Erick Strickland – Bellevue West
Athlete. A 1992 Bellevue West graduate, Strickland advanced to the NBA after standout high school and collegiate careers in Nebraska. At Bellevue West, Strickland starred in football, basketball and baseball and was the 1992 prep athlete of the year. He earned all-state honors in all three sports and led Bellevue West’s basketball team to three […]
Arthur Vance – Hardy
Athlete–Along the southern border of Nebraska in Webster and Nuckolls Counties once existed Cowles High School and Hardy High School. One exposed to this early 20th century secondary education was a late blooming great baseball pitcher, Dazzy Vance. Arm troubles hampered his rise until his early thirties when he started in 1922 with the major […]
Fred Bessler – Chase County
Coach. Fred Bessler had a career football coaching record of 248-81-1 and got his start in Brule. From there, Bessler went to Madrid where he was the head coach of their 9-0 eight-man team that was ranked No. 1. He then moved on to Cozad where he was an assistant coach for the state champion […]
Gene Kruger – Elkhorn
Coach. After serving three years in the United States Marine Corps, Gene attended Midland College receiving his B.S. in 1946. His first teaching and coaching job was at his hometown of Arlington, heading up all sports. He made the move to Elkhorn in 1949 where he hired on as assistant coach in all sports and […]
Ted Larson – Lincoln
Coach. Ted Larson’s teams were always on the run. As a head coach at Lincoln Southeast, Larson’s teams won 24 state championships from 1983 to 2001 – 13 in girls cross country, 10 in boys cross country and one in boys track. The girls cross country team put together a streak of nine straight […]
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 […]