Hall of Fame Inductions Filled with Respect, Honor and the Power of Family

A lot goes through a person's mind on the way to the podium.

For those of us either introducing or watching from a seat in the audience, it is hard to fully fathom the gamut of emotions that Hall of Fame inductees experience as they take to the mike to say thanks. From conversations I have had with various honorees, I have found them to be humbled, even as they have talked about preparing remarks for the recognition, whether written or simply by couching what they will say in their mind.  

Regardless, whether tinged with a bit of levity or cast in a serious tone, the words from the honorees touch people's hearts - family, friends and those gathered at the event. The message is often wrapped in bottled-up emotion of past sacrifice and hard work, not just their own, coupled with the significance of the honor.

At the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame last weekend, I was among a couple of hundred people who shed a couple of tears after listening to several men and women inductees who have stepped high on the South Dakota, if not national, sports landscape. In their measured words, they captured years of doing, battles fought and won or lost, and a whole lot of life.

I have been attached to the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame and now as a member of the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame. In all those ceremonies I have attended and helped organize over the years, the one constant, regardless of the honoree's stage in life, is how humbling these moments become for that person as they  recognize the people who have played an important part in their accomplishments and life.

When all the TDs, baskets, races, and winning rallies, are accessed, support from family, friends, coaches and others is the overriding quotient of any success. Therefore, as the inductee talks about his/her life and the wonder years in sport or whatever, they always focus remarks on their spouse, siblings, sons or daughters, grandparents, and parents. They know that the sacrifice and giving, and love of those people close, helped them reach the stage on this evening.

In those moments of thanking those closest, the emotions often cause an honoree's voice to break as words become hard to find; tears fall; all leading to a moment when they take a moment to compose themselves as they try to move on. It doesn't matter if an honoree has made 1,000 presentations (or one) as a CEO or as a sportscaster, or in some other measure, the moment eye contact is made with those close, the body is jolted with a rush of emotion, which can be both heartening and joyfully painful. 

It isn't just the honorees that feel this passion. Loving, prideful tears fill the room among family members, friends and others gathered.

In the audience there are many, who sit in awe at what these honored few have accomplished both in sport and in life. They have little connection to the honoree, except maybe as a HOF committee member or someone that came to pay respects for what that honoree has done and meant to a community.

It was a special night for me, connecting to a couple of my childhood heroes, while hearing unbelievable stories of the many others whose contributions were rightly honored.

When I was 12 years old, Rick Nissen and the Miller Rustlers were living out their own "Hoosiers" story. Here was Miller, a town of 2,100, battling some of the larger towns across the state on a basketball floor and winning.

As they pieced together one of the greatest seasons ever by a high school boys team, there were kids like me (and older folks too) everywhere in South Dakota entranced with this team. 

Miller played in the now defunct Central Conference, which then was a league with teams like Gettysburg, Mobridge, Wessington Springs, Highmore, Chamberlain, Onida, Faulkton and Miller. While I passionately supported my Battlers, I also had a place for this Miller team just 80 miles away, even if they were a rival.

So, that I don't anger my Gettysburg friends or betray my Battlers roots, my hometown had a couple of hoops moments. In 1970, the Francis Zacher-led Battlers finished sixth in the State B tournament (24-4 record). It was an exciting team led by Kevin Hegerle, Larry Jones, Rob Tobin, Jim Van Den Eykel, Dave Langbehn and others. Then there was the 1975 team that finished eighth and included players such as Dean Hansen, Dave Miller, Junior Chase, among others. They were coached by Jim Thorson, now the Mount Marty men's coach.

For some reason in 1972, that Miller team caught my eye. I followed the exploits of Nissen, along with his cousin Kim Templeton and Jeff Wilbur, all brothers of former Rustler standouts. The newspapers, mostly the Huron and Aberdeen dailies, provided the information about the Rustlers week by week. This was before the Internet and before sports talk became popular on radio.

It was a season that opened with a come-from-behind win over the 1972 B Champions Britton (only loss of season) followed by a run of wins that never stopped that year en route to a 24-0 record. Coached by Bob Dokter, Miller was the smallest Class A school (Gettysburg was Class B as were the other Central Conference schools that year), and had to take on and defeat Mitchell and Huron in sectional play. As the state tournament arrived, this team revved up its engine. Devoid of size, the tallest player was 6-2, the fast and talented Rustlers pressured the ball all over the court, led by Nissen in his #35. Remember, this was a time when the three-point shot was not even on any planning boards for rules committees. Still, they prevailed and in impressive fashion.

At the state tourney, the Rustlers rolled past a big SF Washington team, 72-60. Then, they jumped to a 20-4 lead and dominated Rapid City Stevens, 81-51. In the title game, they took down Yankton, 68-54. The Yankton team included standout Mark Haugland and sophomore Chad Nelson, a 6-11 center, who later played at Drake University. In that season, Nissen was first-team all-state, all tournament and MVP of that state tournament.

Later, Nissen went to play for the Coyotes, becoming one of the best to ever run the point at USD. Nissen scored 1,452 points (10th all-time) and doled out 598 assists (third all-time), which ranked third and first, respectfully, when he left the Vermillion campus. He was inducted into the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame in 1996.

On Saturday, I heard Nissen, now of Rogers, Minn., recount the first 25 years of his life and how they were like a dream. Then, like a lot of young athletes, Nissen said, he had to move on with his life and find something else of which he could develop a passion. After a year of basketball in Europe and on a traveling U.S. Team, the two-time Academic All-American at USD entered medical school and has since practiced medicine in Minneapolis.

As he spoke and looked toward his family, emotions came pouring out. He didn't mention his professional life but talked about all that had helped him along his life's route. His wife, Nancy, began to cry and his three daughters also had tears falling from their eyes.  

As he returned to the table, an embrace with his wife spoke volumes about him and many other honorees, who too, shared embraces with family and friends on this special night in Sioux Falls.

I also felt honored to watch the induction of Steve Brown, who starred at Hamlin High School and later South Dakota State University.

For me Brown was another boyhood favorite. One of the best shooters ever in SD prep circles, Brown is, at least for me, forever linked to Hamlin's run to the State B title in 1974. Of special memory was his 50-point game in the State B semifinals in 1974, a performance that set a state tournament record. One night later, Parker head coach Gayle Hoover took the air out of the ball. Brown, who averaged 33 points a game as a senior, was held in check but Hamlin defeated Parker, 36-33, to win the Class B title. One night he has 50 points himself and the next night, the championship, only 69 total points are scored. In his prep career, he was a three-time first-team all-state performer who had 2,212 points.

When Brown headed to SDSU, he continued a standout basketball career, scoring 1,534 points, which was 2nd all-time at the school when he graduated. Brown was also a standout in baseball, earning NCC MVP honors as a senor. Later he was an assistant coach at SDSU, Dickinson State and Minnesota before taking the Michigan Tech head coaching  job. Now, Brown, who with his wife Karen live in Chanhassen, Minn., is the director of the Minnesota Timberwolves/Lynx Basketball Academy.   

On this night, Brown reached out to Nissen, saying he was glad that he shared the HOF podium with him. Brown said he always respected him, first as a prep player, and then for two years while he played at State and Nissen at the U. They staged some battles on the court; but in these moments, they respectfully connected as inductees, only a couple of tables apart. 

While Brown and Nissen caught my attention, so did the many other inductees, ranging from Olympian Lincoln McIlravy to Dean Rallis talking about his former Washington High School teammate Dan Dworsky. There was Billy Kampen talking about his father, Jim Kampen; and Galen Busch breaking down when discussed his opportunity to coach four daughters. There was a resilient Shari Keck talking about gymnastics and her friendship with Lolly Forseth. In addition, inductee Mark Ekeland discussed Jackrabbit baseball and Diane Hiemstra Gabriel shared moments about Yankton girls basketball, which once ruled South Dakota prep circles.

Here are a few historical notes on the other HOF inductees -- 

~ Shari Keck who recently beat back a significant health challenge (heart surgery to remove an aneurysm), was recognized for her outstanding career in gymnastics. A 1979 SDSU graduate from Rapid City Stevens, led the Raiders to state gymnastics titles in 1994, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999 and 2001. In 2006 Keck was the National HS Athletic Coaches Association Special Sports Coach of the Year. Keck, who with her husband Jim, have three children, once stated: "Excellence is...caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than other think is practical, expecting more than others think is possible."

~ Dean Rallis stepped in for his friend, Dworsky, who started at Washington High and later at Michigan, because weather prevented him from attending the event. Rallis talked about how Dworsky started four years and led the Wolverines had a 32-5 record. In his final two years, he played for both Fritz Crisler in 1947 (9-0) and Benny Oosterbaan in 1948 (9-0) as Michigan won the final 23 games of his his career. Named third team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association in 1947, he called signals at linebacker and also played center for the 1947 Wolverines, which outscored opponents,
252-44, including a 49-0 shellacking of Southern California in the Rose Bowl. In 1948, Michigan was 10-0, outscoring foes, 394-53. However, Michigan did not play in the Rose Bowl in 1948 due to a Big Ten rule that prevented the same team from going to consecutive Rose Bowls.  Rallis noted that Dworsky, later a brilliant architect who designed Crisler Area and many other facilities. hit so hard that those tackled by him would talk about hurting from the inside out rather than outside in.

Galen Busch is a Huron HS and SDSU graduate who left a major imprint on prep volleyball in South Dakota. He is the first person from the sport of volleyball to be selected to the SD Sports Hall of Fame. Busch had a 617-305 record in 26 seasons, all at Todd County. His teams reached the state tournament 16 times, including three berths in the championship. His squad won the 1993 team title. Named the National High School Volleyball Coach of the Year, he and his wife Patti live in Mission. They have six children, four of which he coached.

~ Diane Hiemstra Gabriel was a four-time first-team all-state player for Bob Winter at Yankton. She led the Gazelles to three straight Class A titles from 1977-79. A Parade All-American, she participated in U.S. Olympic Trials in 1980 and 1984. At Colorado, she was second team All-Big Eight in 1983 and first team in 1984. She scored in double figures a school-record 50 consecutive games and finished with 1,377 points, which was second at Colorado when she left the program. She trailed only fellow Yankton teammate Lisa Van Goor, who had over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds as a Buffalo performer. While at Colorado, Hiemstra Gabriel was part of a South Dakota connection in Boulder. Besides Hiemstra and Van Goor, the 1982-83 starting lineup included Kris Holwerda of Brookings. And, the head coach was Sox Walseth, an Aberdeen, S.D., native who had a standout prep basketball career at Pierre, earning all-state honors before graduating in 1944. Later, Walseth coached both the Buffaloes' men's and women's programs, a unique coaching rarity.
  

~ Lincoln McIlravy, a Philip High School and University of Iowa graduate, ranks among the best wrestlers in state history. McIlravy won a freestyle bronze medal at 152 pounds at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. He competed in the world championships three times, earning a bronze in 1998 and a silver medal in 1999. McIlravy won four straight U.S. Freestyle Nationals gold medals from 1997-2000. He had three World Cup gold medals from 1998-2000. At Iowa, McIlravy wrestled for legendary coach Dan Gable, winning three NCAA titles, finishing with a 96-3 record, which was the best winning percentage in Iowa's storied wrestling history. At Philip, he was a five-time state high school champion, accumulating an overall record of 225-25. A 2010 inductee of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, he is a hotel owner/operator and developer in Solon, Iowa with his wife Lisa and three children.

 ~ Mark Ekeland, a Rapid City (Central) and Augustana graduate, had a 561-345-2 record in 20 seasons as head man at SDSU. His Jackrabbits won five NCC titles and qualified for the NCAA DII playoffs six times. In 1984, his SDSU team was 27-13, won the NCC playoffs, the Midwest Regional and advanced to the DII championships. That trip was SDSU's only trip to to the World Series. At Augustana, he lettered in football and baseball. The South Dakota Men's College Coach of the Year in 1994, he lives in Brookings with his wife Rebecca.

~ Jim Kampen, who helped Corona to two straight appearances in the Class B title game as a player, starred at Northern State, finished with 1,206 points. Kampen, who died young at age 51, was also standout cross country runner, who was a brilliant coach. He spent most of his college coaching career at the South Dakota School of Mines, coaching 13 seasons (1967-72 and 1978-86). He also coached basketball at Central Missouri, Carroll College and was a cross country and track coach at USD for two seasons before taking over coaching the Bahrain national basketball team in 1976. Named the South Dakota College Athlete of the Year in 1962, Kampen coached the three top scorers in SD Tech history.

 ~ Calvin Schuette, a Hecla native, gained fame as the "man who stopped Red Grange," while starring at the University of Minnesota. Before playing with the Gophers he played at Northern State and SDSU. In the game that Minnesota defeated Grange's Illinois team, 20-7, in 1924, Schutte had 32 carries for 282 yards and all three Gopher TDs. Named All-Big 10, he was also named to All-American squads. Later, he became known as "Mr. Santa Barbara of Sports," after 40 years as a coach and athletic director in California.  At Santa Barbara High, he had a record of 173-45-12 in 23 seasons, leading the Dons to postseason play 18 times. He coached baseball great Eddie Mathews (Milwaukee/Atlanta Braves) and professional golfer Al Geiberger.  Schutte, who died in 1970, also excelled in the ring, winning the first school boxing title at Minnesota.