Dean Minder - Inducted 2023

Dean Minder graduated from Wilmot High School in 1945 and Northern State College in 1955. He contributed to the sports scene in the Mitchell area in many ways. Minder coached American Legion baseball and was a Legion and amateur baseball umpire for 25 years. He worked in 15 state amateur baseball tournaments. He was the official scorer and announcer for basketball games at the Corn Palace for 20 years and served as a basketball official and track starter for the Corn Palace Relays for many years.

Minder was an accomplished sportswriter and photographer who worked for the Mitchell Daily Republic for 37 years while teaching in the Mitchell School system. He was named the South Dakota Sportswriter of the Year twice and was well known for his weekly column featuring the best performances from the surrounding area. Also, Mitchell area towns and athletes would get super excited when they saw Minder on their sidelines with his camera, in their press boxes, or at their scorers’ tables because they knew they were being featured in the Mitchell Daily Republic’s “Game of the Week.” Minder also served as the sports information director for the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference. He received the Ralph Macy Baseball Man of the Year award in 2009 and is a member of the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame and the South Dakota Umpires Hall of Fame. The press box at Cadwell Park in Mitchell is named in his honor.