Jay Hennies - Inducted 2019

Jay Hennies graduated from Wagner High School and the University of South Dakota.

At Wagner, he was selected to the all-state basketball team two years and once in football. At USD, he played baseball and basketball for four years and was All-NCC in basketball his senior year. He played amateur baseball for 20 years.

Hennies coached 25 years at Vermillion High School and four years with the Women’s Basketball program at USD. He guided Vermillion to state boys’ basketball titles in 1988 and 1989. He coached the Vermillion girls’ tennis team to the 1973 state title. He coached track & field and football in a 32-year prep coaching career from 1966-98 (1 in Chicago, 6 at Platte and 25 at Vermillion). In 1989 he was selected as the Boys’ Basketball Coach of the Year by SDHSCA and the SD Sports Writers Coach of the Year.

Hennies was inducted into the USD Hall of Fame in 1986 and was selected to the South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Shrine in 2010.