Johnson, Floyd “Lefty”
1937 Watertown High School grad. 1948 Augustana grad. Thought of by many as Mr. Tennis in South Dakota, the longtime Brookings teacher and principal won almost 50 state championships of one kind or another since his high school days. Appropriately, the SD Tennis Hall of Fame started in 1991 with his induction. After starting city […]
Jensen, Becky (Flynn)
Arguably South Dakota’s greatest girls basketball player, Jensen set the state scoring record and led Wakonda to a state-record 101 consecutive wins. A six-year starter and a four-time first-team all-stater, the 5-foot-11 forward led the Warriorettes to three state titles (1988-90) and scored a state-record 3,268 points in her career while playing for her dad, […]
Heirigs, Roger
The first person to be named the state’s High School Athlete of the Year and the College Athlete of the Year, the multi-talented Heirigs was one of South Dakota’s brightest stars in the 1960s. He earned the prep honor in 1963 at Irene and the college honor in 1966 at Yankton College. Both honors were […]
Hagen, Clyde
Born March 24, 1948. 1966 Webster HS grad. 1971 SDSU grad. Nicknamed “Wide Clyde” by WNAX sportscaster Norm Hilson, Hagen has been a familiar figure on the South Dakota sports scene for 40 years. He was the last three-sport star at South Dakota State. The 6-foot-4, 236-pound Hagen was all-North Central Conference in football (1969) […]
Hamann, Ray
Born and raised in Yankton. 1931 Yankton grad. Wisconsin. The first South Dakotan to play pro basketball on an organized level, playing seven years with the famed Oshkosh All-Stars, members of a six-team league that was a forerunner to the NBA. Hamann was named all-league in 1940, when Oshkosh won the league title. While in […]
Hecker, Fred
Born July 2, 1939, in Hinsdale, Ill. Sioux Falls (1957 Washington High grad). 1963 Augustana grad. One of the finest athletes in the history of Sioux Falls’ Washington High, Hecker was an All-American in football and basketball as a senior. The 1957 Washington grad also excelled in golf and track, earning 11 letters in all. […]
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 […]
Henley, Garney
Hayti High School. 1960 Huron College grad. After a brief tryout with the Green Bay Packers, Henley became a Canadian Football League legend with the Hamilton Tiger Cats, mostly as a defensive back. The 6-foot, 180-pounder, a CFL all-star for 10 consecutive years (1963-72), was inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame in 1979. […]
Hisek, Lee
A 1967 Tyndall High and University of South Dakota grad, the “Tyndall Tornado” was one of the state’s greatest track sprinters. He was state prep champ in the 100-yard dash three times, and he was a three-time state prep champ in the 220 as well. Known for his blazing start, Hisek set state records in […]
Goldammer, Lee
Canova High School. One of the finest amateur baseball pitchers South Dakota has ever produced. A right-hander, Goldammer won 312 games and struck out 4,292 batters in a career spanning more than 35 years. He played on six state championship teams and set a state record of 13 consecutive wins (1963-69) in state tourney play. […]