Tjeerdsma, Mel

The Springfield High and 1967 graduate of Southern State in Springfield was one of the most successful coaches in the history of college football. He coached Northwest Missouri State to a 183-43 record and three NCAA Division II titles in 17 seasons. Northwest was 0-11 in Tjeerdsma’s first season in 1994, then went 183-32 the […]

Kessinger, Ted

A Sioux Falls native who was a 1959 Washington High and 1963 Augustana graduate, Kessinger is one of the few South Dakotans to be inducted into the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame, in 2010. He was the football coach at Bethany (Kan.) College for 28 years, compiling a 219-57-1 record with 16 conference […]

Dirksen, Jay

A 1963 graduate of General Beadle High School in Madison, Dirksen excelled as a runner and a coach. The 1968 South Dakota State grad coached SDSU to the 1973 NCAA Division II men’s cross country title before spending more than 30 years as a coach at the Division I level, mostly at Nebraska. He began […]

Stanford, Doug

A 1962 Rapid City Central and 1967 Black Hills State grad, Stanford was one of the state’s greatest amateur baseball players. The pitcher-outfielder was a two-time state tournament MVP (1972 and ’73) and he hit 26 home runs in 1976 to tie the single-season state record. In 1973, the 6-foot-1½, 205-pound right-hander pitched two complete […]

Theeler, Jack

A 1963 Sisseton grad, Theeler was one of the University of South Dakota’s all-time great basketball players. The 6-foot-4 forward was just the sixth player all-time to earn all-North Central Conference honors during three consecutive seasons (1966-68). He was an honorable mention All-American as a junior and senior. Theeler, who transferred to USD from the […]

Johnson, Arnold “Nig”

The Brookings grad was named the captain of the all-state football team for 1952 by SoDak Sports and also the state’s Athlete of the Year for the 1952-53 school year. The 5-foot-9, 150-pounder was a high school All-American in football and set an Eastern South Dakota Conference scoring record (102 points in seven games) in […]

Ferrie, Paul

The Sioux Falls man was perhaps the state’s greatest fastpitch pitcher. He started pitching in 1939 at age 12, playing on a team with his brother Buster and neighborhood friends. Over a 26-year career, Ferrie was a feared power hitter, but it was on the mound where he would really make a name for himself. […]

Bartling, Herb

A 1947 Brookings High grad, Bartling was an All-American quarterback on the undefeated 1950 South Dakota State football team. SDSU hasn’t gone unbeaten since. The 6-foot, 175-pound Bartling was named Most Valuable Player in the North Central Conference after guiding the Jackrabbits to a 9-0-1 record and a league championship in 1950 under Coach Ralph […]

Callahan, Dick

A 1960 Sioux Falls Washington High grad, Callahan was a starter on the 1963 Nebraska football team that was ranked sixth in the nation, went 10-1 and was the Big Eight and Orange Bowl champion. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Callahan had eight receptions for a team-high 157 yards during the regular season as the Cornhuskers won […]