Johnson, Gene
Gene Johnson graduated from Yankton High School in 1965 and Yankton College in 1969. In track, he set the two-mile run all-time state record in 1964. He led the Bucks to the 1964 state cross country team title and was the individual winner. In 1965, he had a breakout season by becoming one of the […]
Jordan, Bill
Born Sept. 20, 1931 in Iroquois. 1949 Onida High School grad. 1954 Northern State. Jordan was one of the greatest athletes in Northern State history. He earned four letters each in football, basketball and track, becoming one of the few NSU athletes to win 12 letters. He was a conference track champ in the 220 […]
Josephson, Les
Born July 29, 1942, in Minneota, Minn. 1960 Minneota HS grad. 1964 Augustana College grad. Josephson made the jump from 8-man high school football to the NFL Pro Bowl in just seven years. His NFL career spanned 10 years with the Los Angeles Rams, where he was a running back as well as team captain […]
Kelley, Frank
Born Oct. 23, 1903 in Tyndall. 1923 Tyndall HS grad. 1927 SDSU grad. Kelley was a world record holder in track and one of the finest football players in the history of South Dakota State. In all, he earned eight letters in football, basketball and track at SDSU. Kelley, a 1927 SDSU grad, actually set […]
Johnson, Arnold “Nig”
The Brookings grad was named the captain of the all-state football team for 1952 by SoDak Sports and also the state’s Athlete of the Year for the 1952-53 school year. The 5-foot-9, 150-pounder was a high school All-American in football and set an Eastern South Dakota Conference scoring record (102 points in seven games) in […]
Fordham-Lien, Kim
Kim Fordham-Lien was a 1986 Aberdeen Central and 1990 South Dakota State University graduate. Fordham-Lien won NCAA Division II indoor national track titles in the 800-meter run in 1988 and 1989. In all, she was a seven-time All-American in the 800 meters. Fordham-Lien, also a championship horse rider, won 11 individual indoor and outdoor North […]
Greiner, Cindy
A 1975 Wilmot High graduate, Greiner is the only South Dakota high school grad to be a three-time Olympian. Greiner was fourth in the heptathlon in 1984, eighth in 1988 and ninth in 1992 as she and Jackie Joyner-Kersee dominated the event in the USA for more than a decade. She set her personal best […]
Feeney, Charles Lindbergh “Lindy”
1947 Pierre HS grad. Indiana. When Charles “Lindy” was five years old, his father wrote a note saying Lindy would be a champion runner one day. Lindy held the South Dakota state record for the 100 yd. dash and became a Big Ten champion at Indiana University. Feeney never lost to a South Dakotan in […]