University Coach Fired After Photo with ‘Hitler’ Sparks Outrage

Drake University in Des Moines has fired volunteer hockey coach and former Bulldogs player Jessie Rudin after a Halloween photo surfaced showing her posing with a man dressed as Adolf Hitler.

The shocking image, taken at Miss Kitty’s Country Bar & Nightclub in Clive, Iowa, spread rapidly across social media over the weekend, sparking widespread condemnation and an official investigation by the university.

According to KCCI-TV, Rudin attended a Halloween party at the bar on Friday night, where she was photographed standing beside Donnie Gardner, a local business owner who arrived in full Nazi attire — complete with a swastika armband, iron cross medallion, and Hitler-style mustache.

The photo, shared by bar patron Kennedy Power, quickly went viral. “I was in utter disbelief,” Power told reporters. “You just don’t expect to see someone dressed as Hitler in 2025 — it’s disgusting.”

By Saturday, the university confirmed Rudin’s dismissal, calling her actions “completely inconsistent” with Drake’s core values.

“Drake University unequivocally condemns all forms of hate speech and discriminatory symbolism,” said Dr. Jerry Parker, Vice President and Dean of Students. “Such behavior stands in direct opposition to our values of respect, inclusion, and integrity.”

Rudin, a former standout athlete for the Bulldogs, has not publicly commented on the incident.

Miss Kitty’s owner, who identified himself only as E.J., admitted he initially failed to act when customers raised concerns. “She told me, ‘You’ve got a Nazi in your bar,’ and I said, ‘Nothing,’” E.J. told WOI-DT, adding that he later asked Gardner to leave after realizing how offensive the costume was.

“I would like to apologize to anybody who it offended,” he said. “We should have done a better job.”

Gardner, who confirmed to KCCI that he wore the Hitler costume, said it was meant for “shock value,” not admiration. In a text message to reporters, he wrote: “I do not idolize or worship the man or anything he did. I simply wore it as a costume for shock value.”

In a later statement, Gardner accepted blame for the backlash. “I am dreadfully sorry to anyone caught in the crosshairs,” he said. “Any and all hatred should be pointed at myself and myself only. I take full responsibility for the repercussions.”

The Jewish Federation of Greater Des Moines released a statement calling the incident “deeply disturbing.”

“Hitler is not a costume,” the organization said. “This is not satire — it is antisemitism. Free speech is not a shield for minimizing hate. We expect our community’s businesses and institutions to reject antisemitism clearly and immediately.”

The controversy has reignited debate over the limits of free expression and the persistence of hate symbolism in American culture. Online, users called the photo “beyond tone-deaf” and “an insult to Holocaust survivors.”

Drake University has launched an internal review into its volunteer coaching standards and social media policies following Rudin’s firing.

“This incident serves as a reminder,” Parker added, “that our community must remain vigilant in confronting symbols of hate wherever they appear.”