ATHLETICS NEWS

Jensen, Murphy, Stapleton, Stalnaker to receive Double D Award

Drake Athletics will recognize four outstanding alumni with the Drake Double D Award, which is presented annually to Drake letter winners for achievements in their chosen fields of endeavor and/or community service since leaving Drake.

This year’s awardees — Jan Jensen, JO’91, GR’96; Mike Murphy, JO’75; Jim Stalnaker, JO’79; and Dr. Jack Stapleton, LA’78 – will be honored Saturday, Feb. 17, at a dinner starting at 4:30 p.m. at the Hotel Savery in Des Moines. For reservations, call 515-271-2889.

The Double D Award is the highest honor Drake bestows on its student-athletes. Since its inception in 1968, the Double D honor has been presented to 221 former Drake letter winners. This year’s winners also will be recognized at the men’s basketball game against Evansville on Feb. 17.

Jensen, a native of Kimballtown, Iowa, is in her seventh season as an assistant coach with the University of Iowa women’s basketball team, including her fourth as associate head coach. She also served as an assistant coach at Drake. As a senior at Drake in 1990-91, Jensen led the nation in scoring with a 29.6 average and was named Academic All-American National Player of the Year by GTE/CoSIDA. Jensen is one of only two Drake players to have her number retired in the Drake Knapp Center.

Murphy, a native of Perry, Iowa, is senior vice president for human resources at Phillip Morris International in Hong Kong, having worked with the multi-national company for more than two decades. Murphy lettered at Drake in football and track from 1972-75. He joined the food business in 1979, starting with Oscar Mayer in Iowa, followed by stops in California, Illinois and the company headquarters in Wisconsin.

Stalnaker, a native of Omaha, Neb., is a lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps. He lettered in cross country from 1975-78 and in track in 1978-79. He was awarded a bronze star for combat leadership from a tour in Afghanistan where he commanded Marine fighter Attack Squadron 314 onboard the USS John C. Stennis CV74. On Sept. 11, 2001, Lieutenant Colonel Stalnaker was ordered by Commander Carrier Air Wing Nine to lead 10 fighter jets to protect the USS John C. Stennis, which was at sea off the coast of Southern California within 10 hours following the initial attack on the World Trade Center.

Stapleton, a native of Fort Scott, Kan., lettered in football in 1973-74 and is currently a faculty member in internal medicine at the University of Iowa and the director of the university’s HIV/AIDS clinic, which he established. At the UI, Stapleton established a hepatitis research laboratory and conducted studies on antiviral medications and vaccines. He became the director of the division of infectious diseases in 2004. He has authored or co-authored more than 145 published manuscripts and textbook chapters. Stapleton has served on numerous review panels for the National Institutes of Health and the Veterans Administration.