each other. And you really had to learn to be a team, which is interesting with golf being an individual sport.”

King played when Iowa’s women’s programs were part of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women. She was the AIAW state tournament champion in 1978, setting a tournament record in the win, and was a three-time AIAW national championship qualifier from 1979-81.

King says her induction into the UI Athletics Hall of Fame is a tribute to student-athletes like her from the AIAW era.

“This is just great recognition for those of us that were on the forefront of women’s athletics,” King says. “There are plenty of women before us that paved the way, and hopefully we did a good job paving the way forward for everyone in Iowa women’s athletics.”

King now teaches golf in Colorado, where she has been recognized as one of the nation’s top 50 LPGA teachers by Women’s Golf Journal.

“I really wanted to not only help people play better golf, I wanted them to enjoy the game more,” she says. “I wanted them to learn something about themselves that could be helpful. I’ve always been fascinated with the self-management piece of sport, how people handle themselves, the emotional resilience, ability to bounce back, ability to focus.”

King credits her Iowa mentors for helping her develop those traits.

“I was fortunate enough to be there when Dr. Christine Grant was there (as Iowa’s women’s athletics director), and she was just such a wonderful mentor,” King says. “And of course, Diane Thomason, who was my coach, was so important to me. This is just really a celebration for all women’s athletics.”

Elena Callas King (Women’s Golf)
Was the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) state tournament champion in 1978… set the AIAW state tournament record in 1978… three-time AIAW National Championship individual qualifier (1979, 1980, 1981)… four-time AIAW Region 6 All-Tournament team selection (1978-81)… 1981 AIAW All-Region team honoree… three-time Big Ten Championship qualifier (1978-80)… named to the Big Ten All-Tournament team in 1979 and 1980… team Most Valuable Player in 1979.