Kooistra, Clarence
One of the state’s most successful high school football coaches, Clarence Kooistra, had a 221-77-2 record in 31 years, all but one at Garretson. He lost his last 300th career game to Freeman 44-24 in the 1997 State 9A championship. He guided the Blue Dragons to four, two mythical and two playoff-era, state titles, four […]
Collignon, Linda
Her coaching stay was short, but her impact was long-lasting. That describes the 1968 Rutland High School and 1972 Dakota State College graduate Linda Collignon. In 1991-92, Collignon took over the Madison gymnastics program with no head coaching experience and served as an assistant coach for two years. Her teams did not place her first […]
Breemes, Gene
Gene Breemes was a 1944 Phillip High School and 1950 Black Hills State College graduate. He was a multiple sport standout in high school and starred in football as a quarterback, track & field as a pole vaulter and javelin thrower at Black Hills State. He coached and taught at Hurley (1950-52), Beresford (1952-57), Rapid […]
Baker, Don
Don Baker graduated from Scotland High School in 1950 and the University of South Dakota at Springfield in 1954. He earned 12 letters in college at USD-S in football, basketball, and track & field. He was all-conference in football and basketball and was one of the SDIC’s top distance runners. He was also a multi-sport […]
Turning Heart, Jeffrey
Jeffrey Turning Heart was one of South Dakota’s greatest distance runners in state history, a 1980 Cheyenne-Eagle Butte High School graduate, and a 1984 Adams State (Alamosa, CO) graduate. Turning Heart was a two-time State A cross country champion (1978-79, he had better times than AA winners) with one runner-up finish and helped CEB win […]
Thorne, Joe
Josef “Joe” Thorne grew up in Gettysburg and moved to Beresford in his junior year, where he graduated in 1958. He graduated from SDSU in 1963. As a high school junior, Thorne led Beresford to a 7-0-1 record, the Big Eight Conference football title share, and a state runner-up finish. He led Beresford to the […]
Schwartz, Bryan
Bryan Schwartz was the first NCAA Division II player ever nominated for the Dick Butkus Award, given to college football’s best linebacker. He was a second-round pick, 64th overall, of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1995 NFL Draft. The 6-4, 251-pound Schwartz was the Jaguars’ leading tackler as a rookie. He was named to the […]
Schlekeway, Jim
With one of the most successful sports resumes in South Dakota, Jim Schlekeway’s accolades span many years as an outstanding player and long-time coach. He was a four-year starter, three-time first-team All-Stater, and High School All-American basketball player at Britton. He averaged over 20 points per game throughout high school with 1,900 career points and […]
Mydland, David
One of the iron men of South Dakota baseball, David “Mydie” Mydland was an outstanding baseball player at SDSU and in the amateur ranks. He was an all-conference speedy shortstop for the Jackrabbits. He helped SDSU win a share of the North Central Conference title in 1973. The Minnesota Twins drafted and signed him in […]
Marso, Lien
Lien Marso graduated from Harrold High School in 1951. That same year he led Harrold to a 33-2 record and the State B basketball title. He was an all?state center known for his ferocious defense and shutting down centers much taller than himself. Harrold became the smallest high school in state history to win the […]