Ira Vandever
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Ira Matthew Vandever (born November 22, 1980) is the starting quarterback for the Stuttgart Scorpions in the German Football League.[1] 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.[2]
Early life
Ira Vandever was born and raised on a Navajo Indian reservation in Haystack, New Mexico. His father is a diesel mechanic 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.
Drake University
As a freshman, Vandever split quarterback duties with Solon Bell. As a sophomore, he led the Bulldogs 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).[2]
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 Mary 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.