Former Iowa athletes Jennifer (BBA05) and Chad Greenway (BA05) are closing in on their second decade living in the “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” but they’re still Hawkeyes at heart. 

Their Wayzata, Minnesota home is tastefully decorated with a Tigerhawk here or there, they agree Floyd of Rosedale belongs in Iowa City, and the couple shoots hoops with their basketball-loving daughters on a black and gold court when they have time. Which isn’t all that often. 

In addition to raising four daughters, they run three small businesses, manage their Lead the Way Foundation, and give their time to charitable events of all manner. 

The Foundation’s programs include an annual TendHER Heart Luncheon, which honors mothers of chronically and critically ill children for the sacrifices they make in caring for their child. In addition, the Chad’s Locker program provides technology like gaming consoles and tablets to children undergoing treatment at nine different Midwest children’s hospitals, including the University of Iowa Stead Family Children’s Hospital.

Chad retired from his NFL playing days with the Minnesota Vikings following the 2016 season, but given what’s on his plate now, one wonders if he misses the “lower stress” work tempo of professional football.

Jennifer reports that running track at Iowa and balancing her Tippie academic demands helped teach her how to excel at multitasking. 

“Being on a team in college helped me create a great work ethic and taught me to plan ahead and prioritize,” she said. “Most importantly, I know how to put my head down and work hard at something. I have taken those same things I learned in college and applied them not only to my job, but instilling those same lessons in my girls. I think learning to sacrifice isn’t always a bad thing.”

Coming from a farm near Mount Vernon, South Dakota then playing for the hard-nosed and disciplined Iowa football program under Coach Kirk Ferentz instilled similar traits in Chad. Those traits are just as applicable in the Twin Cities metro area as they were on the prairie, he said. 

“Growing up on a farm, work ethic comes natural, and selflessness and teamwork are at a premium,” he said. “Living in a big city now just encourages me to spread my small-town values as much as I can.”

The first Chad’s Locker installation was at University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital in 2012, but Chad admits there was something a little extra special about installing one at Stead in 2018. It’s the same Hawkeye pride he feels when the 70,000 fans at Kinnick pause after the first quarter to wave at the children battling cancer and other pediatric diseases inside the adjacent hospital. 

“The Wave at Kinnick is as special as it gets,” he said. “When working with kids and families of sick kiddos, you really want to be authentic and unique in how you approach them and their situation. Making them feel special and thought of is really the biggest difference you can make. The Wave is incredible and I am so proud to be a Hawkeye.” 

Jennifer’s background in accounting and finance has helped the couple in both its business and charitable endeavors, she said.

“I am always applying the concept of how to raise as much money as possible to do as much good as possible,” she said. “When I first graduated, I was a financial analyst and that comes into play all the time, especially at our foundation.” 

She is excited to see her four daughters—who excel academically and athletically—carry on the family tradition. 

“We’re raising the next generation of amazing women who have been taught their worth, how to lead, that they were born to change the world, and that the sky’s the limit,” she said.

In from the cold?

You know what they say about the weather in Minnesota, right? There are nine months of winter and three months of bad skating.

When former Iowa track star Jennifer Greenway (née Capista) was anxiously awaiting to find out where then-fiancée Chad Greenway was going to end up playing in the NFL, she told ESPN she had just one hope: anywhere south of Iowa. 

Instead, the linebacker from South Dakota ended up at the second-most northern NFL franchise, the Minnesota Vikings. And stayed his entire decade-long career there. 

We asked Jennifer if she has grown to appreciate the long, dark, cold Minnesota winters.

“Ha! I have come to terms with Minnesota weather, but I won’t live here my whole life!” she exclaimed. “The summers are amazing, and I do appreciate how Minnesotans embrace the winters, but I hope to move south someday. Hopefully, when our youngest graduates, we can find a place in warm weather.

This article appeared in the 2024 issue of Iowa Ledger. 

Photos courtesy of the University of Iowa Center for Advancement.