Sorensen, Jim

1962 Sioux Falls Washington/1966 Augustana graduate. While he may be known as the long-time Beresford basketball coach, Sorensen was also one of the most successful prep golf coaches in state history. A four-time SD golf coach of the year, he was the 2012 national prep golf coach of the year. His girls’ teams won eight […]

Stolze, Craig

Born Oct. 21, 1919 in Sioux City. 1938 (Sioux City) Central HS grad. 1949 USD grad. Stolze is the only person to be named South Dakota Sportswriter of the Year four consecutive years. He was sports editor at the Sioux Falls Argus Leader for 10 years (1953-63). While there, Stolze started the Associated Press basketball […]

Sheeks, Paul

A 1908 Mitchell High and 1913 University of South Dakota grad, Sheeks played two years in the NFL before gaining national fame in the 1920s and ’30s because of the success of the Firestone basketball teams he coached in Akron, Ohio. He helped found the National Basketball League and was named coach of the year […]

Richards, Hobe

Born Aug. 9, 1923 in Aberdeen. 1941 Aberdeen Central HS grad. 1949 Northern State grad. An outstanding golf teacher, many of his students went on to become state champions. Richards won the 1943 state match-play title. Seven times he won the South Dakota Open, which was the biggest medal-play tourney in the state at that […]

Ovenden, Mark

Mark Ovenden is a Boston native and graduated from Dover Sherborn High School. He attended the University of Richmond (VA), where he was the sports editor of the Collegian. But his gift of gab led to a career in broadcasting. He started his TV career as WTVR’s first-weekend sports anchor during his senior year in […]

Olson, Danny

Born April 8, 1922 in Story City, Iowa. 1941 Mason City (Iowa) HS grad. 1949 Luther College grad. A Sioux Falls radio institution, Olson broadcast the state high school basketball tournaments for 50 years and state amateur baseball tourneys for 40. He did play-by-play for Sioux Falls high school games for 31 years, for Augustana […]

Meile, Mark

Mark Meile, a 1972 West Central graduate with degrees from NDSU-Bottineau (1974), USD-Springfield (1976), and SDSU (1992), was a pivotal figure in Sioux Falls athletics. As the Sioux Falls School District athletic coordinator from 1993 to 2018, Meile transformed the city into a national sports hub by spearheading the development of new facilities, programs, and […]

Luce, Jim

Always one of the smaller players in the game, Luce was always one of the best as well. The Sioux Falls Washington High grad quarterbacked Augustana to the 1959 North Central Conference title – the Vikings’ only football title in a span of nearly 70 years. The 5-foot-11, 160-pound junior was all-NCC that year for […]

Livingston, Ed

Sioux Falls (Washington High). USD. One of the state’s most famous basketball and football referees, Livingston refereed 15 consecutive state Class A basketball tournaments. In 1959, he became the first supervisor of officials for the North Central Conference. He was one of the state’s pioneer golf enthusiasts and in 1929 became a golf pro. He […]

Guenthner, Ken

Bridgewater. One of the most versatile sports personalities the state has ever seen. Guenthner owned the Sioux Falls Canaries baseball team from 1947-53. He also owned and operated the Black Hills Greyhound Track from 1964-82. He was twice elected national president of the Greyhound Racing Association. He worked as a sportswriter for the Argus Leader, […]