Bill Jordan - Inducted 2002

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 low hurdles and the 440, was all-conference two years in basketball and chosen as the all-state quarterback as well. He competed on eight SDIC championship teams while at Northern. Jordan began his teaching/coaching career at Britton in 1956. He returned to Northern the following year. In 1959, he started the Northern cross country program. He was head track and cross country coach at Northern for seven years with his track teams winning six consecutive SDIC titles. In 1967, he started the cross country program at Black Hills State. He also was head track and golf coach there. Jordan, who retired from coaching after 1976, was Black Hills State?s athletic director from 1967-82. He remained at BHSU as an administrator until retiring in 1996. Jordan was a golf instructor at Black Hills State from 1968-96. Jordan was president of the SDIC (1981-83) and NAIA (1987-88). He also was a member of the U.S. Olympic track and field committee (1969-72) and was games director of the South Dakota Special Olympics and a member of the national advisory committee for Special Olympics (1970-72). While in Aberdeen, he was president of the South Dakota AAU in 1964, and he started the state AAU championships, which included the first statewide competition for women in track and field. He is a member of the Northern State, Black Hills State, Onida/Sully Buttes and SDIC Halls of Fame.