Sutherland, Jason
1993 Watertown/1997 Missouri graduate. One of the most gifted, versatile athletes in state history. All-state football and basketball player at Watertown, where the 6-foot-1 Sutherland high jumped 7 feet, 1 inch to win a State AA track title. He cleared 7 feet at two other meets that season. Went on to play Division I basketball […]
Papendick, John
1978 Bridgewater/1984 SDSU graduate. Life-long SD sports journalist/historian who wrote his first newspaper story in 1975. Aberdeen and Mitchell sports departments he led always took a statewide approach to its coverage. Three-time SD Sportswriter of the Year, Heisman Trophy voter, Distinguished SDSU Alumni, SD Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, SDHSAA Distinguished Service, and more than […]
Jimmerson, Greg
1993 Rapid City Stevens/1998 Stanford graduate. Led Stanford to its first NCAA national championship in cross country in 1996, finishing as the top American runner with a fourth-place showing. A three-time cross country All-American, who earned the Stanford Athletic Department’s prestigious all-sport Most Competitive Athlete Award as a senior. He earned a spot in the […]
Dorman, Jim
Jim Dorman, a 1970 graduate of Castlewood High School and a 1975 graduate of South Dakota State University, has devoted more than four decades to education-based athletics as an athlete, coach, administrator and statewide leader. A four-sport standout at Castlewood, he was a three-time all-conference football player and a member of the school’s 1970 State […]
Decory, Laticia “DONI”
1989 Pine Ridge/1994 Utah State graduate. One of best all-around athletes to come out of talent-rich Pine Ridge Reservation. A three-time all-state basketball player who won three State A shot put titles. Set the girls’ shot put all-time state record. A four-year starter, DeCory established herself as an all-around player on the basketball court from […]
Walseth, Russell “Sox”
Born in Aberdeen in 1926. 1944 Pierre HS. 1948 Colorado grad. The first person ever to coach the men’s and women’s basketball teams at the same NCAA school, Walseth did so at Colorado with outstanding results. He was the winningest men’s basketball coach in the school’s history, going 261-245 in 20 seasons (1956-76) at the […]
Welsh, Bill
The Aberdeen native and 1930 Northern State grad coached Claremont to a national record of 61 consecutive six-man football victories from 1947-53. The previous national record was 42. No South Dakota football team has ever come close to matching that feat. In December of 1943, Welsh’s only son, 5-year-old Jean, died in an accident. This […]
Williamson, Warren
Born Jan. 4, 1927 in Hurley. South Dakota State’s wrestling coach for 16 seasons (1956-73), the 1945 Hurley High and 1951 SDSU grad led the Jackrabbits to national prominence in the sport. Williamson also was a standout athlete at SDSU – he was the first Jackrabbit football player to rush for 1,000 yards in a […]
Wood, Howard
Born March 3, 1884, in Marvelville, Ontario, Canada. Potsdam Normal College (N.Y.). It is unlikely that any individual had more influence on the young people of Sioux Falls than Wood, who built the state’s greatest sports dynasty at Washington High. Wood became coach at Washington in 1908, and except for two years as head football […]
Woodle, Buell
Sturgis HS. Black Hills State. Longtime coach and athletic director at Sturgis. Coached football, basketball and track at Sturgis (was assistant from 1930-41 and head coach from 1942-57). Was athletic director from 1958-65. He guided Scooper football teams to six Black Hills Conference titles (including 32 wins in a row in the conference) and his […]