Ekeland, Clare
Clare Ekeland was a 1934 Washington High School and 1938 Augustana College graduate. Ekeland began his high school teaching/coaching career at Dell Rapids in 1938. From 1945-48 he was at Luverne, MN, serving as athletic director, coach and teacher. He also taught and coached at Rapid City High School from 1948-52. In 1952 Ekeland started […]
Farrand, Floyd
Floyd Farrand graduated from Superior, NE High School in 1948 and from Sioux Falls College in 1952 and earned his master’s degree from South Dakota State University in 1963. At Sioux Falls College, he competed in football, basketball and track & field. Farrand was a teacher and coach for almost 40 years, most of that […]
Ferguson, Stewart
Born Jan. 27, 1900 in Carthage, Mo. Dakota Wesleyan Academy in Mitchell. Dakota Wesleyan University. One of the most innovative and unconventional coaches in the history of college football. In eight years at Arkansas A&M, Ferguson gained national attention with his “Wandering Boll Weevils.” It was at A&M that he invented the “swinging gate” offensive […]
Fosness, Gordie
Presho. 1957 Dakota Wesleyan grad. Was men’s basketball coach at DWU for 22 years. His teams won 351 games and 11 conference titles, earning him a spot in the NAIA Hall of Fame. He also was an assistant football coach at DWU for 20 years. In 1988 he became state director of the Fellowship of […]
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 […]
Gamage, Harry
Born Feb. 3, 1900. Macomb, Ill., native. U of Illinois. The winningest football coach in USD history, Gamage was coach there for 18 years (1934-41 and 46-55). After taking over a USD team that hadn’t had a winning season in seven years, Gamage’s squads were 82-67-7 and won four conference titles. Before coming to South […]
Ginn, Ralph
Born July 23, 1907, in Lenox, Iowa. 1925 Lenox H.S. grad. 1931 Tarkio (Mo.) College grad. Was South Dakota State football coach from 1947-68, compiling a 113-89-9 record. In his 22 years at SDSU, his teams won nine conference titles, including back-to-back-to-back titles twice (1953-55 and 1961-63). He coached Brookings High School from 1944-47, going […]
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 […]
Haensel, Wayne “Hawkeye”
A 1954 graduate of Walnut Grove High School (MN) and a 1959 graduate of SDSU, Haensel was an All-American, all-conference, three-year starter, and senior co-captain for the Jackrabbits, helping SDSU secure three North Central Conference Championships with a 23-11-2 record during his tenure. Drafted in the 25th round of the 1958 NFL Draft by the […]