Phillips, O.B.

O.B. Phillips is credited for starting a track & field dynasty at Tyndall High School in the 1920’s. He was the track & field coach at Tyndall from 1919-31 as well as serving as superintendent. He had previously been superintendent at Alexandria. Despite having only a little over 100 students in high school, Tyndall did […]

Plihal, Sally

Sally Plihal, a 1971 graduate of Tyndall High School and 1975 graduate of South Dakota State University (SDSU), is celebrated as one of South Dakota’s pioneering female athletes who gained national prominence. In 1969, she secured a remarkable victory in the high jump at both the AAU Junior Nationals and the AAU Junior Olympics, establishing […]

Potts, Grover

Chosen as the outstanding football player in South Dakota for the 1900s by the Argus Leader during the state’s centennial in 1989, Potts grew up near Hooker, S.D., in Turner County. He was a center on offense and tackle on defense from 1912-14 at the University of South Dakota, where he also lettered in basketball, […]

Musiel (Nielsen), Candi

1984 Armour /1988 Augustana graduate. Candi Nielsen Musiel was an all-state in prep basketball as a junior and senior. Led Armour to 1983 state basketball title (first of five in a row) and to three State B track titles. Armour went to the State B basketball tourney three times with Nielsen patrolling the court, and […]

Loecker, Romain

Born Oct. 13, 1945. 1964 Yankton HS grad. Yankton College. One of South Dakota’s greatest amateur baseball players, Loecker was the MVP of the 1969 state tourney and the batting champ in three tourneys (1969, ’70 and ’76). A slick-fielding, hard-hitting shortstop, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Loecker competed in 18 straight state tournaments and led the […]

Marso, Lien

Lien Marso graduated from Harrold High School in 1951. That same year he led Harrold to a 33-2 record and the State B basketball title. He was an all?state center known for his ferocious defense and shutting down centers much taller than himself. Harrold became the smallest high school in state history to win the […]

Matthews, Bill

Bill Matthews played seven seasons of pro football, mostly in the NFL, with a couple of seasons in the USFL including three seasons with the New England Patriots. He was a fifth-round pick of the Patriots in the 1978 NFL draft but missed the entire 1978 NFL season with a neck injury. He played in […]

Manders, Clarence “Pug”

Milbank High School. Drake University. Fullback-linebacker played seven seasons in the NFL (1939-44 with Brooklyn, 1945 with Boston). Was All-Pro in 1941, when he led the league in rushing (486 yards on 111 carries) while playing for the Brooklyn Dodgers. Two other times he rushed for more than 400 yards (1939, 482, and 1944, 430). […]

Johnson, Bob

One of the greatest sprinters in South Dakota high school track history, the 1938 Washington High grad held the state record at three distances. “In the fall of 1934 as a freshman I went out for football,” Johnson recalled. “I was with C.R. Beck over at the other end of the field in about the […]

Johnson, Wally

Wally Johnson was a 1960 Aberdeen Central High School graduate and a 1964 Northern State College graduate. He was an outstanding multi-sport athlete who excelled in track & field and baseball and was an all-conference performer in football and basketball. Johnson’s accomplishments in 1960 were amazing. He was runner up in the South Dakota High […]