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2210 W. Pentagon Place • Sioux Falls, SD 57107(605) 467-3010 • www.sdbbhof.com

2014 Fall Newsletter

With a vision toward a granderfuture, the South Dakota HighSchool Basketball Hall of Famemoved into the Sanford Pentagonin fall 2013.

The Pentagon is a glitteringbasketball showcase. It serves asthe centerpiece of the SanfordSports Complex in northwest SiouxFalls. The Pentagon features theacclaimed Heritage Court, whichhas a seating capacity of 3,100 andis a throwback to gymnasiums ofthe 1950s.

The Hall of Fame is locatedinside the Pentagon on the firstfloor near the main entrance.Exhibits are encased in securedisplay units. Additionalmemorabilia is being accessed forplacement in second floor corridorsas well as in the Hall of Famemeeting room.

“The Pentagon offers a greatvenue for the Hall of Fame,” saysexecutive director Dave Wagner.“We are excited about ourpartnership with the Pentagon andlook forward to the future growthof our organization.”

A tour of the Hall of Fame allowsvisitors to relive some of the mostcherished moments in the history ofSouth Dakota high schoolbasketball. Available for inspectionare a myriad of items thatdocument the state’s greatestteams, players, coaches, officialsand games.

“We are very pleased with thelarge number of people who havealready visited us at the Pentagon.We have been greatly encouragedby their positive response,” saysWagner. “It is our hope that visitorscome away with a clearerunderstanding of the historicalsignificance that basketball holds inSouth Dakota.”

In its most basic form, the Hall ofFame’s mission is to chronicle andpreserve the finest elements ofSouth Dakota basketball for futuregenerations to experience andenjoy. The Hall of Fame pays tributeto the state’s greatest players andmost endearing basketballtraditions. It provides an ongoinghistorical narrative.

“Residents of each community inour state, from the largest city to thesmallest town, have fond memoriesof basketball players and teamsfrom the past. It is important thatthose memories never be allowed tofade away,” says Wagner.

“We hope that the Hall of Famewill serve as a means, both now andinto the future, to sustain thosememories and even enrich them.Members of our board of directorsare working very hard to ensurethat happens.”

The first class of inductees waswelcomed into the Hall of Fame in2010. Since then four more classes

have been inducted. There are now82 former standout playersenshrined in the Hall of Fame. Theinductees are among the mostrecognizable names in the historyof South Dakota basketball. Theycome from Belle Fourche toBrookings, Aberdeen to Avon, PineRidge to Parkston, and all areas inbetween.

With its move to the Pentagon,the Hall of Fame has attainedgreater visibility and has becomemore accessible to the manypeople who share an appreciationof South Dakota basketball.

Please visit the Hall of Fame andfind out what a special place it is.The Pentagon is located one-halfmile east of Interstate 29 andBenson Road. It is open from 8 a.m.until 5 p.m. on Monday throughFriday. For additional informationor to schedule a tour of the Hall ofFame call Wagner at (605) 467-3010 or Hall of Fame president BobSwanhorst at (605) 321-0521.

Experience Basketball History at Hall of Fame

Sanford PhotoThe modern design of the 160,000 square-foot Sanford Pentagon makes it a distinctive destination.

2014 Fall Newsletter •

This is the second in a series ofstories researched and written byTerry Slattery for the South DakotaHigh School Basketball Hall ofFame newsletter. An additionalinstallment will appear in the spring2015 newsletter.

By Terry Slattery

In 1895, just five years after themassacre at near-by Wounded KneeCreek, and three years after Dr.Naismith published his “rules forbasketball”, the Jesuit CatholicPriests built the first basketball courtat St. Francis Indian Mission. Somedescribed it as “open air with a dirtfloor”, while another said it was “outdoors with one hoop nailed to thefirst building erected at the missionand the other on a telegraph pole”.That was four years before SouthDakota became a State.

The head start given to the Indianboys served them well. Theyorganized club or independentteams of all ages until the HighSchool was built and certified in1921. From the start the schoolteams were thought by many to beSouth Dakota’s finest, but becausethey were not a public school theywere not invited to play in statecompetitions.

As Chicago University hosted anational high school basketballtournament for public schools,Loyola University did the same forCatholic schools from 1924 to 1941.St. Francis participated in thattournament 13 times beginning in1926, nine times by invitation andfour more as State Catholic Champs.With 32 teams competing from allover the country, the ScarletWarriors fared well each year,making the semi-finals five timesand finishing second to CentralCatholic of Ft. Wayne, IN, in the very

last tournament in 1941.During that period other Catholic

high schools were opening, led bySioux Falls Cathedral, Mitchell NotreDame and Rapid City Cathedral.Soon following were smaller townsof Dell Rapids, Grenville, Howard,Lead, Madison, Salem and Sturgis,and three more Indian Missionteams, Holy Rosary, Marty andStephan.

Father Bernard Weber of SalemSt. Mary’s and Father E.J. Egan ofMadison St. Thomas organized andsponsored the first State CatholicTournament in 1937, an eight teamaffair held at the public school gymin Salem. St. Francis won that one,and the next three, held at Salem,Madison and Mitchell, respectively.

At Mitchell in 1940, Holy Rosarywas only in its third year of highschool and their team of mostlysophomores and juniors gave St.Francis a scare before settling forsecond place. The next year withthe tournament back in Salem andfeaturing 12 teams for the first time,Holy Rosary won the final over St.Francis 25-24. They were bothinvited to the national tournamentin Chicago where St. Francisfinished second and Holy Rosarythird. In 1942, Holy Rosary againtopped St. Francis in the state finalsby a score of 27-26 with thetournament held in Madison.

Due to World War II there wasno tournament in 1943, and in 1944only seven teams participated in ashortened event won by SiouxFalls. From 1945 through 1964 thetournament featured 12 teamsplaying in a three day affair. Thefirst four teams drawn from the hatwere given byes into the secondround, making for two days of fourchampionship games, with thesemi-finals on the third afternoonand the finals that evening. In 1947

and 1954 the tournament was heldat Rapid City, and at Aberdeen in1949. All the rest were at the CornPalace in Mitchell or the Coliseum inSioux Falls.

The tournaments flourished withpacked houses for most all of thechampionship rounds and verygood numbers for the consolationgames. The tournaments werebacked by local merchants as well.The “Official Program” from the1955 tourney held in Mitchell was a65 page booklet that sold for fivecents a copy at the games.

A game between two of theIndian teams, or one of the bettersmall schools going against SiouxFalls Cathedral, meant a packedhouse every time. Those Cathedralgames were always the noisiest,with most of the small school fansbanding together in a kind of “Davidvs. Goliath” mentality.

Basketball was king in SouthDakota, and that was especially truefor the Catholic Schools because forsome it was their only sport. Thebasketball coaches were most oftenlocal men with little or no collegeexperience. They worked full timeat day jobs at Morrell’s, the railroads,the telephone company, insurancesales, local Jewelers, etc., and as faras I know were paid very little fortheir coaching services. EmilRedfish of St. Francis and BobClifford of Holy Rosary were themost notable and respected ofthese men, but all should be laudedfor their efforts.

The beginning of the end came inthe late 1950’s as modernization ofmining techniques in the west andfarming in the east meant fewerjobs. Farms were getting larger andfarm families, along with smalltowns, were shrinking. St. Patrick’sof Lead and St. Martin’s of Sturgis

Continued on Page 3

SOUTH DAKOTA BASKETBALL HISTORY 201

The Catholic High Schools


Continued from Page 2

were the first to close their highschools, followed by Howard,Mitchell and Salem.

St. Mary’s of Dell Rapids is stillopen and competing well in mostsports. The Cathedral schools ofSioux Falls and Rapid City closedand re-opened in new buildings asO’Gorman and St. Thomas More.The four Indian Mission schools arenow non-sectarian, operated by thegovernment with two namechanges: Holy Rosary is now RedCloud and Stephan is Crow Creek.

The last year for the tournamentwas 1964 at the Coliseum. Eleventeams participated with O’Gorman

winning the championship. DellRapids, Mitchell, Salem and St.Francis participated in all twenty-seven tournaments. St. Joseph’s ofGrenville in just the very first one.

Sioux Falls won the championshiptwelve times, followed by St. Franciswith five, Holy Rosary four, NotreDame and Marty twice, and Stephanand St. Agatha once. The 1956championship may be the mostremembered. That year the St.Agatha Agates of Howard were thechamps and their cross town rivalHoward High won the State “B” aweek later.

There were many very goodplayers participating in these

tournaments that did not get therecognition they deserved becausethey were not part of the HighSchool Athletic Association, and noteligible for all-state teams, except inthe very last few years of thetournament. I hesitate to mentionnames as the list would be long, butmust say I feel “Sunny” Jim Schmidtof St. Mary’s Dell Rapids 1938-41,ranked higher above his peers thanall the rest. I hope to tell you moreabout Jim in the future. Thank youfor your interest!

(Terry Slattery played at Salem St.

Mary’s High School and South Dakota

State University. He was inducted into

the Hall of Fame in 2011.)

The Catholic High Schools

Enduring tributes to two of thestate’s all-time greatest players willsoon be added to the South DakotaHigh School Basketball Hall of Fame.

Plaques at the Hall of Fame in theSanford Pentagon will recognizeKent Hyde and Mandy Koupal fortheir remarkable achievements.Both are mentioned prominently inthe National High School SportsRecord Book which is recognized asofficial by the National Federation ofState High School Associations.

As an Onida senior in 1954, the 6-foot-7 Hyde averaged 50.4 points

per game. That scoring average wasa national boys record for 17 yearsand still ranks fourth in history.

Hyde totaled 1,412 points in 28games that season for the Warriors.His high game was 66. Hyde wasinducted into the Hall of Fame in 2013.

The 6-1 Koupal starred at Wagnerwhere she became the mostaccurate field goal shooter in thehistory of girls basketball.

During her 1995-98 career Koupalshot 69.1 percent from the field,converting 758 of 1,097 attempts.That remains a national record.

Koupal also has the two highestsingle-season field goal percentagesin history. She shot 76.4 percent asa senior and 75.3 percent as a junior.Koupal was inducted into the Hall ofFame in 2014.

After their high school careers,Hyde and Koupal both became all-North Central Conference players.Hyde played at South Dakota StateUniversity. Koupal spent her firstseason at SDSU and her final threeat the University of South Dakota.

Hyde now lives in Little Rock,Ark., and Koupal in Wagner.

Tributes Planned for Record Holders

Dave Wagner, Executive Director

Bob Swanhorst, PresidentLaMoine Torgerson,

Vice PresidentLee Stoddard, TreasurerWayne Thue, Secretary

Randy JencksGreg HansenFrank BrostGordon FosnessMike BegemanRon FlynnDeb FinnesandBob Ehrke

Board of Directors To Contact UsExecutive DirectorDave WagnerSDBBHOF2210 W. Pentagon PlaceSioux Falls, SD 57107(605) [email protected]


By Greg Hansen

A trip toChicago provedto Sam Perrinand his HuronHigh Schoolteammates thatthey werecapable ofc o m p e t i n gagainst the verybest.

Huron edgedAberdeen 18-17 in the championshipgame of the 1927 state tournament.News reports stated that the gamedrew 4,800 fans to the Corn Palacein Mitchell. It was the largest crowdat that time ever to see a basketballgame in South Dakota.

Promise was evident at Hurontwo years earlier when Perrin,Harold Marquis, Percy Washabaughand Harold Crawford all madeimpressions as sophomores. Then asjuniors Perrin, Marquis andWashabaugh were named to the all-conference team in a Big Eight thatincluded Aberdeen, Brookings,Huron, Madison, Mitchell, Sioux Falls,Watertown and Yankton.

So it was no surprise when Huronfielded a talented team in 1927. Itsstate title earned Huron an invitationto the National InterscholasticBasketball Tournament hosted by theUniversity of Chicago from 1917-1930.

Each state champion was invitedas well as any runner-up that lost inthe finals by only one point. Thus aninvitation also was rendered toAberdeen. There were 43 teamsentered, including 36 statechampions.

South Dakota had previouslydone well in the tournament.Yankton finished second in 1924 andSalem took third in 1926. Spectatorswho turned out to watch the actionat Bartlett Gymnasium knew thatthe boys who came from SouthDakota could play.

Huron’s coach was Frank Coffey,a Watertown native and formerfootball player at South DakotaState. Coffey coached at Plattebefore moving to Huron. In thosedays local newspapers often gave anickname to a team based on itscoach’s name. So the Huron teamwas called the Coffeymen.

The Huron Municipal Band playedas a crowd estimated at around4,000 wished the team well when itboarded a train at the Chicago &North Western Station in Huron. Eachplayer took with him to Chicago anew suit coat and travel bag courtesyof the Huron Chamber of Commerce.

Aberdeen lost in the first round toKansas champion Winfield 26-23.Huron drew the South Carolinachampion, Greenville, and won 22-20.

Then the Coffeymen downedLincoln, Neb., 25-16; and London,Ky., 24-21. Next they beat Pocatello,Idaho, 33-16, as the 6-foot-1 Perrinscored 24 points. In addition to itsfour established seniors, Huronreceived standout play fromfreshman Conrad “Cornie” Collin,who would go on to become one ofthe greatest athletes in CreightonUniversity history. Other keycontributors were Kenneth Hoppell,Arthur Campbell and LawrenceSheridan.

The estimated group of 25 fansfrom Huron who attended theopening game on a Tuesday hadgrown to more than 100 by the timethe team took the floor Saturdayagainst Arkansas champion Batesville.After each victory, according to Huronmayor D.G. Medbery, more people setout by train or car to make the 700mile journey.

Luck ran out for the Coffeymenin the semifinals. They fell toBatesville 25-16. Cicero, Ill., then beatBatesville 18-16 in the championshipgame. Florence, Miss., edged Huron19-16 for third place. At theconclusion of the tournamentChicago’s legendary coach, Amos

Alonzo Stagg, presented trophies tothe top four teams.

Perrin, the son of a Congrega-tional minister, considered severalcolleges. He chose to attend hisbrother’s alma mater, CarletonCollege in Northfield, Minn. Therehe became a three-year starter intwo sports as an end in football andall-Midwest Conference forward inbasketball.

When he graduated in 1931, theCarls (now the Knights) had wonfour straight conference basketballtitles. They had a home winningstreak at Sayles-Hill Gymnasium of38 games. Their last home loss wasto Indiana.

Carleton went 12-3 during Perrin’ssenior season with the only lossescoming at Illinois, Northwestern andMinnesota. The Carls lost by a singlepoint to the Gophers, the runner-upteam in the Big Ten Conference.

After graduating Perrin spenttime coaching freshman sports atCarleton before moving to the highschool level at Shattuck in Faribault,Minn., and then Minneapolis North.He served as a lieutenant in the U.S.Navy during World War II and thenreturned to teach and coach atNorth. He retired in 1972 and livedthe rest of his life in Minneapolis.

Perrin and wife Helen had one son,David. Perrin died in 1996 at age 87.

Ozzie Cowles was Perrin’s coachat Carleton. Cowles later coachedDartmouth before leading Big Tenprograms at Michigan andMinnesota. He was once askedabout the best players he hadcoached.

“I still haven’t seen the fellow I’dplace above Sam Perrin of Carletonfor all-around work and ballhandling,” said Cowles. “He was oneof the greatest college basketballplayers of his time.”

(Greg Hansen played at Hurley

High School and Dakota Wesleyan

University. He was inducted into the

Hall of Fame in 2012.)

Perrin, Teammates Made Nation Take Notice

Sam Perrin

ARich Andrzejewski,

Arlington ‘69 – 2014Richard “Milt” Authier,

Woonsocket ‘67 – 2014

BBruce Bad Moccasin,

Pierre ‘67 – 2010JoElle (Byre) Benson,

Sioux Falls Washington ‘82 – 2011Scott Bosanko,

Aberdeen Central ‘77 – 2013Julie (Harmacek) Bridge,

Avon ‘83 – 2014Steve Brown, Hamlin ‘74 – 2010Gerhardt “G.E.” Buenning,

Parkston ‘66 – 2014

CHarry Carleton,

Sioux Falls Washington ‘43 – 2011

DChris Divich, Doland ‘52 – 2013Terry DuPris, Cheyenne-Eagle Butte

‘76 – 2011

FRandy Fletcher, Reliance ‘65 – 2012Gordon Fosness, Presho ‘53 – 2011Bart Friedrick, Mitchell ‘85 – 2014

GDiane (Hiemstra) Gabriel,

Yankton ‘80 – 2011Carol (Freeman) Galbraith,

Canova ‘79 – 2013Barry Glanzer, Armour ‘78 – 2012Max Gonzenbach,

Milbank ‘54 – 2010DuWayne Groos,

Sisseton ‘62 – 2014Cathy (Coyle) Grubb,

Belle Fourche ‘78 – 2011

HClyde Hagen, Webster ‘66 – 2013Steve Hammer, Pierpont ‘69 – 2014Becky Hammon,

Rapid City Stevens ‘94 – 2010Greg Hansen, Hurley ‘70 – 2012Garney Henley, Hayti ‘55 – 2013Luther Hippe,

Sioux Falls Washington ‘83 – 2014

HDana (Nielsen) Honner,

Armour ‘87 – 2012Kent Hyde, Onida ‘54 – 2013

IJim Iverson, Platte ‘48 – 2010

JDon Jacobsen,

Lake Norden ‘54 – 2010Randy Jencks, De Smet ‘71 – 2012Becky (Flynn) Jensen,

Wakonda ’91 – 2010

KEric Kline,

Aberdeen Central ’91 – 2012Mandy Koupal, Wagner ’99 – 2014

LLance Luitjens, Custer ’92 – 2010Gerald Lund,

Belle Fourche ’57 – 2013

MTom Malchow,

Aberdeen Central ’61 – 2011Lien Marso, Harrold ’51 – 2014Tom McGrann,

Watertown ’59 – 2010Jesse Mendoza,

Cheyenne-Eagle Butte ’71 – 2012Rod Merriam, Huron ’80 – 2010Phil Miedema, Hitchcock ’58 – 2014Amy Mickelson,

Brookings ’85 – 2013Alan Miller, Stickney ’81 – 2011Mike Miller, Mitchell ‘98 – 2013Myron Moen, Sisseton ’63 – 2012Colleen Moran, Stickney ’79 – 2014

NChad Nelson, Yankton ’74 – 2013Roger Nelson, Brookings ’53 – 2011Rick Nissen, Miller ’72 – 2011

OLori (Wohlleber) O’Farrell,

Summit ’86 – 2014Tom Orton, Madison ’65 – 2012

PHarley Petersen, Hayti ’54 – 2011Courtney (Stapp) Pool,

Newell ’93 – 2012

RRenee Ruesink,

Castlewood ’84 – 2013

SRenae Sallquist,

Brookings ’85 – 2011Jim Schlekeway, Britton ’64 – 2013Terry Slattery,

Salem St. Mary’s ’56 – 2011Gene Smith, Watertown ’47 – 2010Taran Stapp, Newell ’96 – 2012Karla Stevenson, Hamlin ’83 – 2012Bob Stewart,

Aberdeen Central ’49 – 2012Wayne Stone, Mitchell ’41 – 2013Jason Sutherland,

Watertown ’93 – 2012Jim Sutton, Onida ’53 – 2011Bob Swanhorst, Cresbard ’57 – 2010Wendy Swanhorst,

Cresbard ’78 – 2013Rex Swett, Huron ’58 – 2010

TKim Templeton, Miller ’72 – 2011Denver Ten Broek,

McIntosh ’99 – 2014Mark Tetzlaff, Hamlin ’81 – 2014Jack Theeler, Sisseton ’63 – 2012John Thomas, Alexandria ’65 – 2010Robin (Anderson) Thormodsgaard,

Clear Lake ’80 – 2010Harold Thune, Murdo ’37 – 2010LaMoine Torgerson,

Forestburg ’59 – 2012

VLisa Van Goor, Yankton ’80 – 2010

WMarty Waukazoo,

Rapid City ’67 – 2013Chuck Welke Jr., Warner ’94 – 2013Willie White, Pine Ridge ’87 – 2014Jerry Wingen, Canova ’56 – 2011Kris (Holwerda) Woerner,

Brookings ’81 – 2014


Hall of FameMembers


By Bob Swanhorst

South Dakota High SchoolBasketball can be broken down intothree eras depending on how thetournament play-off championshipswere conducted. From 1912 to 1935(with one exception in 1930) therewas one class, from 1936 to 1984there were two classes, and from1985 to the present there are threeclasses. Over the years district,regional, and sectional play-offsdeveloped and in some years therewere double elimination systems inplace. There were also some yearswhen a certain conference refusedto participate. But by and large thetournament became a mainstay ofthe high school activities season.

There has never been a scientificpoll conducted, but most fans wouldseem to overwhelmingly choose thetwo class system conducted from1953 until 1984 when the 32 largestschools were “A” and all theremaining schools were “B”. It soonbecame known as the big “B” andfans and teams scrambled tobecome part of the event. Findinglodging for two years in advancewas not uncommon and it iscommon knowledge that the HuronArena was constructed primarily toattract the big “B” in the spring. In1958, before the “B” tourney, Huronadvertised that 110,000 people hadviewed basketball in the arenaalready that year.

What made this tournament sopopular? Many things, but without adoubt at the top of any list wascommunity pride. It is also no secretthat just as the Huron Arena wasbuilt to attract the tourney manysmall communities constructedgyms for the purpose of giving theirhigh school teams a gym worthy ofhosting games and a sense of pride.Many communities consideredworking with the school district and

the National Guard and some justflat out donated materials, labor,and expertise and built a new gym.Murdo, Eureka, Columbia, Conde,Webster, and many morecommunities constructedgymnasiums and became hot bedsof basketball. Community pridecentered on that gym and their highschool team.

Also at the top of that popularitylist were the outstanding individualathletes and the colorful NativeAmerican teams. South Dakota wasfortunate to have developed someof the best Native Americanbasketball which was firstshowcased in the National CatholicTourney held in Chicago. Both publicand other parochial schools played arole too. At the pinnacle of thoseyears during the big “Bs” was theCheyenne Indian Agency Braves. In1957, 1958, and 1959 a special coachand host of special players made fora very special team.

Gus Kolb, a native of Leola,became the coach at the oldCheyenne River School after a stintat Ree Heights. A South Dakota Stategraduate and accomplished baseballplayer, Kolb was about to begin athree year era of winning. The gymhad hardly any seating capacity andthe floor was buckling due tomoisture and swelling. Cheyenneplayed most of their games onneutral or away floors. Gettysburgand Mobridge were considered thehome floor and the rest of the gameswere on the road. Those three yearssaw Cheyenne win 85 games andlose just 13, nine of those losses wereduring the first year of Kolb's reign.Their schedule during those yearsfeatured some real powerhouses likeCorona and Ellendale, North Dakota.Geographically they had toconstantly put up with Agar, Onida,McLaughlin, Eureka, Selby, andCresbard among other tough teams.

The teams featured some of thebest players, native or white, everassembled on one high school team.They never had anyone over 6’4”and weren’t about to out muscleyou. Their strong point was finesse -- finesse in dribbling, passing,shooting, and above all, in defense.Quick hands and a constant runninggame kept the game as interestingas possible. Fans loved to see themplay. There was no slowing themdown.

Leading the way in 1957 wassenior Andy Condon, but most wereunderclassmen and the future waslooking all roses. On January 7, 1957,at Gettysburg they dropped a 67-65decision to Cresbard, a team thatwould be the state champs thatsame year. Andy Condon, MelBagola, and Bob Mandan all haddouble figures in that game. AndyCondon’s younger brother was ChetCondon, who became one ofCheyenne’s all-time great players.His cousin, Bernie In-the-Woods,was a great player in later years atDupree. The team finished 20-9 butdid not win the district.

1958 saw a rapidly improvingteam steam roll through the regularseason, the district, and the regional.They ended up undefeated at 31-0when they entered the statetourney. Only two teams had comeclose, Corona lost 48-45 in aNorthern State preliminary gameand Agar scared them but lost 61-59in the regional finals. Freddie Knifeemerged as a classy and colorfulplayer. They were a solid team andall five players were capable ofscoring double figures on any givennight. They became the number onerated team in the state for all “B”schools.

The “Boys with Poise” was themantra hung on the team as they hadbeen undefeated and now facedForestburg in an opening round

Cheyenne Indian Agency Braves:The Team Without A Home


game of the 1958 state tourney heldin Aberdeen. Forestburg, withscoring aces Dick Baysinger andLaMoine Torgerson, fell 64-59. Theirsecond round game was a nip andtuck affair with Corona, a team theyhad beaten by three points earlier onthe Aberdeen Civic Arena floor,coming out on top 56-53. Coach Kolbdecided to slow it down which maywell have been the downfall in theloss. Hindsight is always 20/20. In thethird place game the team won overFairfax 87-75. Cheyenne’s seasonended at 33-1. Knife was named all-state, but the team was very wellbalanced and all the mainstays wereback for another year.

The 1958-59 season sawCheyenne winning 28 games andlosing but three. Losses were toEllendale and Agar, each by onepoint, and the McLaughlin Midgetsby two points. Bagola was actuallytheir leading scorer with an 18 pointaverage. But again, they werebalanced and very capable to playoff an opponent’s weakness.

The state tourney that year hadCheyenne in the feature game asteams were not seeded at that time.ln the opening round Cheyenne metColumbia in the evening’s first

game. It was a game no one inattendance would ever forget.

Columbia, with George Birgercoaching, had experienced adominating year in football andbasketball. They were 6-0 in footballand scored over 100 points againstone team, and most teams werebeaten overwhelmingly. The lastgame on their football schedule wasforfeited to them. In basketball theyhad very little trouble with theopposition as well. They entered thetourney 35-1 with their lone defeat adouble overtime loss to Ellendale.Ellendale went on to win the NorthDakota State Championship andwas the same team that haddefeated Cheyenne by one point.The only other close game had beenagainst a Frank Funk led Condeteam that ended up 58-57 inColumbia’s favor. Columbia was alsothe number one rated team in thestate. They also had a strongwinning tradition that former coachBud Hurin had established over theyears. The school district, with helpfrom the farming community, hadbuilt an enviable gymnasium thatwas a source of local pride.

It certainly appeared thatColumbia was number one as they

led Cheyenne by a 33-17 score latein the second period. At halfColumbia was up by 13 points, andwas seemingly in control. Thesecond half saw a struggle developas Cheyenne’s zone press began totake a toll. With 1:59 to go in thegame Columbia still clung to a 39-36lead. Then the roof fell in. The arenacrowd of over 6,000 fans seemed torise up behind Cheyenne. Everymove Cheyenne made broughtmore and more noise and cheering.Players couldn’t hear the referee’swhistle and with Knife making someimpossible moves and shotsCheyenne appeared to feed off thecrowd. When the cheering stoppedCheyenne had won 56-46.

Columbia’s scoring had TomHanson with 15, Sandy Andree 10,Bob Davis 10, Doug Badley 6, andDelmar Moench 5. For Cheyenne,Bagola, who had led them in scoringall year, had 15, Knife 13, Mandan 11,Chet Condon 9, and Eugene RedBird 8. Not only had Cheyenneignited the crowd with wizardry liketouch passing, but they also hadsome touch field goal shooting. Ithad been one of the mostnoteworthy comebacks in all of

Continued on Page 8

The tireless defense and the rapid-pace offense of Cheyenne Indian Agency helped make the Braves a highly successful and popular team in South Dakota. Members

of the 1959 state Class B champion Braves were, from left, Keeler Condon, Percy Phillips, Delano Chasing Hawk, Tommy Makes Him First, Freddie Knife, Chet

Condon, Eugene Red Bird, Bob Mandan, Mel Bagola, Elgin Stricker and Coach Gus Kolb.

Continued from Page 7state tourney competition. Manyhave said it was the most excitinggame they had ever seen in a SouthDakota Tournament.

Cheyenne went on to beatPlankinton 61-51 and DeSmet 63-47to win the 1959 State “B” title. Kolbwas chosen the 1959 High SchoolCoach of the Year. Bagola and Knifeboth made the all-state team.

Columbia ended the year with a37-2 record. Even today few highschool teams have ever won moregames in a single season thanColumbia did in 1959. Columbia’soutstanding tradition continued withteams in the state tourney in 1961 and1963. It soon came to an end howeverwhen enrollment steadily declined.The high school closed its doors in1968 and joined with the GrotonDistrict. Tom Hanson, incidentally, isan uncle to Zach Hanson who ledPierre to a Class AA Championship in2013 and is currently playing for theCreighton Bluejays.

Cheyenne on the other handmoved into a new gym and joinedEagle Butte in the fall of 1959. Theywent on to have great players andteams featuring players like JesseMendoza and Terry DuPris amongmany others. Cheyenne-Eagle Butteteams went to seven more “B”tourneys and went to the “A” tourney

nine more times after the three classsystem was used after 1985-86.

Only two players and the coachare alive from that Cheyenne era:players Mandan and Bagola, andCoach Kolb. Kolb was 90 years old inSeptember of 2014. He and theformer Mila Nelson have beenmarried for 47 years. In 1997 heretired to Mission, Texas. Today he isin a home in nearby McAllen, Texas.Mila was not married to Gus duringthe Cheyenne era, but experiencedthe team years later at a reuniongathering. She was very muchimpressed with the kindness andfriendship among the team andcoach. Gus had been made anhonorary chief in the days after thechampionship and presented with afull regalia. He later returned theregalia to Eagle Butte where it has ahome for permanent display.

Mandan is at home in Dupree.Bagola resides in Mobridge. Bagolahad joined the Marines after highschool and spent four years servinghis country. Being in the reserves hewas called to active duty and spenteight months in Vietnam. Knife, ChetCondon and Red Bird are deceased.At Knife’s funeral in 2005 manyrelatives and friends gathered. MilaKolb indicated that many beautifulSatin Royal Blue and White Quilts,Cheyenne’s colors, were presented to

attendees and number 31 hadbecome something of a legend. Yearslater Kyle Mesteth even composed arap song dedicated to number 31called “You can’t stop me”.

Knife and Chet Condon wereunderclassmen in 1959, but Knifeturned 20 ending his eligibility forhigh school play and Condondropped out of school and playedtraveling basketball. He would laterget his GED. In 1970 Condon andKnife played in the All-IndianNational Invitational BasketballTournament in Idaho. It was a twelveteam tourney with teams from allover the United States and Canada.They played under the logo of CherryCreek YMCA. Condon was namedthe outstanding player in thetourney. The two received numeroushonors and were named as two ofthe seven greatest athletes fromCheyenne River.

Cheyenne’s contribution to highschool basketball in the state wassignificant. They will always beremembered as “The team without aHome,” and in the parlance of sportstalk, those who played against themand saw that team will always say,“They could play.”

(Bob Swanhorst played atCresbard High School and AugustanaCollege. He was inducted into theHall of Fame in 2010.)


Cheyenne Indian Agency Braves

Sixteen former greats who willcomprise the Class of 2015 will beannounced soon by the SouthDakota High School BasketballHall of Fame.

Please make plans to join us inSioux Falls and enjoy the sixthannual Hall of Fame Weekend onMarch 27-28.

An informal reception forinductees will be held at theSanford Pentagon from 4-7 p.m.on Friday. The event is free and

the public is encouraged to attend.Refreshments will be available

and those in attendance will havethe opportunity to visit withmembers of the Class of 2015. Alsoat the reception will be many otherHall of Fame members who wereinducted in previous years.Recognition will be given at 5:30p.m. to Myron Moen, the FounderEmeritus of the Hall of Fame.

The induction banquet will beat the Ramkota Hotel on Saturday.

Doors open at 11 a.m. with thebanquet to begin at 2 p.m. Ticketswill remain at $35 and include thebanquet, meal and a Hall of Famebooklet. Also to be honoredduring the banquet is a Team ofExcellence.

The Class of 2015 will increasemembership in the Hall of Fame to98. Information about purchasingtickets will be released later thiswinter.

HOF Weekend 2015


By Greg Hansen

In the winter of 1968 the highschool basketball landscape inSouth Dakota was illuminated bythree stars who were destined toachieve football greatness.

Neil Graff. Larry Jacobson. JohnDutton. Each was a first team all-state basketball player that season.All were bound for the NFL.

“There were some great athletesin South Dakota back then,” saysGraff. “It was a unique time.”

Graff was a 6-foot-3 guard whocould shoot, rebound and handlethe ball. He was the driving force asLincoln marched into thechampionship game of the Class Astate tournament at the Sioux FallsArena.

“We beat Washington andO’Gorman in close games in theregion. When we got to the statetournament, the Cinderella teamwas Miller. We ended up meetingthem in the semifinals,” says Graff.

Miller was led by Al Nissen, whowould go on to play at theUniversity of Nebraska. Lincolndefeated the Rustlers to set up atitle game against Brookings and itsstandout forward, the late LeeColburn. Brookings held off thePatriots 69-57 to claim thechampionship.

Graff averaged 17 points pergame that season. He converted animpressive 83 percent of his freethrows, displaying the touch thatwould eventually allow him to excelat quarterback for the University ofWisconsin.

Jacobson powered O’Gorman toa 19-3 record by shooting 57percent from the field whileaveraging 15 points and 11 rebounds.Both athletes were seniors and wereheavily recruited for basketballbefore deciding that their futureswould be in football.

“The first school to offer me ascholarship was the University of

South Dakota,” says Jacobson.“They told me I could choose to playeither basketball or football, it wasup to me.”

Jacobson was 6-6 anddominated basketball games withhis strength. But he also wasunusually agile. College footballcoaches took notice.

“Back then there were letters ofintent within conferences and Isigned a Big Ten letter to playfootball at the University of Iowa.But then I fell in love with BobDevaney and Monte Kiffin and theother coaches at Nebraska,” saysJacobson, who weighed 220

Continued on Page 10

Time on Court Helped 1968 Trio Reach NFL

Neil Graff blocks a shot for Lincoln in a game against O’Gorman. Graff left the Patriots and went on

to play on both the freshman football team and the freshman basketball team at the University of

Wisconsin. He then gave up basketball to concentrate on his football career.



pounds during football season atO’Gorman before slimming down to210 to gain added quickness forbasketball.

Jacobson matured into a 245-pound defensive tackle whobecame an All-American for theCornhuskers. As a senior he won theOutland Trophy as the nation’s topinterior lineman. Nebraska, amember of the Big EightConference, went 33-2-1 duringJacobson’s career.

A game that was paramount forthe Cornhuskers during their ascentto the top of the college footballworld occurred in the Orange Bowlwhen Jacobson was a junior in 1970.

“We were No. 3 in the final APpoll before the bowls,” saysJacobson. “The two teams ratedabove us both lost their bowl gamesbefore we played our bowl game.So when we took the field we knewwhat was at stake.”

Nebraska responded by downingLSU 17-12 and was crowned nationalchampion with an 11-0-1 record. Thefollowing season, with Jacobson astalwart senior, the Cornhuskersreturned to the Orange Bowl andcrushed Alabama 38-6. Nebraskafinished 13-0 and repeated asnational champion.

“Coming from Sioux Falls, notreally knowing how good I was, andthen all of a sudden you’re playingon two national championshipteams. It was hard to believe,” saysJacobson, a retired stockbroker who

now lives in South Bend, Neb.Graff first drew widespread

attention for his football flair whenhe was a junior at Lincoln andquarterbacked the Patriots to themythical state championship. Hewent on to distinguish himself in theBig Ten and graduated asWisconsin’s career leader in severalpassing categories.

In one of Graff’s sharpestperformances he threw for threetouchdowns in a 29-16 victory overPenn State. Graff started all 31games of his career, was voted theBadgers’ Most Valuable Player as asenior and played in the 1971 Blue-Gray College All-Star Game.

And he credits lessons learned asa high school basketball player asbeing instrumental in his footballsuccess.

“I was not the fastest guy in theworld at 40 yards. But basketballhad really helped my quickness.Things like lateral movement andquick starts and stops. Those thingsserved me well as a quarterback,”says Graff, who is an investmentadvisor and lives in Sioux Falls.

“Basketball also helped medevelop my competitiveness. Iwanted to win so badly on thebasketball court and would dowhatever it took. I carried that withme on to the football field.”

Graff was selected by the

Minnesota Vikings in the 1972 draft.During his six years in the NFL healso spent time with New England,Pittsburgh and Green Bay.

Jacobson’s four-year career wasspent entirely with the New YorkGiants, who drafted him in 1972.

After emerging as a starter in hisrookie season, Jacobson wasplagued by injuries to the same legon which he had undergone kneesurgery while at Nebraska. In hissecond year as a Giant he steppedon some broken glass and damagedtendons in his foot. Then in hisfourth season he suffered a brokenleg which forced his retirement fromthe NFL.

Dutton was a grade behind Graffand Jacobson. He earned Class B all-state basketball honors in 1968 as ajunior at Rapid City Cathedral. Thenext fall, while Graff and Jacobsonwere heading off to college, Duttontransferred to Rapid City Centralafter Cathedral closed.

The Cobblers of legendary coachDave Strain already had a wealth oftalent with such players as the lateSteve Withorne, Rich Gerry and thelate Jack Tennyson. Dutton’spresence made them a powerhouse.Rapid City went 24-1 and won theClass A state title, downingBrookings 57-50 in the finals. Whenthe season ended Dutton was againnamed first team all-state to becomeone of the few players in the oldtwo-class system to earn that honorin both Class B and Class A.

Continued on Page 11


Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Neil Graff

prepares to take a snap from center in an NFL

game against the Denver Broncos.

Larry Jacobson John Dutton


If you enjoy basketball, and havean interest in the evolution andhistory of the game in our state, youneed to become a regular visitor tothe South Dakota High SchoolBasketball Hall of Fame website.

Website readers are kept up todate on Hall of Fame events andactivities. They can reviewbiographies of all prior inductees,stroll down memory lane via a list ofonce prominent teams that no

longer exist, and learn about theorigination and progression of theHall of Fame. Our website is theplace to become familiar withmemorable personalities, teams andgames from the past.

Recent website posts have dealtwith such topics as a Hall of Famecharter member who has become atrailblazer in the NBA; and an awardwinning regional television programthat featured the Hall of Fame and

its home at the Sanford Pentagon inSioux Falls.

Contact information on thewebsite can assist anyone desiringto get in touch with the Hall ofFame. And an official nominationform is available to download bythose wishing to nominate a formerplayer for consideration.

The website has something foreveryone who loves basketball. Seefor yourself. Visit us at sdbbhof.com.

Visit Our Website to Stay Informed


Dutton, like Jacobson and Graffbefore him, was considered a prizerecruit by college basketball coaches.But he, too, settled on football. Andlike Jacobson he chose Nebraska.

The 6-7, 248-pound Duttonbecame an All-American in theCornhuskers defensive line. Heplayed two seasons for Devaney

and then his senior season for TomOsborne. Dutton was part of teamsthat went 31-4-2 before he wasdrafted by the Baltimore Colts.

In a 14-year career in the NFL,spending time at both defensive endand defensive tackle, Dutton waswith the Colts from 1974-78 and theCowboys from 1979-87. He wasnamed to the Pro Bowl three times

and is now a businessman in Dallas.South Dakota basketball fans

were aware in the winter of 1968that Dutton, Jacobson and Graffwere special athletes. Before long allof America knew.

(Greg Hansen played at Hurley

High School and Dakota Wesleyan

University. He was inducted into the

Hall of Fame in 2012.)


“Life to the Max” is a popularregional television program that isbroadcast by WCCO-TV inMinneapolis.

The South Dakota High SchoolBasketball Hall of Fame was featuredon the program during May. Thesegment was titled “Hoosiers West.”

Longtime television and radiopersonality Mike Max is the host of“Life to the Max.” The programfocuses upon interesting sportspersonalities and topics throughoutthe Midwest.

“Hoosiers West” offered viewersa close up look at the operation of

the Hall of Fame and its home at theSanford Pentagon. It traced theprogression of the Hall of Famefrom its beginning to present day.Among those interviewed on theprogram were 2014 Hall of Fameinductees Mandy Koupal, WillieWhite and Rich Andrzejewski.

WCCO Program Showcases Hall

Following are dates and sites of this season’s boys and girls state basketball tournaments according tothe South Dakota High School Activities Association:

Tournament Schedule

GirlsMarch 12-14, 2015

Class AA – Frost Arena, Brookings.Class A – Watertown Civic Arena.Class B – Huron Arena.

BoysMarch 19-21, 2015

Class AA – Sioux Falls Arena.Class A – Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, Rapid City.Class B – Barnett Center, Aberdeen.

Sanford Pentagon2210 W. Pentagon PlaceSioux Falls, SD 57107

Class of 2014

Pictured is the South Dakota High School Basketball Hall of Fame Class of 2014. These former greats were inducted during a banquetlast March in Sioux Falls. Honored for their outstanding accomplishments were, from left, front, Willie White, Pine Ridge 1987; LienMarso, Harrold 1951; Luther Hippe, Sioux Falls Washington 1983; Mark Tetzlaff, Hamlin 1981; DuWayne Groos, Sisseton 1962. Middle,Mandy Koupal, Wagner 1999; Lori (Wohlleber) O’Farrell, Summit 1986; Julie (Harmacek) Bridge, Avon 1983; Kris (Holwerda) Woerner,Brookings 1981; Colleen Moran, Stickney 1979. Back, Denver Ten Broek, McIntosh 1999; Aaron Miedema representing his father PhilMiedema, Hitchcock 1958; Richard “Milt” Authier, Woonsocket 1967; Bart Friedrick, Mitchell 1985; Gerhardt “G.E.” Buenning, Parkston1966; Rich Andrzejewski, Arlington 1969; and Steve Hammer, Pierpont 1969. Also honored were the Mitchell Kernels of 1985 as Teamof Excellence. Mitchell was undefeated Class AA state champion under Coach Gary Munsen.

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