Taplett, Howard
Born May 23, 1921. 1939 Tyndall High and 1943 University of South Dakota grad. Taplett built Tyndall into a Class B track power. In 16 years as Tyndall’s coach, Taplett coached the Panthers to seven state Class B titles (1953-56, 1960 and 1966-67) and one runner-up finish (1965). The four consecutive titles is a feat […]
Uttecht, Jim
1965 Tripp/1969 Southern State (USD-Springfield) graduate. One of the winningest prep football coaches in state history, Uttecht guided West Central to eight titles in nine championship games and a 234-64 record (fifth best ever when he retired as head coach) in 28 seasons as head coach from 1974-2003. The Trojans won seven of eight state […]
Wachs, Bob
Born Jan. 26, 1923 in Tracy, Minn. 1947 Northern Colorado grad. The winningest coach in the history of South Dakota men’s basketball, Wachs compiled a 532-286 record in 30 years at Northern State (1955-85). The Wolves were SDIC champions 10 times and NIC champs twice under Wachs, who also led the Wolves to the NAIA […]
Marquardt, Bill
1970 Salem/1976 Northern State graduate. Successful coach in a variety of sports, significant contributor to growing/improving SD sports. First SD prep coach to win state championships in football and basketball (and only one of four in state history to do so with Marv McCune, Kent Mueller and Paul Raasch). Had a 501-265 record in 36 […]
Marske, Ruth
Born Oct. 14, 1933 in Andover. Andover H.S. 1955 Northern State grad. Coached outstanding track, volleyball, softball and basketball teams at SDSU in the 1970s and ‘80s. Seven times in what was then the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women, SDSU won state AIAW track titles. When the North Central Conference began women’s sports, her […]
Martin, Jack
1941 Creighton grad. Was athletic director and head coach in all sports at USD-Springfield from 1946-56. In 21 years as football coach at USD-S, he guided the Pointers to four South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference championships and a 103-64-5 record. His basketball teams were 89-78 and his track teams finished in the top four in the […]
Martin, Doug
A basketball coach for 46 years, Martin guided Dakota Wesleyan to four conference titles and a national tournament berth in 17 seasons. Martin coached college men’s basketball for 31 years in South Dakota, starting as an assistant at the University of South Dakota from 1974-78. He was Mount Marty’s head coach for four years, then […]
Meyer, Don
Northern State’s coach for 11 seasons, Meyer retired in 2010 as the winningest men’s basketball coach in NCAA history, breaking a record set by Bobby Knight. In a 38-year career, the Wayne, Neb., native and Northern Colorado grad won 923 games and lost 324. And in all that time only one player who completed his […]
Mitchell, Floyd
Born in 1908. 1927 Highmore grad. 1933 Iowa grad. Mitchell’s career as an athlete and coach spanned more than 50 years in South Dakota. He was the coach at Southern State Teachers College (later known as USD-Springfield) for almost 30 years, and he guided the Pointers to their first South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference basketball title […]
Mitchell, Ronald
Ronald Mitchell is hearing, but for nearly 50 years was a dedicated supporter/promoter of deaf sports programs in South Dakota, Minnesota and nationally as an athlete, coach and administrator. Mitchell served as a Team USA assistant coach at the 1993 Deaf Olympics in Sweden, where one of his athletes won five gold medals. For 36 […]