Johnson, Wally

Wally Johnson was a 1960 Aberdeen Central High School graduate and a 1964 Northern State College graduate. He was an outstanding multi-sport athlete who excelled in track & field and baseball and was an all-conference performer in football and basketball. Johnson’s accomplishments in 1960 were amazing. He was runner up in the South Dakota High […]

Kelley, Frank

Born Oct. 23, 1903 in Tyndall. 1923 Tyndall HS grad. 1927 SDSU grad. Kelley was a world record holder in track and one of the finest football players in the history of South Dakota State. In all, he earned eight letters in football, basketball and track at SDSU. Kelley, a 1927 SDSU grad, actually set […]

Klein, Mel

One of Northern State’s greatest basketball players, Klein was an outstanding coach as well. The 1957 Aberdeen Central and 1961 Northern State grad played on four South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference championship teams, three of which advanced to the NAIA national tourney. The 6-foot-5, 190-pound Klein was a two-time all-SDIC player under Coach Bob Wachs, and […]

Konrad, Cliff

Born Dec. 21, 1928 in Tripp. Went to school in Kaylor and Tripp. Finished HS education while in the military in 1952. Perhaps the greatest bowler that South Dakota has produced, Konrad has rolled an astounding 33 perfect games, 13 of which were sanctioned. He has rolled 10 800 series with a high of 847. […]

Hardy, Carroll

Sturgis High School. 1955 University of Colorado grad. The only South Dakotan to play major league baseball and in the NFL, the 6-foot, 185-pounder was a third-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers. Starting flanker for the 49ers in 1955, catching 12 passes, four for touchdowns. Backfieldmates were Y.A. Tittle, Joe Perry and Hugh […]

Heirigs, Roger

The first person to be named the state’s High School Athlete of the Year and the College Athlete of the Year, the multi-talented Heirigs was one of South Dakota’s brightest stars in the 1960s. He earned the prep honor in 1963 at Irene and the college honor in 1966 at Yankton College. Both honors were […]

Hisek, Lee

A 1967 Tyndall High and University of South Dakota grad, the “Tyndall Tornado” was one of the state’s greatest track sprinters. He was state prep champ in the 100-yard dash three times, and he was a three-time state prep champ in the 220 as well. Known for his blazing start, Hisek set state records in […]

Fletcher, Randy

Among South Dakota’s best long-range shooters, Randy Fletcher averaged 27.0 points per game as a high school junior and 33.9 ppg his senior season to earn All-State recognition. A four-year starter for Reliance High School, he scored more than 1,900 career points. Reliance was undefeated for the regular season but lost to Alexandria in the […]

Garnier, Oliver

The Pine Ridge man was picked as the outstanding baseball player in South Dakota for the 1900s by the Argus Leader during the state’s centennial in 1989. Garnier had his best years in the late 1920s, when major league teams expressed an interest in him. In all, he played 51 seasons of town team baseball, […]

Gassman, Dave

Every summer for almost 50 years Gassman played baseball, nearly all of it in his hometown of Canova. For most of those years he did not just play, but dominated in spectacular fashion. In a 40-year amateur baseball career, the 6-2 1/2, 190-pound right-hander won more games (376) and struck out more batters (5,591) than […]