The South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame is dedicated to the preservation, documentation and display of South Dakota's sports history.

2026 SD Sports Hall of Fame Class Announced

April 14, 2026 by

21 to be Inducted in SD Sports Hall of Fame on Sept. 13, 2026, in Sioux Falls

The South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame will be inducting 21 sports legends on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, at the Sioux Falls Convention Center. 

The banquet is a public event. All are invited to join us. Tickets will go on sale this summer.

The new inductees are: Taylor Baker, Mike Begeman, Howard Blumart (deceased), Frank Cutler, Julie (Krauth) Dearing, Laticia DeCory, Jim Dorman, Dan Freidel, Barry French (deceased), Jeff Fylling (deceased), Randi (Morgan) Haines, Mylo Jackson (deceased), Greg Jimmerson, Louis Koupal (deceased), Tim Miles, Mike Miller, Kent Mueller, John Papendick, Thelma (Austin) Smalley (deceased), Jim Sorensen, and Jason Sutherland.

With the 21 new inductees, the hall will have enshrined 418 women and men from every part of the state representing more than 30 sports. The South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1968 by the South Dakota Sportswriters Association. A group of unpaid volunteers from across the state now manages it.

Inductees are voted into the hall in four categories: as athletes, coaches, contributors (such as media, administrators and/or officials) and/or legends (deceased). 

To help preserve the hall and continue its mission, tax-free donations of any amount are always welcomed and appreciated. Send to:  

     SOUTH DAKOTA SPORTS HALL OF FAME
     PO Box 2077
     Sioux Falls, SD 57101


2026 Inductee Biographies


TAYLOR BAKER (Aug. 29, 1979-)
1998 Rapid City Stevens/2004 Kansas State graduate. Taylor Baker was perhaps South Dakota’s greatest high school gymnast with 13 state titles and leading Stevens to four team state championships. She captured a state record 13 individual titles in the balance beam (1994, 1996, 1997), floor exercise (1994 1995, 1998), uneven bars (1995), vault (1995, 1998), and all-around (1994, 1995, 1996 1998). An ankle injury in 1997 prevented her from any competition, except in the balance beam, at the State Meet. She rose to Stevens’ varsity teams as an eighth grader and competed in gymnastics as well as track at state meets for five straight years. Baker won three track and field state titles (two in triple jump and one in long jump), placed numerous times (several state runner-up finishes) and helped the RCS girls win three state team track titles in a row. She was a top 25 finisher in the national gymnastics meet twice. She was team MVP four times and the South Dakota and Rapid City female high school athlete of the year in 1998. Taylor was also inducted into the Stevens High School Hall of Fame.

MIKE BEGEMAN (June 25, 1957-)
1975 Parker/1979 Augustana graduate. One of the best shooting guards in SD high school history. A three-time all-stater who led Parker to a 70-10 record during those three years and to two State B runner-up finishes in 1973 and 1974. Scored 1,477 career points at Parker and played for legendary Coach Gayle Hoover.  As a 4-year letterman and part-time starter at Augie, he helped the Vikings win the North Central Conference title in 1978 and advance to two NCAA DII national tournaments. Was a 26-year high school boys’ basketball coach (329-212) who coached in all three of SD’s prep classes. Coached Sioux Falls O’Gorman girls’ tennis to four state titles, O’Gorman boys’ golf to two state titles and the O’Gorman boys’ basketball teams to state runner-up finishes in 1992, 1998, 2004 and 2005, qualifying for nine total state tourney appearances. Through his job at Sanford Health, Begeman continues to be a major supporter and contributor of high school and college athletics. Mike officiated girls' basketball for 20 years, worked 14 State AA tournaments and three state championship games.

HOWARD BLUMHARDT (Nov. 29, 1928-Aug. 20, 1992)
1946 Bowdle/1950 USD graduate. Blumhardt — “The Bowdle Blaster” — earned eight letters in three sports at USD in Football, Track, and Basketball, but it was on the football field where he made his biggest impact. He was a four-year starter as a bruising, pile-driving fullback. Some newspapers claimed many opponents would bounce off him when they tried tackling the 215-pound Blumhardt. He helped the Coyotes earn a share of the North Central Conference title in 1947 as a college sophomore when Blumhardt was only 18 years old and named an All-American. That season, Blumhardt was the only unanimous All-NCC selection. The Coyotes went 14-5-1 in 1947 and 1948 (beat SDSU 26-7 and 33-0 those two seasons). Blumhardt was named to a number of all-opponent teams during those two all-conference football seasons in which he scored a whopping 76 points in NCC play. Amos Alonzo Stagg, one of the most historic and influential figures in college football, wrote Howard a letter in 1947 stating he was one of the best fullbacks he had seen play that year. By the end of 1947, the major DI school (Bradley) in Peoria had seen enough of Blumhardt and the Coyotes. On Nov. 8, the USD’s football team traveled to Peoria and beat Bradley 20-13 (Blumhardt had one touchdown and most of the Coyotes 252 rushing yards). On Dec. 31, the U’s basketball team — of which Blumhardt was a member — went to Peoria to face undefeated (11-0) and No. 1-rated Bradley. The Coyotes won 54-51; Bradley went on to finish 28-3 that season. During his playing years he received numerous letters from legendary “Pro Football Hall of Fame" coaches like "Papa Bear” George Halas, founder and coach of the Chicago Bears, and Weeb Ewbank, coach of the Cleveland Browns who took the Jets the Super Bowl in 1969 with Joe Namath, each asking him to come play for their teams if he were to end his collegiate career. In 1949 and now a senior, injuries began to slow him down, but Curley Lambeau, co-founder of the Green Bay Packers and then Coach of the Chicago Cardinals notified him that he had been drafted in the 21st round of the 1950 NFL Draft. However, Blumhardt's patriotic call to duty was more motivating to him as an outstanding military ROTC student at USD. He accepted a commission as a 2nd Lieutenant in the US Army the summer 1950 after graduation from USD and left for the Korean War. He was severely wounded in action at the battle of Chosen Reservoir (Purple Heart recipient) that December.  Blumhardt went on to have a distinguished and decorated military career serving in the Army from 1950-76, with combat tours in Korea and Vietnam, retiring as a full Colonel. 

FRANK CUTLER (Sept. 21, 1960-) 
1978 Langford/1983 SDSU graduate. Claremont native. Was a four-year letter winner at SDSU in baseball. Was all-North Central Conference as a senior with one of the best all-time season batting averages (.443) in school and conference history. A multi-sport standout at Langford, Cutler was a two-time all-state football player, leading the Lions to the mythical nine-man state championship in 1976 as the No. 1-rated team. He also was an all-state basketball player and was a place-winner at the 1978 State A track meet in the long (second) and triple (third) jumps. Cutler took over the Platte boys’ basketball program in 1989-90 after six seasons as an assistant at Watertown. He retired at the end of the 2025 season, with a career record of 546-264 with 13 state tournament appearances and one State A title (2008) and two state runner-up finishes (2009 and 2014) and three third-place finishes in 36 seasons. At Platte-Geddes, he also was the junior high football coach for 34 years (40 overall) and the head boys’ and girls’ golf coach (2013-25) and the athletic director (2014-25). His boys’ golf teams finished as the State B runners-up four times (2015, 2018, 2019 and 2021) and Culter coached the 2021 State B champion Brody Boltjes. He has been named the SD Coach of the Year numerous times in various sports. Also has served as a girls’ basketball official. Cutler had a Hall-of-Fame amateur baseball career in South Dakota with 35 seasons (Claremont, Watertown, Platte and Parkston) and qualified for the state tourney 32 times. He was a career .400 hitter who played every position and who not only played on but managed Claremont’s two state championship teams in 1984 (Claremont was the state overall state champ as they beat Class A champion Aberdeen Wendy’s-Coke) and 1985. He also played on several South Dakota senior baseball teams at World Series tourneys, and helped the South Dakota Silver Bullets win a Series title in 1993. Frank also coached the 1983 Groton Teeners to a State B championship and the 2007 Platte Teeners to a State A Championship. 

JULIE (KRAUTH) DEARRING (May 4, 1971-)
Born in Tacoma, WA (lived there until moving to SD at age 6). 1989 Des Moines Roosevelt High School/1994 Augustana graduate. A South Dakota native from Lyons, Julie Krauth Dearring was a multi-sport high school star at Tri-Valley, Des Moines (Iowa) Roosevelt and Augustana. Two-time All-American who pitched Augustana to NCAA DII softball title in 1991. She was the national tournament MVP as the right-hander with a wicked change-up. She pitched every inning of all eight postseason games for the Vikings in 1991 and allowed only one earned run. She also scored the winning run in the national championship game. She finished that season 31-2 with a 0.33 ERA with 224 strikeouts and only 43 walks. She also batted .280 that season with nine doubles and six triples. As a senior, Krauth raised her average to .480 and was batting cleanup. Also was a standout basketball player at Augustana. She was named to the all-North Central Conference team twice. Scored 1,324 career points and set a school record for 3-pointers in a career (230). In high school, she started playing varsity basketball at Tri-Valley as an eighth grader and helped the Mustangs get to three state tournaments with two state runner-up finishes. She spent her junior and senior high school years at Des Moines Roosevelt High School where her father (Hall of Famer Dave Krauth) started teaching and coaching in 1987. At Roosevelt, she was a two-time all-state basketball player who led the school to its first state tournament, and she was a two-time all-state softball player as well. She got numerous DI softball offers, including from schools in Power Five conferences, but when her father got the Augustana women’s basketball coach job, the family moved back to South Dakota and Julie went along as she was attracted by the Vikings’ offer to play basketball as well as softball. As a youth in South Dakota, she helped make the Crooks Sluggers into a national fastpitch softball powerhouse, sometimes pitching as many as four or five games in a day. Julie is a special education teacher in the Twin Cities and has two daughters, Dailee and Devyn.


LATICIA “DONI” DECORY (June 13, 1971-)
1989 Pine Ridge/1994 Utah State graduate.  One of best all-around athletes to come out of talent-rich Pine Ridge Reservation. A three-time all-state basketball player who won three State A shot put titles. Set the girls’ shot put all-time state record. A four-year starter, DeCory established herself as an all-around player on the basketball court from the start. As a freshman in 1985, she helped Pine Ridge beat Rapid City Stevens 53-51 with 25 points and 15 rebounds. The following year as a sophomore, Pine Ridge beat RCS 77-59 behind DeCory’s 45 points and 15 rebounds. She was a three-time Lakota Nation Invitational most valuable player as she helped her Thorpes win four LNI titles in 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988. In 12 LNI games over four years, DeCory collected 278 points and 183 rebounds in helping Pine Ridge go 12-0. In 2017, DeCory was named to the 15-player all-time LNI team. Known, respected and double- and sometimes triple-teamed for her scoring, passing, rebounding and defense. Led Pine Ridge to 1987 and 1988 state tournaments. Injured in the fourth quarter and couldn’t continue as Pine Ridge lost 64-61 to Milbank in the 1988 State A Tournament semifinal. USA Today named DeCory as the state’s athlete of the year for girls in 1988-89. In 1989, she was named the first Coca-Cola Scholar for the state of South Dakota. Also played volleyball and was a cheerleader in high school. Also, an accomplished sprinter who qualified for the 200 meters at the state track meet. As a true freshman, Doni DeCory played in all 28 women’s basketball games for BYU in the 1989-90 season, and was considered her team’s best defender. Transferred and part of three Utah State conference-winning track teams. The Utah State track and field women won the 1993 Big West Conference (later the Western Athletic Conference) indoor and outdoor meets as well as the 1994 outdoor championship. At the 1994 conference outdoor championships, DeCory won the shot put for Utah State. She set conference and school shot put records. Won numerous academic awards at BYU and Utah State, and was the 1989 Pine Ridge High School valedictorian. Trained with the US Olympic track and field team as a heptathlete and contributed to the inaugural Indigenous nation handball development team. Inducted into prestigious North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024. Has a lifetime of serving as a role model and working with young people guiding them toward professional careers in a variety of fields.

JIM DORMAN (Sept. 22, 1952-)
Jim Dorman, a 1970 graduate of Castlewood High School and a 1975 graduate of South Dakota State University, has devoted more than four decades to education-based athletics as an athlete, coach, administrator and statewide leader. A four-sport standout at Castlewood, he was a three-time all-conference football player and a member of the school’s 1970 State B track championship team, anchoring the sprint medley relay. He continued his athletic career at South Dakota State University, where he earned two letters as a defensive back. Dorman began his career in education at Hamlin, where he served as a teacher, coach, and eventually athletic director. Over a 25-year coaching career, he contributed to numerous successful programs, including multiple state championship teams in football and track & field. His leadership extended to Madison High School, where he served as athletic director, activities director, and assistant principal, before moving to Sioux Falls Lincoln High School. At Lincoln, Dorman served as assistant principal in charge of activities for 11 years, overseeing one of the most successful athletic programs, highlighted by 24 state championships. Widely respected for his organizational skills and leadership, Dorman became one of the most influential figures in South Dakota athletics administration. He served as executive director of the South Dakota Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association for more than two decades, as well as executive director of the South Dakota High School Coaches Association and the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame. His leadership also extended nationally through significant involvement with the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, where he served on the NIAAA Board of Directors for three years, earned the organization’s Distinguished Service Award in 2015, and was later inducted into its Hall of Fame. Dorman’s contributions have been recognized with numerous honors, including South Dakota Athletic Director of the Year awards and national finalist recognition for Athletic Director of the Year. He is a member of multiple halls of fame, including the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, the South Dakota Interscholastic Athletic Administrators’ Association, the National High School Athletic Coaches Association, the South Dakota High School Coaches Association, and several South Dakota-based organizations. A Certified Master Athletic Administrator, Dorman’s career reflects a lifelong commitment to students, coaches, and the values of education-based athletics. His impact is evident not only in championships and honors, but in the generations of leaders and programs he has helped shape across South Dakota.

DAN FREIDEL (Dec. 14, 1962-)
1980 Armour/1984 Augustana graduate. Freidel was a four-year varsity performer in multiple sports and one of the centerpieces of Armour’ High School’s statewide dominance athletically in the 1970s and 1980s. At a time with no prep football playoffs, the running back/linebacker helped the Packers go 30-4 in his four years. He earned All-State and All-Conference football honors (1978, 1979, and 1980) and was also the Argus Elite 45 Team. On the basketball court, Freidel was again an all-stater who helped Armour go 97-3, win two undefeated state titles (1978, 1979) and finish as state runner-up in 1977. The team set a state record 64-game winning streak and Freidel was the only player to play in every game. The 1979 Armour/Beresford State Championship Game was voted “South Dakota Greatest Game of All Time”. In 1980 with fellow senior Dennis Tiefenthaler sidelined with a knee injury from football, Freidel averaged 21 points, eight rebounds, eight assists and four steals per game. Shooting 58 percent from the field and fighting injuries, the 5-foot-11 Freidel had to jump center (winning 70 percent of the tips) in leading the young Armour team to the region championship (loss to Stickney). He earned numerous basketball honors: All-State (1978, 1979 and 1980) Argus Elite 5 (1980), All-American (1980) and was a SD Mr. Basketball finalist (1980). He is also a member of the SD Basketball Hall of Fame. In track, the speedy Freidel helped Armour win two state titles (1978, 1979) and finish as state runners-up in 1977 and 1980. Freidel also shined on the baseball field as a third baseman where his team won both American Legion and VFW Teener state titles. Major colleges such as Brigham Young, Minnesota and others recruited Freidel, envisioning him as a successful major college cornerback. Also hot on his recruiting trail were the North Central Conference schools. Went to Augustana, where he was a four-year starter in basketball and football. He set a career assists and steals leader on the basketball court, and a team record for career interceptions (19) in football. He left the Vikings as third on the career assists’ chart with 482 and second on the career steals’ chart with 172. His Augie teams had many memorable seasons and wins, such as the Vikings’ 1982-83 basketball season (19-8). Plus, Augie beat SDSU in football three times in Dan’s four years on the Vikings’ team. In 1983, Freidel was named Male College Athlete of the Year by the South Dakota Sportswriters Association. An all-North Central Conference performer who earned tryouts in the CFL. Freidel is also a member of the Augustana College Hall of Fame for basketball and football.

BARRY ALDEN “BEAR” FRENCH (Feb. 12, 1922-March 16, 1990)
1940 SF Washington/1947 Purdue graduate. Born in Chamberlain. Served four years in WWII and returned to Purdue to get his degree while playing pro football and teaching at a vocational school. Injuries shortened the pro career of this versatile offensive and defensive lineman who played in 49 NFL games from 1947-52 with Baltimore Colts and Detroit Lions. Had 29 NFL starts. Could and did play all positions on NFL offensive and defensive lines as well as having two career kick returns on his pro resume. Missed the entire 1948 NFL season when fractured his left forearm in two spots during a pre-season scrimmage. Looked as if his career was over when the 240-pound Sioux Falls man broke his arm in the same spot in the 1949 training camp. However, with a development of a special pad by the team trainer and a remarkable attitude, French played the 1949 season after only a couple of weeks of being out.  An All-American at Purdue who was a three-year starter (1941, 1942 and 1946 — French was a WWII Army veteran from 1942-46). After Purdue’s 1941 spring football practices, French was voted most promising freshman on the team and was awarded an engraved gold watch. With 50 seconds left in the Purdue game on Oct. 10, 1942, at highly favored Northwestern, French broke through the Wildcat line to block Allen Pick’s game-tying PAT to preserve Purdue’s 7-6 win. As a Purdue senior in 1946, French won several honors including being named to some All-Opponents teams such as that from Ohio State. In high school, French was a multi-sport star and team captain who was the 1940 state shot put championship as he helped the SFW Warriors win four state team track titles and two football state titles while he was in high school. French is also unique because he was drafted into the NFL twice. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 1944 Draft (19th round, 194th overall) while he was still serving in the military, but French continued to serve. After the 1950 seasons with injuries mounting up, French decided to leave the NFL as an opportunity opened for him to serve as a player and line coach for Ottawa in the CFL. However, Pittsburgh drafted him in the fourth round (45th pick overall) and the Steelers traded him to the Lions for two players. He played the 1951 season with the Lions to end his NFL career. Later in life, ran a network of almost 400 bowling centers in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. 

JEFF FYLLING (Sept. 28, 1956-Feb. 5, 2026)
1974 Lennox/1978 Augustana graduate. For almost 50 years, Jeff Fylling painted pictures of Augustana football and basketball teams for radio audiences. Through his voice, he created some of the best sports images in state history. On Sept. 3, 1984, Fylling called his first game as the Voice of the Vikings’ football team as Augustana defeated Sioux Falls College 45-14. On Oct, 2, 2021, Fylling called his 400th Augustana football game (USF defeated Augie 28-26). By the end of the 2025 season, he had called 442 Vikings’ football games. Fylling became the voice of the Augie men’s basketball team in 1983, and he called more than 1,600 Vikings games during his career. He called the Vikings’ men’s national championship win in 2016 and called Vikings games against legendary college basketball programs such as Duke in iconic arenas. In his 42 seasons as the Voice of the Vikings, Fylling saw 34 NCAA tournament appearances between football, men's basketball and women's basketball and was on the call for the 2013 Women's Final Four team. He was also behind the microphone of more than 1,200 high school football and boys’/girls’ basketball games for KSOO and Results Radio in Sioux Falls from 1974-2012. That was a career of announcing almost 3,500 games on SD radio. Fylling worked in the banking and radio industry for more than 30 years before joining Sanford Health in 2012 until his retirement in 2021 as an executive who dealt with its sports medicine and the health group’s deep connection to athletics worldwide. Fylling was a Heisman Trophy voter from 1991-2026, on the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame Board from 1990-2026 and emceed the SDSHOF’s annual banquet from 2002-2025. He played basketball, baseball and golf and ran cross country in high school and played golf at Augie. He managed baseball teams in Lennox, Legion (eight years, one state tourney appearance) and amateur (15 years, nine state tourney appearances, one state runner-up finish). He is a member of the Augie Hall of Fame and was named an Augustana distinguished alumni in 2015. Fylling also is a past winner of the prestigious North Central Conference Kolpack Media Award.

RANDI (MORGAN) HAINES (Jan. 1, 1982-)
2000 Mitchell/2004 Dakota Wesleyan graduate. One of SD’s greatest all-time basketball players from a basketball family that holds a Guinness Book of World Record as a single family to score over 10,000 points for a single college, for which she was featured in Sports Illustrated’s "Faces in the Crowd". Six of Carol & Bill Morgan’s eight children — Wes, Scott, Ronda, Robin, Raven and Randi —played for the Tigers. Randi Morgan was a three-time NAIA Division II All-American in women’s basketball and a four-time all-Great Plains Athletic Conference first-team selection. She was the NAIA Division II player of the year in 2002. That season, she led DWU to wins over Northern State, Augustana and the University of South Dakota. She ended her career as the second-leading scorer in South Dakota collegiate history with 2,557 points and the leading rebounder with 1,544. She set 21 DWU records and led the Tigers to a four-year record of 100-41. She led the Tigers to third place at the NAIA national tourney in 2002 and second place in 2003. Her DWU college basketball jersey was retired in 2015. Randi also played professionally in Europe for a short time. For the Kernels, Morgan was four-time all-Eastern South Dakota Conference, a two-time all-state and a three-time all-tournament team selection at state. At the time of her graduation, she was Mitchell’s leader in points, rebounds and blocked shots. Along with brother Scott, Randi is a member of the NAIA, Mitchell High School and DWU Halls of Fame, and now the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame. Randi and her husband, Wyatt, reside in Hartford, SD with their five children, Walker, Wakely, Wheeler, Warren and Willow. 

MYLO JACKSON (Aug. 31, 1910-May 16, 2001)
1929 Ardmore (Fall River County, SD) High School/1934 Northern State graduate. Won seven state titles and eight Eastern South Dakota Conference titles in coaching three sports at Aberdeen Central (head track coach for three seasons, head football coach for 18 seasons and head boys’ basketball coach for 13 seasons). His boys’ track teams were the state runners-up in 1943 and the 1944 state champions. His 1942 Central football team (first year as head coach) won the ESD and mythical state titles and his 1943, 1946 and 1948 football teams also won state titles. His basketball teams won state titles in 1949 and 1953, were state runners-up in 1955 and qualified for the state tourney 11 times in his 13 seasons. Jackson was known for meshing old-school and new-school ways. In March 1952, he and his Aberdeen Central basketball team was making its way to Mitchell for the state tourney when a SD blizzard hit. They had to stop in Huron, whose hotel rooms were full. The team slept on Army cots in the Marvin Hughitt Hotel dining room. The team bus followed a snow plow the next day to Mitchell where they arrived minutes before tip-off. Aberdeen wowed the crowd in their shiny blue and gold, full-length batman capes (Golden Eagle on extended back collar, “Aberdeen” and players’ number on back of cape), warmed up a couple of minutes and beat well-rested Mitchell 43-41 in the first-round (Mitchell had beaten Aberdeen twice during regular season). His teams also practiced on baskets with inserts that made the rims smaller. Jackson was a former president of the SD Coaches Association. Served as Aberdeen’s athletic director from 1946-62. Two-year, three-sport (football, basketball and track) standout at Spearfish Teachers College (now Black Hills State) where he quarterbacked the Yellow Jackets to two conference titles. Transferred to Northern for his last two years, playing football and basketball. On Jan. 27, 1934, in Aberdeen, Jackson led the Wolves to a 47-27 win over his former Spearfish basketball teammates, the Yellow Jackets sixth loss in six nights on the road. Jackson began his coaching and teaching career in Vale in 1934 for two years and then at Gettysburg for two years. He moved to Aberdeen as a teacher and assistant coach in 1938. Born in Sholes, NE; died in Coronado CA. Moved from Nebraska to rural Ardmore ranch when he was 9 in 1919 with his family (which included Mylo’s twin brother Waldo). Retired in 1976 as a math teacher in California (left Aberdeen for there in 1963). Member of Black Hills State Hall of Fame.

GREG JIMMERSON (Feb. 1, 1975-)
1993 Rapid City Stevens/1998 Stanford graduate. Led Stanford to its first NCAA national championship in cross country in 1996, finishing as the top American runner with a fourth-place showing. A three-time cross country All-American, who earned the Stanford Athletic Department’s prestigious all-sport Most Competitive Athlete Award as a senior. He earned a spot in the 1994 World Junior Cross Country Championships and finished 50th (top American finisher). Also was a track standout for Stanford who won junior national track titles in the 5,000 and 10,000 in 1995. Trained with the Nike Farm Team after college, placing 11th in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials. In 2001, he helped the United States earn the bronze medal at the 12K Cross Country World Championships. He also competed at the 2004 Olympic Trials, running both the marathon and the 10,000m, placing 12th in the 10,000 finals. He owns personal bests of 13:38.16 in the 5K, 28:40.25 in the 10K and 2:16:27 in the marathon. In high school, he was a three-time cross country champ (1990-92) who led Stevens to state team runner-up finishes in 1990 and 1991. Jimmerson finished second in the 1992 high school cross country national meet iin San Diego. In track, he was a two-time 3,200 state champ who set a state record (9:04.10) in that event in 1993.

LOUIS LADDIE “LOU” KOUPAL (Dec. 19, 1898- Dec. 8, 1961)
Born in Tabor where he graduated in 1915 from the South Dakota small farming town’s St. Wenceslaus Catholic Parochial High School. Attended Columbus College in Chamberlain from 1915-17 where he was a multi-sport standout. Played 19 seasons of professional baseball with stints in the Majors with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Brooklyn Dodgers, Philadelphia Phillies and St. Louis Browns. Had a wicked curveball but lacked control at times. Appeared in 101 MLB games over seven seasons, pitching 335 innings with 87 strikeouts. Best seasons were 1928 with Brooklyn with a 2.41 earned run average and 1929 (Brooklyn, then traded to Philadelphia) when he finished third in MLB with six saves. The 1929 Brooklyn team that Koupal played on had five future MLB hall of famers. During and after high school, Koupal pitched for the Tabor Bluebirds and was said to have rarely lost a game. Got his pro baseball break when he was asked to pitch in an exhibition game on Oct. 18, 1922, vs. Hall of Famer Babe Ruth of the NY Yankees. Koupal homered off Ruth, but did not allow Ruth to homer. Koupal also struck out Hall of Famer “Joltin’ Joe” DiMaggio three times in a game. Soon after, scouts signed Koupal to the Hastings Cubs of the Nebraska State League. Had two seasons of 20 wins or more in the minor leagues. Koupal appeared in the 1935 Warner Brothers movie “Alibi Ike” as a professional baseball player.

TIM MILES (Aug. 20, 1966-) 
A proud native of Doland and South Dakota, Tim Miles has built one of the most respected coaching careers in college basketball, defined by program building, player development, and sustained success across every level of the sport. Now the head coach at San José State University, Miles continues to elevate programs using the same blueprint that has guided his career for more than two decades. Since taking over the Spartans in 2021, he has led the program to historic milestones, including a 21-win season in 2022-23 — the school’s most in over 40 years — along with its first Mountain West Conference Player of the Year (Omari Moore) and a postseason victory. His leadership earned Mountain West Coach of the Year honors and finalist recognition for the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award. Under Miles, San José State has returned to national relevance, including an NIT appearance in 2025, just the second in program history. Miles’ career is defined by transformation. He is the only active coach to lead teams to postseason play at the NAIA, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division I levels, a testament to his adaptability and sustained impact. His rise began at Mayville State, where he revitalized a struggling NAIA program and captured consecutive conference titles and was the NDCAC Coach of the year. At Southwest Minnesota State, he engineered one of Division II’s most dramatic turnarounds, leading the Mustangs to a 28-win season, conference championship, and NCAA II Elite Eight appearance in 2001, while earning conference and regional Coach of the Year honors. At North Dakota State, Miles guided the Bison through their transition to Division I, laying a foundation for long-term success and earning national attention with wins over ranked opponents. He continued that momentum at Colorado State, transforming the Rams into a Mountain West contender and leading them to a 20-win season and NCAA Tournament appearance in 2012.  Along the way, Miles was named USBWA District VIII Coach of the Year and even earned an Emmy Award for the reality television show Reaching the Peak, which followed the team. Miles reached the national stage at the University of Nebraska, where he led the Cornhuskers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 16 years in 2014. That season, Nebraska surged from a last-place preseason projection to a fourth-place finish in the Big Ten, earning Miles both the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award and Big Ten Coach of the Year honors. He later guided Nebraska to a 22-win season in 2017-18, one of the most successful in program history. Throughout his career, Miles has developed high-level talent, coached numerous All-Americans, all-conference players, and emphasized academic excellence, producing Academic All-Americans and conference honorees. His teams are known for toughness, discipline, and an entertaining style of play. He has also been instrumental in developing coaches nationwide, with a coaching tree that includes 12 Division I head coaches and many others now serving in coaching roles across all levels of the game. Miles began his coaching career at Northern State University after earning his bachelor’s degree from the University of Mary and a master’s degree from Northern State. He has been inducted into multiple halls of fame, including those at the University of Mary, Northern State, Mayville State, Southwest Minnesota State and continues to represent his home state with distinction on the national stage. He is the father of two children. His daughter, Ava, is a graduate of San José State and earned a postgraduate degree in Sports Law and Business from Arizona State. His son, Gabe, attends North Dakota State University, where he competes on the track team and is majoring in finance. Through every stop, Tim Miles has demonstrated that lasting success is built on vision, resilience, and the ability to inspire others.

MIKE MILLER (Feb. 19, 1980-)
1998 Mitchell High School graduate/University of Florida. One of the most highly recruited prep basketball players in South Dakota history. He led Florida in scoring (12.3 points a game) as a freshman and to a Division I championship runner-up finish as a sophomore All-American. A 6-foot-8 wing player with great shooting range as well as ball handling and passing skills, he was a No. 1 draft choice of the Orlando Magic and earned NBA Rookie of the Year. He was the NBA Sixth Man of the Year in 2006. Miller played 17 seasons in the NBA (2000-17) for Orlando, Memphis (twice), Minnesota, Washington, Miami, Cleveland and Denver. Miller helped Miami win two NBA titles, helping the Heat seal the 2012 championship with 23 points (seven of eight three-pointers) in the final game. Miller appeared in 1,126 NBA games (591 starts), including 94 playoff game appearances. He scored 11,437 points. His career three-point percentage of .407 (1,687 three-pointers) ranked 22nd in NBA history at the time of his retirement. At Mitchell, he became the first South Dakotan to play in the McDonald's High School All-American Game. Miller averaged 27.7 points, 9.5 rebounds and 2.9 blocked shots a game his senior season. The three-time all-stater led Mitchell to state titles in 1996 and 1997. In 2018, Miller joined the staff at the University of Memphis under first-year head coach Anfernee "Penny" Hardaway. In 2020, Miller left Memphis to coach his sons at Houston High School in Memphis, where his team won the 2021 Tennessee Class AA state title. He is now a successful business owner and sports agent.

KENT MUELLER (Aug. 1, 1958-)
1976 Freeman/Dakota Wesleyan/1985 USD graduate. Wherever he went in life, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound Mueller made an impression, a difference and history as an athlete, teacher and coach. He recently made a state record 17th high school football state championship appearance in 2025 as an assistant coach for champion Freeman/Marion/Freeman Academy. Mueller’s teams have won 14 of those championship games. Mueller and Jim Uttecht constructed a dynasty at West Central, trading the head and top assistant coaching positions to lead the Trojans to 12 state titles and three state runner-up finishes. As an assistant coach, Mueller also helped Sioux Falls O’Gorman win a state football title in 1988. Mueller also coached West Central to a 49-1 boys’ basketball record with two state titles in 2000 and 2001 with his son Josh as the star of the team. Mueller also coached West Central to State A runner-up basketball finishes in 1999 and 1994. Mueller is one of only four (Bill Marquardt, Paul Raasch and Marv McCune) in state history to win state football and basketball titles as a head coach, and the only one to win multiple state titles in both sports. Mueller also was a long-time coach of the nationally dominant Dakota Schoolers AAU boys’ basketball team, helping players from across the state parlay their high school efforts into college scholarships. One of the greatest multi-sport athletes in Freeman High School and state history, Mueller led the Flyers to the 1975 State B basketball title and an undefeated season, and to third place in the 1976 State B. Mueller was a football star (two-way starter) at DWU where he helped the Tigers win their first-ever South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference championship in 1976. He retired from teaching and coaching in 2019, but returning home to Freeman led him to become the girls’ basketball assistant coach in 2022 and a football assistant in 2023.

JOHN PAPENDICK (March 2, 1960-)
1978 Bridgewater/1984 SDSU graduate. Life-long SD sports journalist/historian who wrote his first newspaper story in 1975. Aberdeen and Mitchell sports departments he led always took a statewide approach to its coverage. Three-time SD Sportswriter of the Year, Heisman Trophy voter, Distinguished SDSU Alumni, SD Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, SDHSAA Distinguished Service, and more than 100 state, regional, national and international journalism awards. His stories have been published (more than 20,000 editions) in newspapers and websites across the nation and he contributed to numerous books and a movie. Interviewed some of the biggest names in the history of SD athletics as well as many legends such as John Wooden, Pete Rose and Pat Summitt. In early 2000s, he started one of nation’s first sports’ podcasts featuring SD athletes and guests like Nebraska’s Tom Osborne. For three decades, led his Aberdeen News teammates in creating awarding-winning historical special sections of the histories of NSU football; NSU men’s/women’s basketball; SD prep track and 125-year athletic history of the Aberdeen area among many others. In 2002, his paper published a 64-page history of SD prep state championships for all boys’/girls’ sports featuring stories and detailed analysis. It was a project Papendick had been working on and planning for decades. Has done extensive radio work as well as accomplished photojournalist and videographer and social media content creator. Researched, created and continued numerous lists of SD sports records/events that are still in use today. Went from typewriters to the digital/social media age. Started at SD weekly newspapers in Salem and Bridgewater. Four-sport prep athlete whose college football career at Dakota State cut short due to injury (three operations in five months). Biographer for SD Sports Hall of Fame. Credits wife of 40 years, Janene, as the source of many of his inspirations.

THELMA (AUSTIN) SMALLEY (Jan. 1, 1909-Sept. 8, 2006)
1926 Wagner graduate. One of South Dakota’s first and brightest high school girls’ basketball stars. Thelma Austin was the star player in three consecutive girls’ basketball state tournaments. In 1924 as a sophomore, she scored 83 points in five state tournament games (there were 24 teams at Mitchell) with a high game of 28 points. She led Lake Andes to the championship game that was won by Java 20-17. In 1925, Thelma Austin as a 15-year-old junior led Lake Andes to the state title over 17 other teams from across the state as Lake Andes defeated Flandreau 28-10 (Thelma scored 24). In Lake Andes four tournament games, Thelma Austin and her sister May scored all of Lake Andes’ 105 points (Thelma scored 78 and her sister May scored 27). Thelma led Lake Andes to a 16-0 season in 1925, and her team outscored their opponents 516-121. In 1926 as a senior, Thelma and her family had moved to Wagner. Thelma scored the winning basket in overtime as Wagner defeated Howard 22-20 in the 1926 state championship game in front of 2,000 fans at the Mitchell Corn Palace. Austin scored 18 of Wagner’s 22 points in the championship game and 15 of Wagner’s 23 in its semifinal win (23-14) over Lake Andes. In the three state tournaments, Thelma scored more than 200 points and was named a first-team all-stater all three years. In 1980, (Austin) Smalley flew from her home in Everett, WA, (where she led her family to develop a chain of successful clothing stores) to Huron to be honored at the girls’ basketball State B tournament.

JIM SORENSEN (July 18, 1944-)
1962 Sioux Falls Washington/1966 Augustana graduate. While he may be known as the long-time Beresford basketball coach, Sorensen was also one of the most successful prep golf coaches in state history. A four-time SD golf coach of the year, he was the 2012 national prep golf coach of the year. His girls’ teams won eight state titles (1978-80, 1989, 1995, 1997 and 2001-02) and were state runners-up six times (1977, 1981-82, 1990, 1994 and 1996). His boys were state golf champs four times (1979, 1984-85 and 2003) and state runners-up five times (1978, 1980-81, 2000 and 2005). Combined, his teams won more than 325 golf duals/tourneys, 23 conference titles, 28 region titles and had 33 top five state finishes over his 41-year career. Sorensen spent all but two of his years as an educator and coach at Beresford (1966-67 at Franklin, MN, and 1970-71 at Tri-Valley). Over Sorensen’s career, his boys’ basketball teams went 494-329 in 38 seasons with three state runner-up finishes (1979, 1980 and 1986), five regional titles, 11 district titles and eight conference titles. The Watchdogs had 27 winning seasons under Sorensen. Beresford has honored Sorensen by naming its basketball floor “Jim Sorensen Court”. He won numerous awards not only as a head coach, but as a girls’ basketball assistant coach as well. He is in several halls of fame: National High School Coaches, SD High School Coaches, SD Basketball Coaches, and SD Golf Coaches. He was an inaugural member of the Watchdog (Beresford School District) Hall of Fame. He also won Augustana’s prestigious Ole Odney award and the SD High School Activities Association Distinguished Service award. Sorensen earned six letters at Augie (three each in basketball and golf). In high school, Sorensen helped Washington to the 1962 State A basketball runner-up finish and the 1962 golf state championship. 

JASON SUTHERLAND (Feb. 14, 1974-)
1993 Watertown/1997 Missouri graduate. One of the most gifted, versatile athletes in state history. All-state football and basketball player at Watertown, where the 6-foot-1 Sutherland high jumped 7 feet, 1 inch to win a State AA track title. He cleared 7 feet at two other meets that season. Went on to play Division I basketball and then professional basketball overseas before becoming a semi-pro football star. At Watertown, Sutherland was first-team all-state in basketball and football in 1992 and ’93, and was the state high jump champion in 1991 and ’92. He also set school records in the pole vault. Led Watertown to the state basketball title as a junior and a state runner-up finish as a senior by averaging 29.5 points a game. He scored 1,899 points in his prep career. Named to the 1992-93 Converse High School All-American Team and was invited to play in several national prep all-star games. Named SD Boys’ Athlete of the Year and SD Mr. Basketball in 1993. At Missouri, he was all-Big Eight who helped Tigers go 82-45 (including four wins over rival Kansas) from 1993-97 with three NCAA Tournament appearances and winning the 1994 Big Eight title (14-0). Scored 1,194 career points and finished his career among the top three in Missouri history in multiple categories including free throw percentage (85 percent) and three-pointers made (190). He made seven three-pointers in a game twice (vs. Oklahoma in 1996 and vs. Wake Forest in 1997). Played professionally in Italy and Germany, before an injury (torn ACL) ended his basketball career. In 2007 at age 34 — 15 years after his last high school football game, Sutherland started playing minor league football as quarterback for the Kansas Kaos. By the third game, he had won the starting job and was thriving.