Jacobsen, Larry
Sioux Falls (O’Gorman High School). Nebraska. The 6-7, 250-pound Jacobson was All-American defensive tackle and Outland Trophy winner for the national champion Nebraska Cornhuskers (13-0) in 1971. Played in one of the most ballyhooed games of all-time: Oklahoma vs. Nebraska, 1971. He also was All-American in 1970 as Nebraska was 11-0-1 and AP national champion. […]
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 […]
Jordan, Bill
Born Sept. 20, 1931 in Iroquois. 1949 Onida High School grad. 1954 Northern State. Jordan was one of the greatest athletes in Northern State history. He earned four letters each in football, basketball and track, becoming one of the few NSU athletes to win 12 letters. He was a conference track champ in the 220 […]
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 […]
Jensen, Becky (Flynn)
Arguably South Dakota’s greatest girls basketball player, Jensen set the state scoring record and led Wakonda to a state-record 101 consecutive wins. A six-year starter and a four-time first-team all-stater, the 5-foot-11 forward led the Warriorettes to three state titles (1988-90) and scored a state-record 3,268 points in her career while playing for her dad, […]
Johnson, Floyd “Lefty”
1937 Watertown High School grad. 1948 Augustana grad. Thought of by many as Mr. Tennis in South Dakota, the longtime Brookings teacher and principal won almost 50 state championships of one kind or another since his high school days. Appropriately, the SD Tennis Hall of Fame started in 1991 with his induction. After starting city […]
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 […]
Hagen, Clyde
Born March 24, 1948. 1966 Webster HS grad. 1971 SDSU grad. Nicknamed “Wide Clyde” by WNAX sportscaster Norm Hilson, Hagen has been a familiar figure on the South Dakota sports scene for 40 years. He was the last three-sport star at South Dakota State. The 6-foot-4, 236-pound Hagen was all-North Central Conference in football (1969) […]
Haldeman, Gene
Aberdeen (Central High School). Born Dec. 19, 1919 in Aberdeen. 1938 Aberdeen Central HS grad. 1942 Creighton grad. An All-American and two-time all-Missouri Valley Conference performer, Haldeman was considered one of the best collegiate players in the early 1940s. Helped Creighton to a third-place finish in the 1942 NIT. He also helped Creighton reach the […]