Forty Years of Girls Basketball State Tournament
Leonard Bond – Omaha North
Coach. High school coaches the caliber of Leonard Bond always seem to credit good fortune regarding outstanding players under their guidance. Usually, it is no accident. As head football and track coach at Omaha North High School between 1948 to 1975, Coach Bond worked constantly to increase the quality of athletes under his guidance. His […]
Joe Blahak – Columbus Scotus Central
Class of 1969 Athlete A defensive stalwart on the Nebraska Cornhuskers’ Team of the Century, Blahak made his mark on the high school scene competing in football, basketball and track. A Class B all-state football player in 1968, he led Scotus in rushing, scoring and interceptions as the Shamrocks claimed a state title. He […]
Eugene “Red” Littler – Mitchell
Athlete. His blazing speed while at Mitchell High School and the University of Nebraska made the highly-respected Red Littler into a true legend. For three consecutive years until his graduation in 1937, he led the Tigers of Mitchell High to Class B State Track & Field Championships. At the close of this 1935-36-37 period, the […]
Eugene McCue – Arapahoe
Athlete Arapahoe High School won the Nebraska State Boys Track & Field Championship three years in a row: 1949, 1950 and 1951,Class C, due for the most part to the contributions at the State Track Meets from one of the all-time best all-around athletes in the state. His consistency was remarkable throughout his years in […]
Wally McNaught – Lincoln
Contributor. A longtime coach and athletic director at Lincoln Southeast, Wally McNaught was involved in high school sports for more than 45 years. He coached football, basketball and track while at Harvard, Crete, Omaha Bryan and Southeast. He led Lincoln Southeast to the state basketball tournament (boys) five times, finishing second twice. While he was […]
Maurice H. Palrang – Boys Town
Coach–Success as a coach in at least three different sports and at different high schools throughout a career from 1934-1972 shows the versatility of this fine coach. Prior to World War II, Maurice “Skip” Palrang helped develop the basketball skills of the Creighton Prep Blue jays in Omaha, leading them to winning state tournaments in […]
Randy Rasmussen – Elba
Athlete. This 1963 graduate of Elba High School in Howard County certainly proved what all great coaches know: if you have the talent, your origins, whether small town or large city, simply do not matter. Randy Rasmussen began playing eight-man football in high school along with other sports. At Kearney State College, he quickly matured […]
Wes Shepard – Lincoln
Coach. Wes’s basketball record with a career span of 48 years: 519 wins and 168 losses. This includes one state championship and ten district titles plus numerous conference titles. The administrator-coach also coached football, track, baseball and volleyball at the junior through college level during his career. His Nebraska basketball teams reached the state tournament […]
Donna Spickelmier Vallin – Hayes Center
Athlete. (1985) A mirror image of her sister, Debbie, the Spickelmier twins dominated Class D throughout their high school careers that included two state track championships, a state basketball championship and two state track and one volleyball runner-up finish. Donna won 16 medals at the state track meet, including an all-class gold medal in the […]
