Lloyd, Vince (Skaff)

Born June 1, 1917, in Beresford. 1935 Beresford HS grad. 1940 Yankton College grad. One of the Midwest’s most well-known sports announcers, primarily at WGN in Chicago. He began his broadcasting career in Sioux City with KTRI before going to WJBC in Bloomington, Ill., and WMBD in Peoria, Ill. After serving in the Marine Corps […]

Dozer, Dick

Born March 12, 1925, in Minneapolis. Sioux Falls (Washington High). 1950 Missouri grad. A nationally respected sportswriter for 30 years, mostly with the Chicago Tribune. In the early 1950s, he worked for KIHO Radio in Sioux Falls and made history in July 1950 by broadcasting the first remote play-by-play of the state amateur golf tournament. […]

Hansen, Elmer

Born June 13, 1905, in Kanaranzi, Minn. Luverne (Minn.) HS. 1930 Morningside College grad. Hansen was one of the state’s most successful track coaches, winning 12 state titles in his 21 years as head coach at Washington High. The Warriors’ nine consecutive state titles from 1953-61 is the best such streak in state history. While […]

Simko, John

Sioux Falls (1957 Washingon HS grad). 1961 Augustana grad. Simko’s great athletic achievements have been unusually varied. He is the only South Dakotan to win state high school tennis titles four years in both singles and doubles (1954-57), and he was ranked No. 1 in 18-and-under singles in the Northwest Region. In his senior season […]

Sutton, Jim

1953 Onida HS grad. 1957 South Dakota State grad. One of the state’s finest shooters, Sutton led Onida to the 1953 state Class B championship. Sutton was recruited by several Division I schools (including Kansas State, a national power at that time), but went to South Dakota State instead. At that time, freshmen could not […]

Lovley, Leonard

Born Oct. 28, 1900, near Arcadia, Iowa. 1920 Elkton HS grad. 1925 Creighton grad. In 1901, moved to Elkton, where his dad ran a livery stable and was school custodian. One of South Dakota’s earliest and greatest basketball stars, Lovley led Elkton to state titles in 1919 and ’20 and was a two-time All-American at […]

Josephson, Les

Born July 29, 1942, in Minneota, Minn. 1960 Minneota HS grad. 1964 Augustana College grad. Josephson made the jump from 8-man high school football to the NFL Pro Bowl in just seven years. His NFL career spanned 10 years with the Los Angeles Rams, where he was a running back as well as team captain […]

Dobratz, Pat

Sioux Falls 1970 Lincoln High grad. 1974 South Dakota State grad.Dobratz was a trailblazer as a player and coach. At Lincoln High, when virtually no girls sports existed, Dobratz played on intramural teams. At SDSU, she became a multi-talented standout, competing in tennis, volleyball and basketball. Dobratz led SDSU to four consecutive state Association of […]