Prendergast, Harry

Harry Prendergast graduated from Milbank High School and was a 1953 graduate of Huron College. At Huron he was All-SDIC in football and basketball. He was a member of three SDIC championship basketball teams and started 39 straight games in football. Prendergast is the only football coach in South Dakota history to have coached 6-man, […]

Hennies, Jay

Jay Hennies graduated from Wagner High School and the University of South Dakota. At Wagner, he was selected to the all-state basketball team two years and once in football. At USD, he played baseball and basketball for four years and was All-NCC in basketball his senior year. He played amateur baseball for 20 years. Hennies […]

Hoover, Gayle

Born Dec. 15, 1934. Washington High and 1958 Sioux Falls College grad. Ranks as one of the state’s finest both as a player and as a coach. At SFC, the 6-foot-2 Hoover became the first South Dakota college player to score over 2,000 career points (2,069). He averaged 28.5 points during the 1956-57 season. Forty […]

Kolb, Gus

Gus Kolb graduated from Leola High School in 1943 and South Dakota State College in 1951. As a high school athlete, he lettered four years in football, basketball and baseball. He did not participate in athletics in college. As a basketball coach, Kolb literally built teams from scratch. Walt Conahan, Kolb’s nominator, commented “Kolb was […]

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 […]

Leahy, Frank

Born Aug. 21, 1908 in O’Neill, Neb. Grew up in Winner through junior year of high school, spent senior year at Omaha, Neb. 1931 Notre Dame grad. One of the most famous coaches in the history of college football. Inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1970. Leahy was 33 when he replaced […]

Ekeland, Mark

The winningest baseball coach in South Dakota State history, the Rapid City Central and Augustana grad had a 561-345-2 record in 20 seasons. Ekeland’s Jackrabbits won five North Central Conference titles and they won 11 NCC Southern Division titles in 14 seasons of divisional play, including 10 straight from 1985-94. Poor health forced him to […]

Fredrickson, Curt

An Aberdeen Central and Northern State grad, Fredrickson is the second-winningest active NCAA Division II women’s basketball coach with 723 wins in 34 seasons. He also was a great all-around athlete, excelling in football, basketball and baseball. He ranks as one of the greatest amateur baseball players in state history. Fredrickson was just the 16th […]

Greeno, Rich

Born near Amherst, S.D. 1946 Langford HS grad. 1950 Northern State grad. A cross country and boys track coaching legend at Lincoln High in Sioux Falls, Greeno’s coaching career spanned six decades. He coached at Lincoln from 1968-90. The Patriots won 11 state cross country titles, including all but one in the 1970s, and the […]

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 […]