Hansen, Elmer
Born June 13, 1905, in Kanaranzi, Minn. Luverne (Minn.) HS. 1930 Morningside College grad. Hansen was one of the state’s most successful track coaches, winning 12 state titles in his 21 years as head coach at Washington High. The Warriors’ nine consecutive state titles from 1953-61 is the best such streak in state history. While […]
Hawk, Max
Born March 19, 1933. 1951 Wessington Springs HS grad. 1957 Northern State grad. The winningest prep football coach in state history (284-78-2), Hawk coached Yankton for 30 years, ending with a perfect season and state Class 11AA title in 1994. He coached Scotland for eight years starting in 1957 before coming to Yankton in 1965. […]
Heinitz, Jim
Jim Heinitz graduated from Mountain Lake (MN) High School in 1968 and from SDSU in 1973, where he was an all-conference linebacker. In 1977, he became the head football coach at Rapid City Stevens, leading the Raiders to a 7-2 record and a #2 state ranking with seven shutouts. He retired in 1978 to go […]
Withorne, Steve
Steve Withorne arrived at Dakota Wesleyan University as a promising basketball prospect. He met all expectations, and then proved his versatility when he went out for football and excelled. Withorne earned four letters playing basketball, served as a tri-captain in 1973 and received honorable mention recognition to the 1973 all-conference team. He was instrumental in […]
Baker, Don
Don Baker graduated from Scotland High School in 1950 and the University of South Dakota at Springfield in 1954. He earned 12 letters in college at USD-S in football, basketball, and track & field. He was all-conference in football and basketball and was one of the SDIC’s top distance runners. He was also a multi-sport […]
Barnes, Don
A 1962 graduate of Notre Dame High School in Mitchell and a 1970 graduate of USD, Barnes is arguably South Dakota’s greatest tennis coach and one of its longest-tenured high school coaches, regardless of sport. His tenure with the Sioux Falls O’Gorman boys’ and girls’ tennis teams is marked by extraordinary achievements, including over 1,000 […]
Boner, Gary
The winningest football coach in South Dakota School of Mines history, the 1959 Edgemont graduate had a 93-74-7 record in 19 seasons (1971-89). His teams were 72-31-3 in the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference and won seven SDIC titles (1974-77-78-80-81-82-84). His 1980 team was 8-1, while his 1978, ’81, ’82 and ’84 teams each won seven […]
Breemes, Gene
Gene Breemes was a 1944 Phillip High School and 1950 Black Hills State College graduate. He was a multiple sport standout in high school and starred in football as a quarterback, track & field as a pole vaulter and javelin thrower at Black Hills State. He coached and taught at Hurley (1950-52), Beresford (1952-57), Rapid […]
Burns, Bob
Born Feb. 8, 1920, in Sioux City, Iowa. 1938 Sioux City Central HS grad. 1942 University of South Dakota. One of the most colorful and successful football coaches in state history, he began coaching in 1947 in Yankton. He also coached at Washington High, Augustana, the University of South Dakota and O’Gorman High School. In […]
Cobb, Euclid
Born in Denton, Texas. Monmouth, Ill. HS. Monmouth College. Coach and athletic director for whom the Rapid City Central Cobbler athletic teams are named. He spent 41 years at Central and is the only South Dakota coach to have a team named after him. Cobb came to South Dakota to do graduate work at USD. […]