Former Iowa football player moves closer to U-S Attorney position

A former Iowa Hawkeye football player is a step closer to becoming one of the state’s top law enforcement officials. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee has approved the nomination of former Hawkeye tight Matt Whitaker as the U.S. Attorney for the southern district of Iowa. Whitaker, an Ankeny native, was nominated in February by President Bush at the suggestion of Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley to replace Steve Colloton. Colloton is moving on to a position as judge on the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. Whitaker’s nomination must now be approved by the full Senate. Whitaker played on Iowa’s 1990 Big Ten Championship team that went to the Rose Bowl, and the 1991 team that went 10-1-1. He earned an M-B-A and a law degree, then moved to Minnesota for a job as a corporate lawyer. He moved back to Iowa to work as lawyer in private firm in Des Moines. Whitaker also ran unsuccessfully for State Treasurer in 2001.