Iowa City Today

Elena Callas King, a former standout for the Iowa women’s golf team, will be inducted into the University of Iowa Athletics Hall of Fame in 2025. King played during a period when resources for women’s sports were limited, but she recalls the strong sense of community among her teammates.

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

King emphasized how these experiences brought the team closer together.

“We had a great time because we were always together,” she said. “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.”

During her career at Iowa, King competed when women’s athletics programs were part of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). She won the AIAW state tournament in 1978 while setting a tournament record and qualified three times for the AIAW national championships from 1979 through 1981. She was also named to several all-tournament teams and earned recognition as team Most Valuable Player in 1979.

King described her Hall of Fame induction as recognition for student-athletes from her era.

“This is just great recognition for those of us that were on the forefront of women’s athletics,” she said. “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.”

After her collegiate career, King became a golf instructor in Colorado and has been named 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,” King said. “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.”

She credited mentors at Iowa with helping her develop these skills.

“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 said. “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.”

King's achievements include being named four times to the AIAW Region 6 All-Tournament team between 1978 and 1981 and earning Big Ten All-Tournament honors twice.