John Kamstra

John Kamstra grew up in Rossville, Indiana, a small town which averages about 75 students per class. While at Rossville, John averaged just over 25 points per game his senior year, and was on teams which won three sectionals, three regionals, and advanced to the elite 8 twice. When Bob Knight began building his program at Indiana University in 1971, John was among the first five recruits he brought in — a player with the skills and ability to adapt to Knight's demanding mold perfectly. In 1996, John was officially named to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team, an elite roster honoring outstanding high school performances from exactly 25 years prior — a lasting tribute to his exceptional senior season leading the 1970–71 Rossville Hornets.

John's basketball career at IU began with tremendous promise. As a sophomore (the first year that the First Five players were eligible to play varsity) he was a part of the standard rotation and played significant minutes each game. As the season progressed, his playing time increased and he established himself as a key contributor in Knight's demanding system. Then came a devastating blow. In January of 1973, John ruptured his Achilles tendon playing against Michigan, and that ended his season. In May, after treatment and getting the doctor's release, John tore his Achilles tendon for the second time, and that severely curtailed his role and redirected the trajectory of his playing career. He finished with 51 career games, each one part of a dominant era in Hoosier history and was recently welcomed back to Assembly Hall to celebrate the legendary 1974–75 Big Ten Champions.

After graduating in 1975, John successfully translated his drive from the court to the corporate world. He sharpened his financial expertise at Arthur Young & Co., obtained his CPA certification and later worked for the Federal Loan Bank of Indianapolis. In 1984, John joined Cook Group Incorporated, one of the world's largest privately held medical device companies headquartered in Bloomington, Indiana. During his career at Cook, he served in many capacities, and since 2010 has held the title of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.

On the personal side, John and his wife Karla are the proud parents of a blended family, six children and eight grandchildren. John serves on several Boards of Directors, and he and Karla are active contributors to many charitable causes. But what they take great pride in being co-founders of Pets Alive, a not-for-profit low cost spay neuter organization whose mission is to end the needless euthanasia of perfectly healthy cats and dogs in south central Indiana. Since 2005, Pets Alive have performed over 200,000 surgeries to help fulfill their mission.