Anne Shadle-South Sioux City
South Sioux City (Class of 2001) The road under Anne Shadle’s feet often seemed to fly by. At South Sioux City, where her father was the coach, Shadle took the first steps to becoming a premier runner. She won three Class B and two all-class gold medals at the state cross country championships and three […]
Renee Saunders-Omaha Marian
Omaha Marian (Class of 1995) Renee Saunders kept her eye on the ball. Named all-class all-state in volleyball and basketball her junior and senior seasons, she led Omaha Marian to the state basketball tournament every year and a state runner-up finish her junior year. She graduated as Marian’s all-time leader in scoring and rebounding. On […]
Laura Spanheimer Dechant – Omaha Marian
Omaha Marian (Class of 2001) The Athlete of the Year tag stuck to Omaha Marian’s Laura Spanheimer, who twice earned the honor from the Lincoln Journal-Star and as a senior from the Omaha World-Herald. She led Marian to back-to-back state basketball championships those years, earning all-metro and all-state accolades. An outstanding runner as well, she […]
Sarah Sasse-Kildow – Lincoln High
Lincoln High (Class of 1998) In spite of her diminutive size, Sarah Sasse-Kildow cast a long shadow on Nebraska high school girls golf. After tying for fourth at the state meet as a freshman and second as a sophomore, she won back-to-back state titles as a junior and senior. She also dominated the amateur golf […]
Chuck Stickels – Hastings
Athlete–A 1949 graduate of Hastings High School, a driving force for the Tigers basketball program, especially during his last two years with his all-state caliber play. In 1948 and 1949 Hastings High won 41 of 49 battles on the hardwood. This included a great victory over then long unbeaten Grand Island and runner-up at the […]
Grant Simmons – Omaha Benson
Athlete, 1962 graduate. Grant made his mark at Omaha Benson where he picked up 11 varsity letters, His sports were football, basketball, track, and baseball. He was selected All-City basketball, football and baseball. Then he was picked All State in the same three sports and was tabbed as high school All American in football and […]
Cory Schlesinger – Columbus
Athletes. Cory Schlesinger ’s biggest moment of glory came when he scored two touchdowns in the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ 27-17 win over Miami in the 1995 Orange Bowl that sealed the national championship for the Cornhuskers. But the hard-hitting fullback with a reputation for breaking facemasks carried with him a history of a highly successful high […]
Leigh Suhr – Papillion-LaVista
Athlete. Class of 1998 Leigh Suhr blazed a new trail at Papillion-LaVista High School, becoming the school’s first female athlete to win 12 letters. Suhr especially excelled on the softball diamond where she was a four-year starter at shortstop on a team that won three state championships. The Nebraska Gatorade Player of the Year, she […]
Dean Steinkuhler – Sterling
Athlete–Not far from the Big Nemaha River in southeastern Nebraska is the village of Burr. From this small place came a young man with a large talent who graduated from Sterling High School in 1979. Fortunately for Cornhusker fans, Coach Tom Osborne was astute enough to discover the talent and he encouraged Dean Steinkuhler to […]
Cliff Squires – Lincoln Northeast
Athlete. Cliff’s athletic career began with 13 varsity letters at Bethany and Lincoln Northeast high schools. He was co-captain of Northeast’s first state championship football team in 1943. It was that year he was selected Nebraska’s “Prep Player of the Year” which was the forerunner of the “Athlete of the Year” award. He also garnered […]
