Godfrey, Vic
The 1958 Aberdeen Central and 1963 Northern State grad has been a track and/or cross country coach for more than 50 years – much of it at Watertown. Godfrey began his coaching career in Indonesia while in the Peace Corps from 1963-65. During that time he worked with Olympic gold medalists Emil Zatopek and Charlie […]
Farrand, Floyd
Floyd Farrand graduated from Superior, NE High School in 1948 and from Sioux Falls College in 1952 and earned his master’s degree from South Dakota State University in 1963. At Sioux Falls College, he competed in football, basketball and track & field. Farrand was a teacher and coach for almost 40 years, most of that […]
Ekeland, Clare
Clare Ekeland was a 1934 Washington High School and 1938 Augustana College graduate. Ekeland began his high school teaching/coaching career at Dell Rapids in 1938. From 1945-48 he was at Luverne, MN, serving as athletic director, coach and teacher. He also taught and coached at Rapid City High School from 1948-52. In 1952 Ekeland started […]
Wallman, Gary
The patriarch of the most famous wrestling family in South Dakota, Wallman was the state’s first four-time high school wrestling champion and the state’s first NCAA Division I wrestling All-American. And he was an exceptional coach and boxer as well. At Miller High, he won state titles from 1961-64 (at 95-112-127-133 pounds), compiling a 65-1 […]
Vinatieri, Adam
1991 Rapid City Central/1995 SDSU graduate. Most agree, Vinatieri is the greatest kicker in NFL history. Played for New England Patriots (1996-2005) and Indianapolis Colts (2006-19). Became the all-time leading scorer in NFL history in his 24 seasons. Was a four-time Super Bowl champion and three-time pro bowler. Named to the NFL 2000s All-Decade Team, […]
Schutte, Clarence
The Hecla native gained fame as “the man who stopped Red Grange’’ for his football exploits at the University of Minnesota. Before Minnesota, he starred at Northern State and South Dakota State. After Minnesota, he became known as “Mr. Santa Barbara of Sports” after spending 40 years in the California city as a high school […]
Scherr, Jim
Born July 27, 1961 in Eureka. 1980 Mobridge HS grad. 1984 Nebraska grad. On and off the mat, Scherr has been a champion of the sport of wrestling. He competed in freestyle wrestling at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, finishing fifth at 198 pounds (twin brother Bill won bronze at 220). He […]
Scherr, Bill
Born July 27, 1961 in Eureka. 1980 Mobridge HS grad. 1984 Nebraska grad. One of the few Olympic medalists that South Dakota has produced, Scherr earned a bronze medal at 220 pounds in freestyle wrestling at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea. He was the world champion at 198 pounds in 1985 but […]
McIlravy, Lincoln
Lincoln McIlravy, the Philip High and University of Iowa graduate, is one of the greatest wrestlers in state history. He was a freestyle bronze medalist at 152 pounds at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. There, he beat wrestlers from Nigeria, Turkey, and Moldova to reach the semifinals, where he lost in overtime to Canada’s […]
Lewis, Randy
The 1977 Rapid City Stevens grad won the gold medal at 136.5 pounds in freestyle wrestling at the 1984 Olympics, outscoring his first four opponents 52-4 to advance to the final, where he crushed Japan’s Kosei Akaishi 24-11 in 4:52. He was the youngest member of 1980 Olympic wrestling team but President Jimmy Carter’s boycott […]