SDCCTFCA Hall of Fame set to honor seven new inductees at state track meet
Seven coaches, including the charter induction class of assistant coaches, will be recognized during the South Dakota Cross Country and Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame induction ceremony in May.
The awards ceremony-presentation will take place on Saturday, May 27 prior to the announcement of team awards (approximately 1:30-2 p.m.) following the conclusion of the 2023 State High School. Track and Field Championships at Howard Wood Field.
Honorees include assistant coaches Scott Embry of Sioux Falls Lincoln, sprints and relays; Richard "Doc" Michel of Rapid City Stevens, distances and cross country; Bob Judson of Pierre, hurdles; Georgia Adolph of Flandreau, horizontal jumps; Jerry P. Miller of Sioux Falls Lincoln, vertical jumps; and Max Hawk of Yankton, throws.
Tom Freece Jr. of Spearfish is also being inducted as a head cross country coach.
Here some information on the inductees:
Scott Embry
The Blacks Hill State University graduate has spent the past 40 years in South Dakota, including 30 years at Lincoln. He began coaching track and field at Lincoln in 1996 and along with head coach Jim Jarovski, has helped bring the Patriots back to their past glory of the Rich Greeno years. Embry has coached two state meet MVPs and 30 champions in relays and individual events. He has received South Dakota High School Coaches Association (SDHSCA) Assistant Coach of the Year honors in 2013 (boys) and 2018 (girls), Sioux Falls Lincoln Assistant COTY awards in 2004, 2006, 2008, 2012 and 2016. He was named the SDCCTFCA Assistant COTY in 2018 and was a National High School Athletic Coaches Association (NHSACA) Girls Assistant COTY finalist in 2022.
Richard "Doc" Michel
The Nebraska native and Black Hills State graduate spent 47 years working with athletes at Rapid City Stevens high school as "sport trainer" and assistant coach for cross country and track and field. During his tenure, Stevens' teams won 51 state championships. He received Coach of the Year honors from the NHSACA in 2017 and SDHSCA in 2001 (girls assistant), distinguished service awards from the South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA) and SDHSACA. Michel has been inducted into the NHSACA, SDHSCA, Stevens High School and SDCCTFCA halls of fame.
Bob Judson
The Custer High School and Huron College graduate began his teaching and coaching career at Sisseton High School in the fall of 1964 and also had stops in Huron and Pierre (twice) during a 50-year coaching career that concluded in 2014. He also coached football and boys basketball but spent all 50 years as a track coach, including state championship teams in 2006, 2007 and 2008. He coached 15 state champion hurdles and two state champion high jumpers. Judson has received numerous coaching honors is a member of the SDHSCA, South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association (SDBCA), Huron College Athletic, Pierre Riggs High School Athletic and Custer High School halls of fame.
Georgia Adolph
The Platte High School and South Dakota State graduate began her teaching and coaching career at Wessington Springs before eventually being hired at Flandreau, where she spent the next 31 years coaching a variety sports including track and field. She coached boys and girls specializing in the long, triple and high jumps and also helped with springs and relays, guiding several conference and region champions and two state champs. She received Girls Assistant COTY honors from the NHSACA and SDHSCA, SDHSCA Max Hawk Service Award and the SDHSAA Girls and Women In Sports Leadership Award. Adolph is also a member of the NHSACA, SDHSCA and Mike Entringer Scholarship Classic halls of fame.
Jerry Miller
The White Lake High School and Dakota Wesleyan graduate started his lengthy coaching career while in college in the early 1960s. His 42-year coaching career including stops at Chamberlain, Mitchell, Sioux Falls Lincoln, Sioux Falls Roosevelt and Waverly South Shore. From 1972-1990, he was the head football coach and also led the pole vaulters and high jumpers in track. Miller was involved in Lincoln state championship teams in 1972, 1976 and 1989 (boys) and 1974, 1976 and 1987 (girls). He has received numerous awards throughout his career as a coach and athletic director and the SDHSCA Distinguished Service Award is now named the Jerry P. Miller Award. He is a member of the NHSACA, SDHSCA, South Dakota High School Wrestling Coaches Association, South Dakota Football Coaches Association (SDFCA) and DWU and Lincoln and Roosevelt High School halls of fame.
Max Hawk
The Wessington Springs native and Northern State University began his teaching and coaching career at Scotland in 1957 and closed it with a 30-year stint at Yankton High School. He ended his 38-year football coaching career as the winning prep coach in state history (284-78-2) and also worked with discus and shot put throwers during his career as an assistant track coach. He worked with state championship Yankton teams in 1992, 1993 and 1996 (boys) and 1981, 1982, 1984 and 1985 (girls). Hawk was a founding father of the SDHSCA and served as the group's executive director for 40 years. He has previously been inducted into the Northern State University, SDHSCA, SDFCA, NHSACA and Yankton High School halls of fame.
Tom Freece Jr.
The Pennsylvania native and Dakota Wesleyan graduate opened his teaching and coaching career at Parkston. He also spent one year at Glenwood Springs (Co.) before closing out his career with a lengthy string at Spearfish, where he served as an assistant coach in girls basketball and track before taking over as the school's head cross country coach from 1985 through 1998. The Spartan cross country teams won 12 Black Hills Conference titles, a state A girls championship in 1991 and state boys titles in 1989 and 1992 (Class A) and 1988 (Class AA). He was named the SDHSCA Girls Cross Country COTY in 1991.
Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on Twitter @PO_Sports.
This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Group includes charter induction class of assistant coaches.
