Les Mann – Lincoln High

                                                                                              Touted as one of  the best all-around athlete ever […]

Jason “Bump” Novacek – Gothenburg

Athlete.   Tremendously successful in football, basketball and track, Jason “Bump” Novacek epitomized the vision of an all-around athlete. In football, he starred as quarterback, running back and defensive back, leading Gothenburg to a state runner-up finish his junior year. He earned all-state honors in 1984, gained high school All-American status, and won the Nebraska Shrine […]

Gail Peterson – Crofton

Coach. Gail Peterson created a cross country dynasty in the little town of Crofton where his teams won 15 state championships and claimed the runner-up trophy another eight times. His girls teams won nine state titles, including eight straight from 1981-88. The boys teams won six state titles between 1977 and 1991. He coached two […]

Enid Schonewise – Beatrice

Athlete.  A triple-talented athlete in the sports of volleyball, basketball and track; this 1983 graduate of Beatrice High School ranks high on the list of best women athletes in the state. All-state in volleyball (178 ace spikes, 93 per cent server), she was also all-state in basketball, leading South all-stars to its first win in […]

Russ Snyder – Nelson

  Athlete. 1952 grad. A starting outfielder for the 1966 World Series Champion Baltimore Orioles, Russ Snyder played in the major leagues from 1959-1970, building a career on athletic prowess that developed at Nelson High School where he was a three-sport star. Snyder earned all-conference honors as a running back in football. He was a […]

Trudi Veerhusen Nolin – Adams

Athlete. Trudi (Veerhusen) Nolin was pretty much an “All Everything” athlete at Adams High School, three-sport athlete and a total of 12 varsity letters.  She started every one of 100 total games in basketball that had a team record of 96-4.  Two of those losses were in state tournament competition when Adams lost the semifinal […]

Bob Boozer – Omaha Tech

Athlete. Today in western Omaha is situated an interesting junction of history. The main line of the Union Pacific Railroad’s push west across America intersected Pacific Street. Years later another street crossed Pacific, Bob Boozer Drive, appropriately bearing the name of one of the finest basketball players in our nation’s history. Graduating from Omaha Technical […]

Bobby Bass – Omaha Benson

Athlete. A 1975 graduate of Omaha Benson, Bass was the Omaha World-Herald’s first three-time all-state football selection. He was a scoring machine on the gridiron, highlighted by a 22-touchdown junior season.  Member of the 1,000-yard rushing club. He also lettered in basketball, baseball and track, contributing to the baseball state championship won in 1974 by […]

Dick Koch – Omaha

Coach.. It was the 1970-71 school year and Omaha Northwest had just opened its doors for the first time.  Dick was the new head basketball coach moving in from a stint at Gering with a record of 101-50.  He hit the court running and took the “Huskies” to the State Tournament in their very first […]

Kelly Lindsey – Millard North

Athlete. Millard North (1997) Kelly Lindsey enjoyed a golden high school career in cross country and soccer. A Parade All-American, she led the Mustangs to the state soccer championship during her freshman and senior senior seasons, scoring 99 goals in her career. In cross country, she won the Class A gold medal three times – […]