South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame to welcome 23 new inductees in 2023

Twenty-three sports legends will be inducted into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame in 2023.

Eight of the inductees will be honored posthumously during an induction banquet scheduled for Sunday, Sept. 24 at the Sioux Falls Convention Center in the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center complex. Ticket information will be announced later.

The 2023 inductions will bring the total number of inductees to 356. There currently are almost 400 nominees for the Hall of Fame.

The South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame was started in 1968 by the South Dakota Sportswriters Association. The hall now is run by a committee of more than 30 volunteers from across South Dakota. Former long-time Sioux Falls Lincoln athletic director Jim Dorman of Sioux Falls is the group’s executive director.

The 15 living inductees include:

Scott "Boz" Bosanko

The 1977 Aberdeen Central and 1981 Northern State graduate was a 10th-round pick of the Dallas Mavericks in the 1981 NBA Draft. He ended his career as Northern's all-time scoring leader with 2,424 points and earned conference MVP and NAIA All-American honors as a senior in 1981, also being named the South Dakota Male College Athlete of the Year. A two-time Class A All-State honoree in high school, Bosanko led the Golden Eagles to a 23-1 record and their first state championship since 1961. He was chosen as a McDonald's All-American. Bosanko also played on teams that won 10 state amateur basketball championships, earning MVP honors three times.

Linda Collignon

The 1974 Oldham-Ramona and 1978 Dakota State took over Madison High School's gymnastics program in 1991-92. She led the Bulldogs to seven consecutive state Class A championships (starting in 1995). A member of that original championship team (Maridee Wiese) took over the program after Collignon retired in 2021 and helped the program go on to win a national record 16-straight state titles (1995-2010). She is a three-time South Dakota Gymnastics Coach of the Year honoree and a member of the S.D. High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Marlyn Goldhammer

The 1950 Wagner High School and 1958 Southern State in Springfield graduate was a teacher, coach and administrator for 21 years at Onida (Sully Buttes), Todd County and Irene before serving 23 years as the executive director of the South Dakota High School Activities Association. As SDHSAA executive director, Goldhammer oversaw many changes including post-season changes such as football playoffs, expansion of classes such as from two to three in basketball and the addition of sports such as volleyball. He is one of only nine South Dakotans to be inducted into the National Federation of State High School Associations Hall of Fame.

Chuck Iverson

A 1969 Vermillion High School and 1973 University of South Dakota graduate ranks as one of the best basketball players in Coyote history. Iverson holds every major rebounding record at USD 50 years after graduating, including game (36 vs. Nebraska-Kearney on Nov. 27, 1972), season (448), career (1,241), average season (17.2), and average career (11.9), Iverson was also a tremendous offensive threat with 1,536 points (still top 10 in USD history as of 2022). he was drafted by both the NBA's Seattle Supersonics and the ABA's Memphis Tams. In high school, he played basketball and football for three years and later spent four decades as a coach and administrator at Mount Marty College.

Clarence Kooistra

The 1959 Salem High School and 1967 Sioux Falls College graduate was one of the state's most successful high school football coaches, compiled a 221-77-2 record in 31 years (all but one at Garretson. He guided the Blue Dragons to four (two mythical, two playoff era) state titles, four runner-up finishes, 10 unbeaten seasons and 17 conference titles. Kooistra also was a basketball referee for 25 years.

Don "Lars' Larson

The 1971 Madison High School and 1976 South Dakota State graduate was a championship runner and unmatched track coach in the North Central Conference. As an All-American track and field athlete at SDSU, Larson won seven NCC championships in track & field. He set three conference records and still holds a share of the retired 600-yard indoor mark of 1:11.90 set in 1975. Larson coached the North Dakota State men’s indoor and outdoor track and field and cross country programs for 41 years before retiring in March 2020. His teams won 59 conference championships.

Jerry Miller

The 1959 White Lake High School and 1963 Dakota Wesleyan graduate, Miller was not only a triple threat in the classroom as a teacher, coach and administrator, he is a life-long South Dakota historian. He was affiliated with 16 South Dakota high schools and colleges during his more than five-decade career. He was a successful high school football coach at big (Sioux Falls Lincoln) and small (Montrose) schools alike. Miller helped establish girls’ athletics in South Dakota and helped the state start high school football playoffs. He has earned numerous state and national honors and has been inducted into several halls of fames.

Dave "Mydie" Mydland

The 1970 Sioux Falls Lincoln and 1974 South Dakota State graduate is one of the iron men of South Dakota baseball. He was an outstanding baseball player at SDSU and in the amateur ranks. Mydland helped SDSU earn a share of the North Central Conference title in 1973 and was drafted and signed by the Minnesota Twins in 1974. In his one and only season of pro ball, he hit .229 in 99 plate appearances in 31 games. Mydland spent nearly 50 summers playing amateur baseball in South Dakota and played on four state championship teams. He also coached and player for South Dakota teams that won Men's Senior Baseball World Championships in 1988 and 2008 in Arizona.

Terry Nielsen

The 1964 Sioux Falls Washington High School and 1968 South Dakota State graduate has been an important part of the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame since 1989 and was the linchpin who helped transition and keep the organization alive as it went from the South Dakota Sportswriters Association, which formed the group in 1968, to a statewide committee of people who love sports. Nielson was an accomplished tennis player at SDSU and won numerous city and state tennis titles after college. He has continued to serve tennis in many ways, including as a member of the board of directors for the Northwestern Tennis Association (USTA) in the 1980s and as an original organizer of the South Dakota Tennis Hall of Fame in 1991.

Mark Ovenden

The Boston native and 1977 University of Richmond (Va.) graduate, has been a sportscaster in the Sioux Falls and South Dakota market since Sept. 11, 1978. Ovenden worked for all three Sioux Falls TV markets KSFY, KELO and KDLT before becoming sports director of the newly-created Dakota News Now (KSFY and KDLT merged) in 2020. He also served as the radio play-by-play voice for USD and Augustana early in his career and has won the Tom Brokaw Award for Broadcaster of the Year in South Dakota, as well as numerous other awards. In addition to his TV work, he continues co-hosting the statewide, daily radio interview show, “Calling All Sports” that he helped create with partner Mike Henriksen on May 3, 2010.

Jim Schlekeway

The 1964 Britton High School and 1968 Northern State graduate won 501 boys basketball games as a high school coach (fifth best when he retired) and scored 3,764 points as a South Dakota high school and college player. Schlekeway a multi-sport star at NSU, where he earned 10 collegiate letters in basketball, football and track and Britton (12 letters). He coached basketball for 43 years at Mobridge, Todd County, Sioux Falls O'Gorman and Bloomington (Minn.) and became one of state’s all-time greatest amateur basketball players after college.

Bryan Schwartz

The 1990 Miller High School and 1994 Augustana graduate, Schwartz became the first NCAA Division II player ever nominated for the Dick Butkus Award, given to college football’s best linebacker. He was a second-round pick (64th overall) of the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 1995 NFL Draft. The 6-4, 251-pounder was the Jaguars’ leading tackler as a rookie. He was named to the NFL all-rookie team and set the Jaguars’ single-season record for tackles. His NFL career was cut short due to injury after five years, all at Jacksonville. At Augustana, he set school record for tackles in a season (128) and career (407).

Brad Seely

The 1974 Baltic High School and 1978 South Dakota State graduate was an All-State football player, all-conference basketball player and state track meet qualifier at Baltic and a two-time all-conference offensive lineman at SDSU. After a lengthy and successful college coaching career, Seely started a long career where he became one of the greatest special teams coaches in NFL history. He coached with eight NFL including New England Patriots' teams that won Super Bowls in 2001, 2003 and 2004.

Dawn Seiler

The 1979 McLaughlin High School and 1983 University of Mary graduate is one of the winning girls basketball coaches in history. Seiler retired from coaching with a 629-244 record in 37 seasons at Aberdeen Central (22 years) and McIntosh (15 years). Her teams made four state championship game appearances with two state titles (2016 and 2018 with Aberdeen Central) and 26 state tournament appearances (19 with AC, seven with McIntosh). She also became one of the first women in the state to coach boys basketball, coaching both McIntosh teams for several season. In 2018, she was selected as a head coach for the McDonald’s National High School All-American Game in Atlanta. Seiler retired from coaching in March of 2021 to become the athletic director job at Aberdeen Central.

Jeff Turning Heart

The 1980 Cheyenne-Eagle Butte and 1984 Adams State graduate, Turning Heart was one of South Dakota’s greatest distance runners in a state history full of them. Turning Heart was a two-time State A cross country champion (1978-79, he had better times than AA winners) with one runner-up finish and who helped CEB win a couple of team championships and runner-up finishes. In 1978, he won the Native American cross country national championship. In 1980, he was a high school All-American as his 1,600-meter time was the sixth fastest in the nation. In track, he was a state champion at 1,600 and 3,200 meters. Many of his state records are still among the best of all-time.

Here are the eight deceased inductees:

Don Baker

The 1950 Scotland High School and 1954 University of South Dakota at Springfield graduate was an assistant basketball and track coach at USD along with the freshman football coach when he died at age 40 (apparent heart attack). Baker came to USD in fall of 1973 and was preparing to take over the USD track program for retiring Dan Lennon. From 1965-73, Baker was the head track and cross country coach at USD-Springfield (aka Southern State) along with head basketball coach for three seasons. He started the cross country program at Springfield. He also coached and taught at Yankton from 1956-6 and was a well-respected basketball official and baseball umpire who donated a lot of time and effort to Special Olympics.

Gene Breemes

The 1944 Philip High School and 1950 Black Hills State graduate coached and taught at Hurley (1950-52), Beresford (1952-57), Rapid City Central (1957-69, assistant track and basketball) and Rapid City Stevens (1969-82). When RCS opened in 1969, Breemes was the school’s first cross country and track coach. In the 12 years before his untimely death in 1982, he was a three-time South Dakota coach of the year in three different sports. Breemes led the Raiders to 12 state championships, three runners-up finishes and 34 regional championships.

Harvey Hammrich

The 1954 Ipswich High School and 1959 South Dakota State graduate served as an athletic director for 38 of his 41 years in education (26 at Watertown, 1977-2003; 12 at Webster,1965-77; and three at Eureka, 1962-65). Hammrich also coached football, basketball and track at Eureka and football, wrestling and track at Webster. A tremendous high school and college athlete in multiple sports, he served as tournament director for more than 40 state tournaments in Watertown and won numerous state and national athletic director awards. He also was a college and high school official for many years.

Lien Marso

The 1951 Harrold High School graduate led Harrold to 33-2 record and 1951 State B basketball title (50-46 over Mobridge) as the Cardinals’ tallest player at 5-foot-11. At 170 pounds, Lien was all-state center known for his ferocious defense and shutting down centers much taller than he was as well as for his scoring and rebounding abilities. Harrold became the smallest high school (51 students, 25 boys with 23 of them out for basketball) to win the state tournament in state history. Lien later played baseball and basketball at SDSU before being drafted into the Army.

Dean Minder

Minder was a 1951 graduate of Wilmot High School and a 1955 Northern State graduate who contributed to the sports scene in the Mitchell area in many ways. Minder coached American Legion baseball and was a Legion and amateur baseball umpire for 25 years. He worked 15 state amateur baseball tournaments. He was the official scorer and announcer for basketball games at the Corn Palace for 20 years and served as a basketball official and track starter for the Corn Palace Relays for many years. Minder was also an accomplished sports writer and photographer who worked for the Mitchell Daily Republic for 37 years while teaching in the Mitchell School system. He was named the South Dakota Sportswriter of the Year twice.

Mattie Goff Newcombe

A life-long South Dakota rancher from Meade County who was educated at the Tepee Creek School and born in White Owl, Newcombe used her love of horses to become a pioneer for women in rodeo in the 1920s. She was a world champion trick rider on her horses Bob, Pal and Buster. Goff Newcombe could ride standing on her horse, underneath it, hanging upside down on the side of it. She also perfected the most dangerous of stunts — which killed other trick riders — called the back drag or suicide drag. When and wherever she performed, she drew large crowds and impressed President Calvin Coolidge with one of her performances at the Black Hills Roundup in 1927. She was a champion bronc rider, horse relay racer and equestrian rider as well.

Mike Roach

A1961 Rapid City Cathedral and 1966 SDSU graduate, Roach coached football for 42 years at the high school, college and professional levels. He coached at Rapid City Central, the University of South Dakota and Texas-El Paso before spending 28 years as an assistant coach in the Canadian Football League for 28 years. He coached for six different CFL teams and worked for four Grey Cup champions in 1987 (Edmonton), 1998 and 2001 (both Calgary) and 2006 (B.C. Lions).

Josef "Joe" Thorne

The 1958 Beresford High School and 1963 South Dakota State graduate led the jackrabbits to a share of the North Central Conference title as a senior in 1961. He earned NCC MVP honors and was named to the All-American team as a fullback. Thorne rushed for 2,156 yards in his career, scored 140 points and set several school records before being drafted in the 12th round of the 1962 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. Thorne died at age 24 as an U.S. Army First Lieutenant while piloting a helicopter that was shot down on during a combat assault mission that he volunteered for in Vietnam. Thorn was the first South Dakotan to die in the Vietnam War.

Follow Watertown Public Opinion sports reporter Roger Merriam on Twitter @PO_Sports.

This article originally appeared on Watertown Public Opinion: Induction banquet scheduled for Sept. 24 at Sioux Falls.