McCune, Welke and Weismantel to be inducted into SDIAAA Hall of Fame

The three newest members to be inducted into the South Dakota Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Hall of Fame are Marv McCune of De Smet, Gary Weismantel of Herreid and Chuck Welke of Warner.

McCune and Welke are being inducted posthumously.

The induction ceremony will be held in conjunction with the Spring Athletic Director’s Conference Award Luncheon at the Pierre Ramkota Inn on Thursday, March 30 at noon.

To be chosen for this honor a person must have been an athletic director for 10 years and an active member in the SDIAAA. Candidates are considered through three criteria, national, state and local involvement. Individuals are chosen who have volunteered time to promote the belief and purpose of the SDIAAA and who have promoted the importance of athletics and sportsmanship within their school and community.

Marv McCune

Marv McCune was a 1972 graduate of DeSmet High School and a graduate of Huron College. In 1978, McCune returned to De Smet as a teacher and basketball, football and track and field coach. He led the Bulldogs to the 1981 state Class 11B football championship and to boys basketball state titles in 1987 and 1995 (Class B) and 1999 (Class A) and is one of only three South Dakota coaches to win both football and basketball titles.

McCune was inducted to the South Dakota High School Coaches, South Dakota High School Basketball Coaches and South Dakota Football Coaches Associations halls of fame. He served as SDHSCA President from 2001-2002 and was selected as 2013 SDIAAA Region AD of the Year and honored with a SDHSAA Distinguished Service Award and the John Wooden Legacy Award in 2021. He was a NIAAA member for 38 years and retired in 2020 after 42 years of service.

Gary Weismantel

Gary Weismantel is a 1972 graduate of Groton High School who earned a bachelor’s degree from Northern State College in 1976. He began his teaching career at Hamlin County in 1977 and taught in Page (Neb.) for the next two years where he began his coaching career.

Weismantel and his family moved to Herreid in 1980 and he continued teaching and coaching until his retirement in 2018. At various times, Weismantel served as head volleyball coach as well as an assistant coach for football, track and field, boys basketball and volleyball.

He was also a SDHSAA basketball and volleyball official. Weismantel served as athletic director for 15 years at Herreid. He was a member of the SDIAAA Executive Committee for 10 years, including president during the 2012-13 school year, and was honored as 2011-12 Region II Athletic Director of the Year.

Chuck Welke

Welke graduated from Redfield High School in 1971 and from Northern State University. After two years as a teacher, football, basketball and track coach and athletic director at Harrold, Welke accepted a position with similar coaching duties at Warner in 1977.

Eventually, Welke focused on basketball — coaching boys for 29 years and girls for four as well as football and track during a 33-year career. His basketball teams won state B championships in 1993 and 1994 and finished second in 1992 and 1996.

Welke was inducted to both the SDBCA and SDHSCA Halls of Fame. In 2005, he retired from coaching to become the middle and high school principal. He also served as athletics director for 18 years and as a member of the SDIAAA Hall of Fame Committee. His honors include 1993 Boys Basketball and NFHS Region Coach of the Year as well as Region Athletic Director of the Year.

Welke also served in the South Dakota Senate.

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Induction scheduled for Thursday, March 30 at Pierre.