Wahl, Kermit

Born in Columbia, S.D. Played youth baseball in Columbia and Aberdeen. 1946 Indiana University grad. Played pro baseball for 11 seasons, including four-plus years (1944-45, `47, `50-51) in the major leagues with Cincinnati, the Philadelphia Athletics and St. Louis Browns. His best season was 1950, when he hit .257 in 89 games for Philadelphia. His […]

Walseth, R.M. “Bus”

Clear Lake HS. SDSU. In 1937 he was named the first executive secretary of the South Dakota High School Activities Association, a position he held for 35 years. Before that, he coached at Barnard, Leola and Ipswich. When he retired in 1971, he had devoted 50 years to high school athletics as a coach and […]

James, Milo

Milo James Wepking graduated from Avon High School in 1940 and earned his bachelor’s degree from Southern State Teacher’s College in 1951. He later obtained a master’s degree in education from the University of South Dakota and pursued doctoral studies at the University of Minnesota. A multi-sport standout in high school, Wepking led Avon to […]

Young, Don

1933 Edgemont High grad. 1940 Black Hills State grad. Young’s name is synonymous with Black Hills State, where he spent almost 50 years as a coach, teacher and administrator. A coach who loved football, spent endless hours diagramming plays and creating new formations while demonstrating unbridled enthusiasm for the game, Young was first and foremost […]

Zulk, Gene

South Dakota State men’s basketball had many of its greatest days while Zulk was a player and coach at the school. The 1965 Spencer High grad helped the Jackrabbits to North Central Conference titles in 1968 and ’69. In 1969 he was all-NCC. That season the 6-foot-5, 215-pound forward averaged 18.5 points and 7.4 rebounds […]

Luce, Jim

Always one of the smaller players in the game, Luce was always one of the best as well. The Sioux Falls Washington High grad quarterbacked Augustana to the 1959 North Central Conference title – the Vikings’ only football title in a span of nearly 70 years. The 5-foot-11, 160-pound junior was all-NCC that year for […]

Macy, Ralph

The Vermillion High grad was a great booster of amateur athletics in South Dakota, and teams he sponsored, mostly in Rapid City, were among the most successful in the state. The Rapid City Macy’s basketball team played in numerous state amateur tourneys, reaching the finals four times and winning titles in 1979 and ’81. Twice […]

Mann, Dean

The 1950 Washington High and 1957 Augustana grad has been involved in track and field in South Dakota for more than 60 years. This year (2007) marks his 50th year as a track official – as a starter and referee at the college and high school level. As an athlete, he was a four-year letterwinner […]

Marshall, Stan

Born Jan. 8, 1927 in Yankton. 1945 Centerville grad. 1950 SDSU grad. SDSU athletic director from 1965-80. Served as president and secretary-treasurer of the NCAA and was an influential member on many NCAA committees. Marshall was instrumental in initiating national championships for NCAA Division II and III schools. As a high school coach (1950-55), Marshall […]

Meile, Mark

Mark Meile, a 1972 West Central graduate with degrees from NDSU-Bottineau (1974), USD-Springfield (1976), and SDSU (1992), was a pivotal figure in Sioux Falls athletics. As the Sioux Falls School District athletic coordinator from 1993 to 2018, Meile transformed the city into a national sports hub by spearheading the development of new facilities, programs, and […]