JaraelJarael is originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin but currently resides in Ankeny, Iowa with his wife and their two animals, Bill and Nala. Jarael graduated from Buena Vista University and received his masters in Communication from University of Northern Iowa. Jarael continues to attempt to impress his third cousin Lebron James as he attempts to become a 4-time Men’s basketball champion in the Des Moines metro area. If you have seen the movie Coming to America or lived through the 90’s, Jarael’s Halloween costumes will bring you joy. He can be found on Twitter @ThePrinceAkeem tweeting logical ideas and assisting NBA athletes on how they can perform better on a nightly basis.
Jared LeeperStaff Writer
Hailing from Nevada, Iowa, Jared is an Iowa State alum and self-proclaimed, rabid fan of the Iowa State Cyclones, St. Louis Cardinals and the English Premier League’s Leicester City Foxes (seriously, he managed to get in before their miracle title run). Jared’s hobbies include bowling, golf, slow-pitch softball and basketball. Leeper is a noted hater of the wave, referees aggressively calling fouls (especially charges), and the word “legacy”. If you find Jared without an IPA in hand, you may want to ask him if something is wrong.
Stephen MoldovanStaff Writer
Sac City, Iowa, is home to the world’s largest popcorn ball, the world’s best named liquor store and is the birthplace of Moldy (like the bread, he grows on you). Moldy is an Iowa State graduate, lifelong Cyclones and Vikings fan, Cavs fan since he was eleven and Twins fan for three to five innings per year. His other hobbies and interests include tailgating the student lot tailgate line at Jack Trice, The Office, golfing poorly, and making shallow statistical sports observations by just googling a bunch. He enjoys learning things that might be against general perception or may be counter intuitive and as of (current date) he has yet to lose an argument on Twitter.
Dimitri NesbittStaff Writer
Dimitri comes from a desert in Mexico and had never considered hiking a hobby until living in Wyoming. Now, as a grad student in urbanism at the University of Illinois at Chicago, he doesn’t understand how people have time for hobbies. He still finds space to have deep conversations with Alexa, critique fashion as if he understands it, and to maintain his Spotify algorithm to at least 73% international artists. It’s unlikely that you’ll find Dimitri in one place. Ever. But, world governments have had luck tracking him on social media @demzeo.
TGS BurnerSometimes, we all need a little privacy. Even people who overshare online.
Aaron WallAaron is an Iowa State graduate in Exercise and Sports Science. A published poet and once told by the dean of Iowa State’s Liberal Arts college to pursue creative writing, he is still probably the least qualified contributor at The Tailgate Society. With less than 100 followers on twitter and no insta, snap, or tick tock you can probably guess that he is ancient. Also a certified curmudgeon by his wife.
Tim JohnsonStaff Writer
A native Iowan, Tim has spent the better part of the last two decades in Minnesota. With degrees from the College of Design at Iowa State and the Graduate School of Management at Hamline University, he has done everything from graphic design to cognitive neuroscience research. Most recently he was Head Brewer at Badger Hill Brewing in Shakopee, MN. When not cracking wise on the internets, Tim enjoys hanging out with his daughter and experiencing the outdoors.
ChrisShipleyDevils Advocate
Chris is an Iowa State Graduate from 1995. He goes by his handle of CyGradCyDad on twitter. His handle is his mantra live motto of Cyclone love. He graduated with a Political Science Degree, worked in the IT industry for years and is now in Marketing. He loves to work on photo, videos and writing.
You can find him highly motivated to tell everyone how much their sports team sucks unless its the Cubs, Cyclones and Bears.
J.T. NuttStaff Writer
JT “the” Nutt graduated from UNI in 2006 and worked at WHO-TV for a few years including Soundoff. JT then spent the past five years covering UNI most recently for On Press Row. He works as a cameraman for the Iowa Wild, Iowa Energy, and Iowa Barnstormers. JT loves the Cubs, UNI, Avalanche, Chargers, beer, hockey, the WWE, and cat memes.
Jacqueline CordovaStaff Writer
Jacqueline is a proud graduate of Iowa State University. She is a college wrestling gal, social media queen and photography guru. She works for Cyclone Fanatic and proud contributor and family member of TGS. You can find her watching trash TV when she’s not watching sports. She is also overly obsessed with Russell Westbrook and will take no slander. Will forever be the youngest TGS member regardless of who joins.
Nicole GustafsonEditor
Nicole was born in Chicago and raised in Des Moines. She took her talents to The Iowa State University, where she earned a degree in journalism. You can find Nicole cheering on her favorite sports teams, hanging out with her dog, or finishing a Netflix marathon. Nicole is a big fan of #pitcherswhorake, fat guy TD’s, and carbs. She’s not a fan of mornings, winter, or vegetables and will complain to anyone who will listen.
Jake OhldeStaff Writer
Hails from a minuscule town of fewer than 100 people in north central Kansas. 3rd generation Kansas State alum with a distilling science major. Fervent Wildcats, Royals, Thunder and Stars supporter. Harbors an unabashed love for blink-182 and pineapple pizza. Here for the Family Feud conspiracy theories.
Kings Cowboy HatStaff Writer & Graphic Designer
KCH is our resident master of image manipulation, and sharer of links and lolz.
Spencer HughesStaff Writer
Spencer is an attorney in Washington, D.C. and a Cedar Rapids, Iowa native. He holds degrees from Iowa State University and Duke University School of Law, where he learned that you can’t choose which is better between Hilton Coliseum and Cameron Indoor Stadium; they’re just different. He will discuss with you Game 6 of the 2011 World Series or the Minneapolis Miracle whenever you want and often when you don’t.
Ryan MoonStaff Writer
Ryan is originally from Casey, Iowa but now resides in West Des Moines with his wife Haley, their son Holden, and their two dogs Hilton and Stark. Want to get Ryan to rant for hours? Hand him bourbon and bring up the Game of Thrones ending, complain about millennials, mention Iowa State heartaches or politics.
Austin NarberMarketing Director
Narber is a 2011 graduate of Iowa State University who’s been blogging off and on since his college days. Formerly an editor for SB Nation’s Wide Right & Natty Lite and a current college basketball contributor for CycloneFanatic, he hones his craft these days writing whenever possible and co-hosting the TGS Pro Weekly podcast. Narber is a marketing agency brat by day, a beer fanatic by night and an analytics geek, well, all the time. He’s admittedly a hopeless Minnesota Vikings fan, a Boston sports nut and will take one unyielding belief all the way to his grave – computers are smarter than people.
Tami DooleyBGSD
Tami is from Idaho. She’s a fan of the Boise State Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks, college football on the whole, and almost thought about becoming a baseball fan for a minute one time. Send whiskey.
Haley MoonStaff Writer
Haley is a native of Okoboji, Iowa and a graduate of Iowa State. After two years of living in our nation’s capital, she now lives in West Des Moines with her husband, Ryan, and her dogs sons, Hilton and Stark. On any given day you’ll find her talking politics and pop culture, binge watching an NBC comedy, or drinking a Captain and Diet. On her best days she’s doing all three.
Tom HydeCreative Director
Tom spends his days crafting the fine art of the advertisements you see during those silly little breaks in the actual show you wanted to watch. You know, the commercials that you so effortlessly skip through on your DVR without a care in the world? That was him. Those annoying kiss and smile cams you see at sporting events? That was him too. Those are made right here in the good ‘ol USA, not some Vietnamese sweatshop. Tom only has time for one abusive sports relationship in his life, the Iowa State Cyclones. When not driving Ted Flint’s drunk ass around the streets of Des Moines, Tom enjoys growing manly beards, drinking cheap beer and expensive whiskey, boating, and crashing motorcycles. His spirit animal is WWE’s Kevin Owens.
David GrafStaff Writer
David is an Arkansas native and made stops in California and Texas. He graduated from the University of Wyoming and has been quarantined in Montana for the foreseeable future. Hit him up if you have a sports radio job available for him. He believes that the Justin Verlander, Deshaun Watson, and James Harden trades are the heists of the 21st Century. You may state your case if you disagree with him on Twitter @mrdavidgraf.
Alex GookinStaff Writer
Gookin is an Iowa State graduate with a degree in journalism, but decided writing professionally wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Instead, he took an unpaid position to write content for this blog, which seems counter-intuitive, but he enjoys it, nonetheless. Gookin was voted male with the “Most School Spirit,” and 2nd most flirtatious in his senior class. He enjoys statistics no one else has the patience to look up and enjoys Iowa State athletics more than he’s willing to admit. A closet Hawkeye fan (false), you can find Alex being harassed by at least one bad Twitter troll and winning nearly all of his online fights (less false, but false).
Sylvia JuneStaff Writer
I’m Vee. I live in a cute little house with my cats. I grew up in Northwest Iowa and graduated from Iowa State (where, btw, I first met the notorious Ted Flint over a game of flip cup). Other totally random facts about me: I like goats and I am turned on when people make literary references in everyday conversation.
Jamie SteyerStaff Writer
Jamie Steyer Johnson is a diehard Cyclone fan, serving as a WBB analyst after being raised in the athletic department. Outside of athletics, her interests include creating art, watching movies, reading, and a little bit of everything else.
Ted FlintSite Founder – “The Man With the Plan”
Ted’s friends often refer to him as the “Angry Panda” because of his cuddly, teddy bear-like nature and his fierce loyalty to those close to him. He’s also not afraid to bite if you cross him or any of his allies. Born and bred in small town, southeastern Iowa, Ted took his Iowa State degree and moved to Kansas of all places. Ted loves to hold on to those small town roots though, by refusing to acknowledge any music made after 2005. His major goals include making the internet fun again, seeing the Cubs win a World Series live, and having a beer with Jon Stewart. This website is a step toward one of those goals.
Lindsey EnglishStaff Writer
Lindsey is a Pocahontas, Iowa native (yes, that’s a real place; no, it’s not cool) and alumna of Iowa State University. She has lived in Kansas City since 2010, jumping around from hospital to hospital trying not to get fired for using the “F” word too much. She believes in feminism and the New York Yankees. Jason Bateman is at the top of her freebie list.
Travis HalmStaff Writer
Travis Halm is an Iowa State Alum living in Omaha, Nebraska. A native of Haverhill, Iowa, Travis has lived throughout the Midwest and in Texas, providing him insight on the Big 12, the SEC, and a wide variety of other sports topics. Travis follows the Cyclones closely, in addition to the Cardinals, Packers, Texas A&M and rarely turns down a ticket to a good sporting event.
Arnold WoodsEditor
Arnold is a Des Moines, Iowa native by way of Cape Girardeau, Missouri. One of the many Iowa State University graduates that contributes to the site, Arnold is a big fan of Prince, the NBA and food. As a child, Arnold wanted to grow up to be Dwayne Wayne from “A Different World” and according to him, that’s exactly what happened. Never one to shy away from controversial topics, Arnold would like you to know that he is firmly against holograms of dead celebrities.
Jon CrosbieStaff Writer
I grew up in Ames and Earlham, Iowa, and went to undergrad twice because it was awesome. The first time at The University of Northern Iowa and the second time at my beloved Iowa State University. The first stint in undergrad earned me a degree in Marketing, but I decided I wanted to do something different with my life and went back to undergrad to take the classes necessary to get into medical school. At Iowa State, I played rugby and wrote for the Iowa State Daily, which is how I know some of the staff that runs this site. I went to medical school at Des Moines University, and did my residency in Family Medicine at Mercy in Des Moines. After residency I worked in private practice at the Iowa Clinic for a few years and then came back to Des Moines University to teach and practice. I like watching sports, woodworking, motorcycling, and spending time with my family.
Jake VosHailing from Newton Iowa, Jake graduated from Iowa State in 2015 making him an engineer by trade. He enjoys participating in podcasts while enjoying some craft beers and typically playing the straight man. His interests are college sports, cars, beers, video games, religion, hell he can even entertain a conversation about politics from time to time…just don’t ask about Chipotle.
Shawn FenstermanStaff Writer
Shawn is from Indianola, Iowa, and today it still remains home. After finishing high school with a stat line of 1 career target, 0 receptions and 1 drop, he realized the NFL would not be in his future. Shawn is a huge sports fan, yet only cheers for one team within a 10 hour drive. When not complaining about how stupid the 2:00 warning is; Shawn works as a bartender, enjoys quality vodka, cheap beer and beating any challenger in NHL video games.
Shaun CurranStaff Writer
Shaun is probably best described as a Man-Child in his mid-thirties with too much time on his hands and access to a computer. He loves his amazing wife, beautiful baby girl, dog Rudy, Florida State Football and Batman. Oh yeah – and his friends, family, other dog Rusty, and the Jacksonville Jaguars. His political and religious beliefs are probably of no interest to you, so let’s just keep that out of this. Shaun enjoys finding humor in all things, believes in the good in people, loves his life and all that are a part of it. This blog/site is just for fun and should be taken lightly – he does not aim to offend, but if he does please feel free to write a strongly worded letter to your congressman. Any positive feedback is welcome or ideas on topics you’d like to see discussed is greatly appreciated. Thanks for taking the time to read this nonsense, we hope it brings a smile to your face or brightens your day just a bit.
Pete SeibertStaff Writer
Pete was born and raised in the metropolis of St. Charles, IA. He is a die-hard Hawkeyes, Cubs, & Chiefs fan and he still says his greatest accomplishment is partying his way out of Central College in just under 2 1/2 years. Pete got a degree in radio broadcasting from Brown College in the Twin Cities, and promptly decided to get into the insurance industry instead. He’s finally putting that degree to good use by running the Stuff ‘N Things Podcast with his former college radio show co-host Joe here on TGS. Mainly it’s because he got tired of writing articles and is just better at sitting in front of a microphone and talking. He also thinks he can differentiate all domestic beers in a blind taste test. Big goals here, folks.
Jason MitchellStaff Writer
Jason grew up in Iowa but couldn’t bring himself to like Iowa or Iowa State. Instead, he married a Cornhusker. Jason has taught junior high, high school, and college English but is now a stay-at-home dad to four kids. He also has an encyclopedic knowledge of reality shows and 1990s professional wrestling.
Emily CornellStaff Writer
Emily grew up in the great state of Colorado, then decided the University of Wyoming sounded like a good time. Since graduating, she has tried to figure out how not to become an adult. To fully commit to this, she’s a part-time cheesecake maker and a semi-pro adventurer. Sometimes she shares her unpopular opinions on sports and life, if this interests you, she can be found on Twitter and Instagram like a true millennial @emilproblems.