Fred Ecoffey - Inducted 2024

Fred Ecoffey, a Pine Ridge Reservation native who graduated from a government high school and attended Southern State Teachers College in Springfield, is hailed as perhaps the greatest horseman in Lakota Country, a region renowned for its horsemen. From a ranch near Wounded Knee, his racing career as a jockey began at age 20, per his father Frank “Posey” Ecoffey’s wishes. In 1957, he debuted with a win on Baby Sweeper, starting a remarkable journey. Standing 5’5” and weighing 112 pounds, Ecoffey competed in 17,522 races, winning 2,683 and earning $11,495,853. He focused mainly on Nebraska tracks and the state’s Thoroughbred Circuit, finishing in the top three in 42% of his races.

Ecoffey raced until age 46 in 1984, winning numerous season titles at tracks across Nebraska, including Lincoln and Omaha. Notably, on August 5, 1968, he won six out of seven races at the Lincoln Fairgrounds. He is Nebraska’s winningest jockey and a member of the state’s Racing Hall of Fame. Known for his respect and likability among fans, owners, trainers, officials, and fellow jockeys, he transitioned to roles as a track official, clocker, clerk of scales, and paddock judge after retiring from riding.

Despite his busy racing schedule from March to November, Ecoffey always returned to the four-bedroom home he built on his 40-acre farm along Wounded Knee Creek. There, he and his wife raised their four children. Ecoffey’s great-grandmother was the sister of the famed Lakota chief Red Cloud.