Will CC22 end up being the most famous person born or raised in Iowa?
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I'd say CC is the most famous Iowan right now. The average 20 something that didn't grow up in Iowa wouldn't know most of the other names mentioned or that they were from Iowa. However, time will tell if her fame will live beyond her like Carson and Wayne.
I don’t think anyone outside of the corn belt knows who he is. Hell, I grew up in Iowa and didn’t even know who he was until I moved to Decorah.
I knew who Dennis Menke was before I knew who Norm Bourlag was..
Are we just naming people from Iowa now or do you think he's more famous than Caitlin Clark?
Several times both by Wayne and his given name, but does anyone really believe the general public associates JW with Iowa?
I vote caitlin clark. I look forward to joe telling us how it's clearly the guy from office space because of some scatter plot
Taking the question seriously, I think the toughest competition is Johnny Carson, John Wayne and then Ashton Kutcher and Jason Mamoa, maybe? Carson and Wayne and then other two to a lesser degree were certainly globally known across generations, but for Carson & Wayne, while both still famous, the content is old and getting older and their biggest fans are dying off. Someday, Caitlin will be in that position years after her career is over unless she truly lands in the Magic/Larry/Michael category, which will require the sport to grow a lot more than it has so far.
I forgot about Jason Mamoa. We, Iowans, know that Carson was born in Iowa, but I associate him with Nebraska since he grew up there.
Johnny Carson was never globally known. The Tonight Show was never shown around the world, and he didn't do much else. I remember hearing him comment once that he enjoyed vacationing in Europe because he wasn't a celebrity there.
The big question, though, is are we talking current fame, peak fame or lasting fame? Right now, it’s Clark by miles if we’re talking current fame. Peak fame? Feller, Wayne and maybe Carson would be tough to beat, but she’s certainly in the discussion. Lasting fame, we don’t know. Is she going to stay healthy and be the person that transforms a sport and has that transformation stick? She seems to be on that path, but that’s probably a question for 10 years from now.
Only Fans influencer Johnny Carson hosted the Tonight Show for many years.
Legend has it he's the reason the wide angled lense was invented.
Is this just a sports poll or is does it include famous people world wide? You tell me.
Not in Iowa, but world wide, and over the last 60 or more years, absolutely. You never did say if this was just a sports poll, but then you didn't start the thread.
The current Mount Rushmore of famous Iowans is John Wayne, Johnny Carson, Ashton Kutcher, and Caitlin Clark. I would say that Caitlin has knocked Donna Reed out for that last spot. People forget how huge a star she was at her peak.
Kinnick, Feller, and Warner were both nationally famous, but not really internationally due to their sport. Dan Gable, Zach Johnson, and Shawn Johnson were more internationally famous but in niche sports. Caitlin is undoubtedly the most famous athlete from Iowa ever right now. She’s crossing over into pop culture icon territory like the rest on the Iowan Mount Rushmore.
Kinnick, Feller, and Warner were both nationally famous, but not really internationally due to their sport. Dan Gable, Zach Johnson, and Shawn Johnson were more internationally famous but in niche sports. Caitlin is undoubtedly the most famous athlete from Iowa ever right now. She’s crossing over into pop culture icon territory like the rest on the Iowan Mount Rushmore.
Depends on how you define it. I seriously doubt most people know Iowa is the birth state of Wayne or Carson.
Kutcher ? lol. He isn’t a good actor and time will make his wealth seem paltry eventually.
I agree on Kutcher, but ask any woman and Kutcher is one of the first responses. Shark Tank, his power couple marriage, and his investments have kept him in the cultural spotlight.
Carson talked about his boyhood in Iowa often, including a segment where he went back home. He mentioned it in conversation with Bruce Jenner (since Jenner attended Graceland University) and Brokaw.
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By that definition, I wonder how many people outside the country, or really, outside b10 country, that Clark not only played at Iowa, but was also born in the state?
Yes - I just tried to think (off the top of my head) of a famous person from each state and didn't come up with many. I got Abe Lincoln (IL), Mark Twain (MO), Will Rogers (OK), Dorthy (KS), Frank Sinatra (NJ), Elvis (MS), and Rocky Marciano (MA). Based on this method, I'd guess Dan Gable or Caitlin have the strongest associations with Iowa.
Hoover was born in Ia --not sure he stayed long enough to say he was raised here.
