A new era begins at Drake on Saturday night when the Bulldogs host Grand View. It will be the first game for new head coach Rick Fox, who took over after Chris Creighton left for Eastern Michigan. Grand View beat Drake 21-16 enroute to a 14-0 record and the NAIA championship.

Fox is expecting another game that comes down to the end. This is the fifth meeting in a series that Fox says has become a good rivalry. It will also be the final game in the series. Grand View is joining the Heart of America Conference next season and their entire schedule will be league games.

Drake has 15 starters back from last year’s team that finished 6-5.

(Radio Iowa)

The Iowa Speedway has set the dates for next year’s NASCAR events. The two Nationwide races will be Saturday, May 17th and Saturday, August first. The Champion World Truck Series will run on Friday, June 19th. Iowa Speedway President Jimmy Small says they will continue to work on improving the fan experience. In fact Small says it is their top priority. Small says they are still working with IndyCar to finalize the date for next year’s race.

(Radio Iowa)

IOWA CITY, Iowa (AP) — University of Iowa professor Kembrew McLeod has dressed as a robot to heckle Bill Clinton and Michele Bachmann. Now he’s targeting his own school over its controversial pink visitors’ locker room at Kinnick Stadium. McLeod is organizing what he jokingly calls the “Million Robot March” to protest at an annual event Friday honoring former Iowa coach Hayden Fry, who had the locker room painted pink in 1979.

McLeod is calling for the school to ditch the pink, which he says amounts to a school-sanctioned taunt that exudes homophobia and sexism. He said previous protests haven’t been successful, so he’s taking an absurd approach to draw attention to the issue.

Fry has said pink is calming and meant to make Hawkeyes’ opponents passive, and it has become part of Hawkeyes lore.

GRAND CHUTE, Wis. (AP) — Authorities say a tour bus bringing the Kansas City Chiefs to their Wisconsin hotel before Thursday night’s preseason game against the Green Bay Packers was involved in an accident. The Outagamie (awt-ah-GAY’-mee) County sheriff’s office says it was escorting the Chiefs’ buses from the airport to the hotel Wednesday afternoon when a vehicle entered the intersection and collided with one of the five buses. Two adults and three children were in the vehicle that struck the bus. One of the children had a minor cut to the head and was taken by ambulance to a hospital. No one on the Chiefs’ bus was hurt. Police are investigating.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The change made by the Kansas City Chiefs a few years ago was subtle — one word, really — yet it ushered a pronounced change in the way the franchise viewed its most important fans. Season-ticket holders became known as “season-ticket members.” Suddenly, the entire paradigm shifted. No longer were Chiefs fans merely customers, buying a ticket, attending a game and then heading home afterward. Rather they began to feel as though they were part of the franchise, just as integral to the success or failure of the team as quarterback Alex Smith, coach Andy Reid or even general manager John Dorsey. And by offering those members exclusive gifts and experiences, the Chiefs have rebuilt their season-ticket rolls at a time when many franchises are having a hard time filling stadiums.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Police in North Carolina briefly detained and questioned a man who flew a drone with a camera mounted on it over a stadium during an NFL preseason game. Area news media outlets report that the drone was spotted during the Aug. 17 game between the Carolina Panthers and the Kansas City Chiefs at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. The Federal Aviation Administration limits aircraft use near major sporting events, and prohibits unmanned aircraft at sites designated as “Class B” venues, which includes Bank of America Stadium.

Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police department spokesman Rob Tufano did not say what explanation the drone operator gave for using the prohibited aircraft. He said information obtained during questioning was turned over to the FAA, which has jurisdiction in such matters.

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Ike Davis hit a two-run homer off a speaker above the seats in right-center field, Jeff Locke outpitched Adam Wainwright and the Pittsburgh Pirates beat the St. Louis Cardinals 3-1 Wednesday to close in the NL wild-card race.

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The Iowa Barnstormers have relegated themselves. The Barnstormers announced Wednesday that they’ll be moving from the Arena Football League to the lower-tier Indoor Football League for the 2015 season.

President Jeff Lamberti says the “economic aspects” of the IFL are more fitting for the team in Des Moines, which was among the smallest markets in the AFL. The IFL is largely based in the Midwest and includes teams in nearby Cedar Rapids and Sioux Falls, South Dakota.The Barnstormers competed in the AFL from 1995-2000 before returning to Iowa in 2008 as an af2 franchise.

Iowa rejoined the AFL in 2010 but failed to post a winning record.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Chiefs have signed veteran guard Mike McGlynn to help stabilize their shaky offensive line while waiving reserve offensive lineman Ben Gottschalk. McGlynn, who was released by Washington on Tuesday, played for Chiefs coach Andy Reid with the Philadelphia Eagles from 2008-10. He spent one year with the Cincinnati Bengals and the past two seasons with the Indianapolis colts.

The former fourth-round draft pick has started 48 of the 57 games he’s played in the NFL. The Chiefs are in need of a veteran offensive lineman. Right tackle Donald Stephenson is suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy. Several other players have been dealing with illness and injury.

(2-0) River Valley 25-25, West Harrison 6-13
(2-0) Urbandale 21-21, Nodaway Valley 8-10
(3-2) Stanton 16-25-22-25-15, Nishnabotna 25-17-25-19-13
(3-0) Moravia 25-25-25, Orient-Macksburg 13-10-16
(3-0) Fremont-Mills 25-25-25, Woodbine 9-4-7

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith said Tuesday that he has not given any thought to breaking off negotiations on a long-term contract, though that remains a distinct possibility with the start of the regular season just a week away. Smith said earlier in training camp that he wanted to end discussions of a new deal by the time the games count. That happens Sept. 7, when Kansas City opens its season against Tennessee. Smith is in the final year of the three-year contract he signed with San Francisco, and is due to make $8 million this season. His agent has been speaking to the Chiefs for several months, but the two sides have not been close to an agreement.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — Jamaal Charles has confidence that the Kansas City Chiefs offense will be in synch when the regular season rolls around a week from Sunday. Evidently, so does Andy Reid. The Chiefs’ coach said Tuesday that he is unlikely to play any of his starters in Thursday night’s preseason game in Green Bay. Reid had hinted last week that he may break from his norm and play at least some of them after lackluster performances in their first three preseason games. The Chiefs have struggled to gel while dealing with a rash of injuries and suspensions that could keep several key players off the field in Week 1 against Tennessee.

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KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) — The Kansas City Chiefs waived offensive tackle Ryan McKee and defensive backs Kevin Rutland and Damond Smith on Tuesday to reach the 75-man roster limit. McKee was trying to make a comeback in the NFL after spending last season working as an assistant coach at North Carolina. Rutland and Smith were trying to win jobs at cornerback. The Chiefs had to reach the limit by Tuesday afternoon. They play their final preseason game in Green Bay on Thursday night before final roster cuts are due on Saturday. The Chiefs open their regular season Sept. 7 against Tennessee.