NOTE: The annual Prayer Breakfast was originally called the Governor’s Prayer Breakfast until 1989 when the name was changed to the Iowa Prayer Breakfast.
The 1977-1982 events were held at the Hotel Ft. Des Moines, 1983 through 2001 events were held at the Des Moines Marriott, and starting in 2002 the breakfasts were held at the Polk County Convention Complex.
| Year |
Speaker |
Chairman |
Number |
| 1977 |
Tom Skinner |
Jack Hall |
16th |
| 1978 |
John Erickson
President, FCA |
Jim Erickson |
17th |
| 1979 |
Josh McDowell |
Sen. Bass Van Gilst |
18th |
| 1980 |
Governor Albert Quie
Governor of Minnesota |
Bob Houser |
19th |
| 1981 |
Thomas Phillips
Chairman, Raytheon Company |
Ray Taylor |
20th |
| 1982 |
Charles Colson
Head of Prison Fellowship |
Bud Wiuff |
21st |
| 1983 |
Kathryn Koob
Foreign Press Officer
U.S. Information Agency |
Horace Daggett |
22nd |
| 1984 |
James Tarr
Chief Executive
Boy Scouts of America
|
Ralph Schlenker |
23rd |
| 1985 |
William Armstrong
U.S. Senator from Colorado |
Norman Pawlewski |
24th |
| 1986 |
Robert Hage
Former Executive Vice President
McDonnell-Douglas |
Bob Throckmorton |
25th |
| 1987 |
Dwight Swanson
Retired Chairman, Iowa Resources |
William Dieleman |
26th |
| 1988 |
Richard Halvorsen
Chaplain, U.S. Senate |
Bob Plunk |
27th |
| 1989 |
Charles Grassley
U.S. Senator/Iowa |
Dick Johnson |
28th |
| 1990 |
John Ashcroft
Governor of Missouri |
Chuck Wenger |
29th |
| 1991 |
Mike Stensrud
Former NFL Player |
Harold VanMaanen |
30th |
| 1992 |
Mrs. Elisabeth Elliott |
Robert Rydell |
31st |
| 1993 |
Guy Hunt
Governor of Alabama |
Gary Baugher |
32nd |
| 1994 |
Dr. Tony Campolo |
Jack Kelley |
33rd |
| 1995 |
Dr. Benjamin S. Carson, Sr. |
Bonnie Smalley |
34th |
| 1996 |
Don Bartlette, Ph.D. |
Dr. Larry Long |
35th |
| 1997 |
Samuel Ericson
President, Advocates International |
Richard VandeHoef |
36th |
| 1998 |
J.C. Watts, Jr.
Oklahoma Congressman |
Robert Wright, Jr. |
37th |
| 1999 |
Jerry White
President, Navigators |
Dolores Mertz |
38th |
| 2000 |
Steve Alford
Men’s Basketball Coach
University of Iowa |
Stan Vermeer |
39th |
| 2001 |
Michael Smalley
Smalley Relationship Center
Branson, Missouri |
Sen. Ken Veenstra |
40th |
| 2002 |
Dr. Gary & Barb Rosberg
America’s Family Coaches
Des Moines |
Tom Coates |
41st |
| 2003 |
Lt. Colonel Brian Birdwell
Assistant Chief of Staff
Installation Management
Pentagon |
Sen. Nancy Boettger |
42nd |
| 2004 |
Bob Muzikowski
Chicago Hope Academy |
Russell Doughten |
43rd |
| 2005 |
Mrs. Evelyn Husband
Widow of Rick Husband,
Commander of Challenger
Women of Faith Speaker |
Rep. Scott Raecker |
44th |
| 2006 |
Bernie Saggau
Former Executive Director
Iowa High School Athletic Association |
Rich Willis |
45th |
| 2007 |
Dr. Tom Osborne
Former Nebraska Congressman
And Nebraska Head Football Coach |
Danny Carroll |
46th |
| 2008 |
Dr. David Noebel
President, Summit Ministries |
Tamara Scott |
47th |
| 2009 |
Ron “Gus” Gustafson
Fully Armed |
Rep. Cecil Dolecheck |
48th |
| 2010 |
Mark Cahill |
Maxine Sieleman |
49th |
