Villa, Neysa
Known to most people simply as Neysa, Villa raised 10 children in Freeman, and in her efforts to provide sports activities for her children, she created an amazing legacy of volunteerism in amateur sports in South Dakota, especially in the AAU, from the 1960s to the early 1980s. Villa, a registered nurse, was instrumental in […]
Sheeks, Paul
A 1908 Mitchell High and 1913 University of South Dakota grad, Sheeks played two years in the NFL before gaining national fame in the 1920s and ’30s because of the success of the Firestone basketball teams he coached in Akron, Ohio. He helped found the National Basketball League and was named coach of the year […]
Laskowski, Bob
Laskowski’s award-winning TV and radio sportscasting career spanned 45 years, with 36 of those spent in Rapid City. There he became known as “West River Bob” for his support of all western South Dakota teams but he considers himself a fan of anything or anyone South Dakota. Laskowski broadcast more than 3,000 athletic events during […]
Evans, Doug
As a coach and teacher at Washington High in Sioux Falls, Evans was a forerunner and leader in physical education in South Dakota and the nation. The 1937 University of Minnesota grad grew up in Wimbledon, N.D., where he competed in football, basketball, baseball and track. In 1939, he joined the Washington High faculty as […]
Lambert, Ward
The legendary Purdue coach was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., in 1960. He was born in Deadwood and lived there until age 10 or so before moving to Indiana. The 1911 Wabash (Ind.) College grad was coach at Purdue from 1916-17 and 1918-46. He was 371-152 in 29 seasons, including […]
Greeno, Rollie
The 1944 Langford High and 1950 Northern State grad coached the Milbank football team to 44 consecutive victories before embarking on a 37-year coaching career at Jamestown College. The Amherst native began his coaching career at Wessington Springs from 1950-56, coaching four sports with great success. His football teams there were 37-9-3, including a 27-game […]
Gottsleben, David
A Brookings native and 1971 Montrose High and 1975 South Dakota State grad, Gottsleben is in his 31st season as the University of South Dakota head men’s track and field coach. While at USD, he’s been a conference coach of the year a total of 18 times (in the North Central Conference, Great West and […]
Godfrey, Vic
The 1958 Aberdeen Central and 1963 Northern State grad has been a track and/or cross country coach for more than 50 years – much of it at Watertown. Godfrey began his coaching career in Indonesia while in the Peace Corps from 1963-65. During that time he worked with Olympic gold medalists Emil Zatopek and Charlie […]
Wipf Wiebe, Janel
The 1976 Freeman High graduate was among South Dakota’s first female long-distance runners – and she still ranks among the best. Her running career started with track and cross country in the early 1970s, when distance races first became available to girls. Her early successes included three consecutive state titles in the mile run and […]
Tyler, A.B.
Polo is the sport of kings if you live in Europe, or the sport of cowboys if you come from Pierre, South Dakota, and belong to the Pierre Polo Team. Bud, considered by many to be Mr. Polo in South Dakota, was part of a legendary family of horsemen. Bud, his father Pop Tyler, his […]