Young, Bob
A Beresford High grad, Young is the winningest football coach in University of Sioux Falls history with a 172-69-3 record in 22 seasons. Young was raised on a farm and participated in three sports in high school. He went on to play football for Sioux Falls College, where he played linebacker and offensive guard and […]
Youngworth, Carl
Born Nov. 5, 1898 in Tyndall. 1915 Tyndall HS grad. 1919 Yankton College grad. As an athlete at Yankton College, he was all-conference as a quarterback in football and guard in basketball and competed in track as well. His first coaching job was in 1921 at Winner, where one of his first stars was Frank […]
Zephier, Andy
The 1949 Flandreau Public High grad made the Flandreau Indian School one of the most successful cross country programs in the state. Zephier, a 1957 Augustana grad, coached and taught at the Flandreau Indian School for 33 years (1957-1990). He coached excellent teams in track and basketball, but it was in cross country where FIS […]
Abbott, Cleve
Born Dec. 9, 1894 in Yankton. 1912 Watertown High School grad. 1916 SDSU grad. Won 16 varsity letters at Watertown and at SDSU he earned 14 more (in track, football, baseball and basketball). Hired by Booker T. Washington to teach and coach at Tuskegee Institute in 1915, Abbott became one of the most respected coaches […]
Bierle, Don
Co-founder of the South Dakota Sportswriters Association and the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame, Bierle’s love of athletics as a measure of character began early. Although a childhood injury put him on crutches or in a wheelchair for more than 60 years, Bierle lived and breathed sports. A 1946 Yankton High and 1951 University […]
Brewer, Bryan
Lakota Name. Ohiyaku (Returns Victoriously) Bryan Brewer, Sr. was born on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and is an enrolled member of the Oglala Sioux Tribe. He is a 1965 graduate of Pine Ridge High School and graduated from Black Hills State University in 1976. Brewer served in the United States Navy from 1965 to […]
Burt, Jim
Born in Melcher, Iowa, in 1914. 1936 grad of Melcher High School. Brown Institute in Minneapolis. A broadcast pioneer, Burt spent 40 years at KELO Radio and TV, retiring in 1987. To South Dakotans, no state sports figure was more recognizable. Burt started at KELO Radio in June of 1947. He did play-by-play of KELO’s […]
Roach, Paul
Native of Spring Green, Wis. Rapid City (Central HS grad). 1952 Black Hills State grad. Coached in the NFL with Oakland, Green Bay and Denver. On John Madden’s staff in Oakland, Roach helped the Raiders to three Western Division titles and one AFC championship game appearance. Was offensive coordinator for Bart Starr at Green Bay […]
Roach, Mike
Mike Roach was a stand-out multi-sport athlete at Rapid City Cathedral High School. In 1960 he was an all-state defensive and offensive lineman, averaging eight tackles a game, and was team captain. Following graduation in 1961, Roach attended SDSU on a football scholarship. He played in the defensive line and won a starting spot as […]
Ruml, Ken
Wrestling has been Ken Ruml’s life for over 50 years. He graduated from Letcher High School in 1967 and Dakota Wesleyan University in 1971. He competed in football, wrestling, and track & field all four years and was a three-sport letter winner all four years. Ruml coached wrestling at Howard High School from 1976-2011. His […]