Naasz, Harvey

The Mobridge High and University of South Dakota grad was one of the state’s finest prep football coaches, going 169-58-3 in 24 seasons, mostly at Winner. He coached 17 years at Winner, where he guided the Warriors to three state titles (1981, ’87 and ’89) and one runner-up finish (1986). Naasz’s Warriors were unbeaten in […]

Nelson, Kim

1974 Lake Benton (MN) High School/1979 Dakota State graduate. Nelson is the winningest high school football coach in South Dakota history. As the Sioux Falls Roosevelt football coach, Nelson collected his 300th career win Sept. 26, 2020. He was the first high school coach in state history to reach 300 wins. Former SF O’Gorman coach […]

Olson, Leonard

1921 Red Wing, Minn. HS grad. 1927 Luther College grad. Olson became head coach of all sports at Augustana in 1931 and remained a member of the staff until he retired in 1968. From 1931-41, the last year Augustana was a member of the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference, Lefty’s Vikings won eight conference titles in […]

Olson, Bob

The Aberdeen Central and 1977 Northern State grad helped Northern succeed in athletics for almost 40 years. He served the Wolves in the role of athletic director for 13 years, taking over the position in 1999 for the retired Jim Kretchman. Prior to that, he coached the NSU men’s basketball team for 14 seasons, winning […]

Ploof, Dave

With Ploof as its coach for 47 years, Rapid City Post 22 was one of the most successful American Legion baseball programs in the country. The Austin, Minn., native and Mankato State grad coached the Hardhats from 1965-2011, compiling a 2,483-808 record, making him the winningest coach in the history of Legion baseball. Under Ploof, […]

Prendergast, Harry

Harry Prendergast graduated from Milbank High School and was a 1953 graduate of Huron College. At Huron he was All-SDIC in football and basketball. He was a member of three SDIC championship basketball teams and started 39 straight games in football. Prendergast is the only football coach in South Dakota history to have coached 6-man, […]

Hennies, Jay

Jay Hennies graduated from Wagner High School and the University of South Dakota. At Wagner, he was selected to the all-state basketball team two years and once in football. At USD, he played baseball and basketball for four years and was All-NCC in basketball his senior year. He played amateur baseball for 20 years. Hennies […]

Hoover, Gayle

Born Dec. 15, 1934. Washington High and 1958 Sioux Falls College grad. Ranks as one of the state’s finest both as a player and as a coach. At SFC, the 6-foot-2 Hoover became the first South Dakota college player to score over 2,000 career points (2,069). He averaged 28.5 points during the 1956-57 season. Forty […]

Houk, George

Born in Oldham. 1937 Oldham grad. 1941 Sioux Falls College grad. Guided Webster to back-to-back-to-back state Class B boys basketball titles in 1946-48, the only time the feat has been accomplished. Houk nearly coached four state title teams in a row; the 1945 team lost 30-28 to Madison in the finals. He coached only seven […]

Houska, John

John Houska graduated from Chamberlain High School in 1961 and Black Hills State College in 1965. He was a multi-sport high school star athlete who became a Hall of Fame athlete at Black Hills State College. Houska coached for 50 years in football, cross country, track & field, and wrestling. Schools that he coached at […]