Reisdorfer, Patricia
The 1976 Adrian (Minn.) High grad was the first woman inducted into the Augustana Athletic Hall of Fame (in 1990). She lettered in basketball, volleyball and track at Adrian. She ran the mile for the track team but never made it past the region meet. After high school, she took up running to maintain her […]
Reinhart, Jim
Jim Reinhart is perhaps the state’s greatest high school distance runner. He graduated in 1973 from Sioux Falls (SD) Lincoln High School and was a 1977 graduate of Notre Dame. As a sophomore, he lost his first cross country race. After that, he never lost another cross country race in high school and went on […]
Nissen, Rick
A star guard for one of the state’s most famous prep basketball teams, the unbeaten 1972 Miller Rustlers, Nissen went on to a stellar career at the University of South Dakota. At Miller, the Rustlers lost only five games in his three years as a starter. In his senior year, Miller went 24-0 and beat […]
Mills, Billy
Born June 30, 1938 at Pine Ridge. Haskell (Kan.) Indian School. 1962 Kansas grad. Before Oct. 14, 1964, Mills was unknown to all but a few track afficionados. But on that day the unheralded Mills achieved what some sports historians called ‘the most sensational upset in Olympic history,’ sprinting past Mohammed Gammoudi of Tunisia and […]
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 […]
Johnson, Gene
Gene Johnson graduated from Yankton High School in 1965 and Yankton College in 1969. In track, he set the two-mile run all-time state record in 1964. He led the Bucks to the 1964 state cross country team title and was the individual winner. In 1965, he had a breakout season by becoming one of the […]
Heidenreich, Steve
The 1971 Watertown High grad is the greatest miler that South Dakota has ever produced, breaking the 4-minute barrier eight times. He is a member of the Watertown High, Indiana University and Howard Wood Dakota Relays halls of fame. In high school, he was a two-time state champ in the mile run and medley relay […]
Freund, Kay (Stormo)
A two-time South Dakota High School Girls Athlete of the Year, Stormo still holds the state record for the 800-meter run, a 2:07.9 she set in 1978. The time was the third fastest in the nation that year. Shortly after graduating as salutatorian, she won the 800 at the International Prep meet in Naperville, Ill., […]
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 […]
Edelen, Leonard “Buddy”
Edelen’s success as a marathon runner inspired a generation of runners, including Frank Shorter and Bill Rodgers. The 1955 Sioux Falls Washington High grad taught in England from 1960-65 and while there entered cross country and marathon races around the world. He set the American record in Fukuoka, Japan, in 1962, running 2:18:57. He set […]