Sutherland, Jason
1993 Watertown/1997 Missouri graduate. One of the most gifted, versatile athletes in state history. All-state football and basketball player at Watertown, where the 6-foot-1 Sutherland high jumped 7 feet, 1 inch to win a State AA track title. He cleared 7 feet at two other meets that season. Went on to play Division I basketball […]
Smalley, Thelma (AUSTIN)
1926 Wagner graduate. One of South Dakota’s first and brightest high school girls’ basketball stars. Thelma Austin was the star player in three consecutive girls’ basketball state tournaments. In 1924 as a sophomore, she scored 83 points in five state tournament games (there were 24 teams at Mitchell) with a high game of 28 points. […]
Mueller, Kent
1976 Freeman/Dakota Wesleyan/1985 USD graduate. Wherever he went in life, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Mueller made an impression, a difference and history as an athlete, teacher and coach. He recently made a state record 17th high school football state championship appearance in 2025 as an assistant coach for champion Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy. Mueller’s teams have won 14 […]
Miller, Mike
1998 Mitchell High School graduate/University of Florida. One of the most highly recruited prep basketball players in South Dakota history. He led Florida in scoring (12.3 points a game) as a freshman and to a Division I championship runner-up finish as a sophomore All-American. A 6-foot-8 wing player with great shooting range as well as […]
Koupal, Louis Laddie “Lou”
Born in Tabor where he graduated in 1915 from the South Dakota small farming town’s St. Wenceslaus Catholic Parochial High School. Attended Columbus College in Chamberlain from 1915-17 where he was a multi-sport standout. Played 19 seasons of professional baseball with stints in the Majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and St. […]
Jimmerson, Greg
1993 Rapid City Stevens/1998 Stanford graduate. Led Stanford to its first NCAA national championship in cross country in 1996, finishing as the top American runner with a fourth-place showing. A three-time cross country All-American, who earned the Stanford Athletic Department’s prestigious all-sport Most Competitive Athlete Award as a senior. He earned a spot in the […]
Jackson, Mylo
1929 Ardmore (Fall River County, SD) High School/1934 Northern State graduate. Won seven state titles and eight Eastern South Dakota Conference titles in coaching three sports at Aberdeen Central (head track coach for three seasons, head football coach for 18 seasons and head boys’ basketball coach for 13 seasons). His boys’ track teams were the […]
Haines, Randi (MORGAN)
2000 Mitchell/2004 Dakota Wesleyan graduate. One of SD’s greatest all-time basketball players from a basketball family that holds a Guinness Book of World Record as a single family to score over 10,000 points for a single college, for which she was featured in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd”. Six of Carol & Bill Morgan’s […]
French, Barry Alden “Bear”
1940 SF Washington/1947 Purdue graduate. Born in Chamberlain. Served four years in WWII and returned to Purdue to get his degree while playing pro football and teaching at a vocational school. Injuries shortened the pro career of this versatile offensive and defensive lineman who played in 49 NFL games from 1947-52 with Baltimore Colts and […]
Freidel, Dan
1980 Armour/1984 Augustana graduate. Freidel was a four-year varsity performer in multiple sports and one of the centerpieces of Armour’ High School’s statewide dominance athletically in the 1970s and 1980s. At a time with no prep football playoffs, the running back/linebacker helped the Packers go 30-4 in his four years. He earned All-State and All-Conference […]