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LINCOLN - Eleven athletes, four coaches, one official and two contributors have been selected to enter the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame, including Dan Brost of Mullen, Silver Anniversary Team - Mullen Football/Wrestling, former Custer County Chief Sports Editor Bob Jensen as the ounder and publisher of the Huskerland Prep Report.
They will be inducted at the Hall's annual induction ceremony Oct. 4 at Lincoln East High School. The reception begins at noon with the ceremony starting at 1:30 p.m.
Tickets are $25 for adults, $10 for elementary and high school students. Preschool children are admitted free.
Tickets may be purchased by contacting the Nebraska Sports Council at (402) 471-2544 or by email at info@nebraskasportscouncil.com.
The Honorees include:
ATHLETES:
Bob Green, Creighton Prep, 1978 - A three-time state tennis champion at No. 1 singles, he never lost a match his last three years, going 67-0. He was a three-time team MVP at Boston University who went on to pro tennis, reaching No 39 in the world in 1984.
Russ Hochstein, Hartington Cedar Catholic, 1996 - A 4-year letterman in football, basketball and track, made the Blue Chip Illustrated All-America football team as a senior then went on to an All-American career playing for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He was the second NFL player to win a Super Bowl ring in three consecutive years playing for Tampa Bay and New England.
Calvin Jones, Omaha Central, 1990 - A prep and collegiate All-American football player, he set Class A single-game, single-season and career rushing records and was a state champion sprinter in track. He ran for 3,000 yards for the Huskers and won a Super Bowl ring with the Green Bay Packers.
Tonya (Kneifl) Gordon, Newcastle, 1997 - The state track meet's gold standard, she set hing jump, long jump and triple jump records while amassing more points at the state meet than any other female athlete. She won 12 Class D gold medals, two all-class gold medals and was never beaten in the high jump or triple jump during her high school career. She scored 1,987 points in basketball, which still ranks in the top 15, and led Newcastle to the 1994 state title.
Jenny Kropp-Goess, Grand Island Central Catholic, 1998 - A four-year letterwinner in volleyball and basketball, she helped the Crusaders win one state volleyball championship in thre state finals appearances. She earned All-American honors at Nebraska and went on to play professional indoor and sand volleyball.
Lionel McPhaull, Omaha North, 1993 - A three-sport letterman, his signature sport was track where he was a seven-time gold medalist, setting the state record in the 400. At the University of South Dakota, he was a 10-time All-American. He competed professionally for two years.
Danny Noonan, Lincoln Northeast, 1983 - All-state and an honorable mention All-American, he led the Rockets to the state final in 1982. He earned All-American honors while playing for the Huskers and had a six-year NFL career with the Cowboys and Packers.
Alice Schmidt, Elkhorn, 2000 - An Olympian in 2008 and a three-time NCAA champion, she dominated middle distances in high school track, setting the state record in the 800. She collected five all-class gold medals and 12 Class B gold medals at the state track meet.
Dean Thompson, Omaha Westside, 1980 - Led the Warriors to the 1980 Class A state championship while gaining all-state honors.He was selected for the Golden Anniversary Metro Conference Tournament all-star team and is still the leading scorer at UNO despite playing prior to the addition of the 3-point line.
Jan Wall, Lincoln Northeast, 1958 - A standout pitcher and basketball player at Nebraska, he struck out 121 batters in 103 innings and had an ERA of 0.98 while pitching for Northeast. The Lincoln Journal-Star's athlete of the year in 1958, he was a two-time all-state basketball player and an All-American as a senior. In 1983, he was listed as one of the top 10 basketball players in the state, outside of Omaha, during his era.
P.J. Wiseman, Ralston, 1992 - A five-time individual gold medalist at the state swim meet, he was listed in the state's all-time top-10 performance in six of the eight individual events and all three relays. He was a five-time All-American swimmer at the University of Tennessee.
Coaches:
Dan Brost, Mullen - Led Mullen to five Class D state wrestling championships and three runner-up finishes in 31 years. He coached 29 state champions in his 31-year career. He was the athletics director at Mullen and McPherson County before his death this past winter.
Dan Keyser, Cambridge - Coached the Cambridge football team to six state championships and two other finals appearances while posting a 198-51 career record. The Trojans' 48-game winning streak, which ended in 1999, is the state record.
Doug Krecklow, Omaha Westside - His Westside boys have won 11 state swimming championships and five runner-up trophies during his 34-year tenure, and the girls won nine state championships with seven runnner-up finishes.
Sharon Zavala, Grand Island Central Catholic - She has 875 victories in her 40-year career as a volleyball coach, leading the Crusaders to nine state championships, eight state runner-ups and 26 state tournament appearances.
Officials:
Doug Martin, North Platte - A versatile arbiter, he officiated basketball for 42 years, football for 38 years and track for 19 years, including nine state championship games in football and basketball.
Contributors:
Phil Cahoy Sr., Omaha - For more than 50 years, his gymnastics training center in Omaha has provided the foundation for countless prep gymnasts including a two Olympians, Jim Hartung and Phil Cahoy, Jr.. He has coached junior national teams that have competed in Japan, South Africa, Australia, Hungary and German.
Bob Jensen, Central City - A long-time newspaper man, former sports editor for the Custer County Chief, he is the founder and publisher of Huskerland Prep Report, evolving it from a a weekly statitics report into a multi-media publication featuring athletes from border to border.
Honorees:
Fischer Family Award - Arnold and MaryAnn Thiele, Clearwater: Sons played key roles in creating the Clearwater dynasty. Grandchildren are making their mark on volleyball and basketball court while dominating juniro golf.
Gustafson Inspiration Award - Kenzie May, Southwest: Born without a right hand and forearm, she was the most valuable teammate in the Nebraska Coaches Association All-Star Volleyball Game and is now playing volleyball and running tack and Chadron State.
Golden Anniversary Team - Bertrand Football: Undefeated (9-0), giving up only one touchdown in the last five games. Their average score was 38-4.
Golden Anniversary Team - Omaha Central Track. Led by Bobby Allen, Jim Hunter and Joe Orduna, Coach Frank Smagacz's Eagles repeasted as Class A state champions, winning five events to outscore runner-up Omaha Tech 58-33.
Silver Anniversary Team - Papillion-LaVista Football: The undefeated Class A state champions (12-0), coached by Gene Suhr, set Class A scoring records in the regular season and playoffs. Beat Grand Island 42-21 for the state title.
Silver Anniversary Team - Sutton Girls Basketball: The only undefeated (26-0) girls basketball team in 1990-91, the Fillies edged Crofton 40-38 in the Class C-1 state final. Coach John Schoneberg's team averaged 63 points per game.
Silver Anniversary Team - Mullen Football/Wrestling: Coach Mike Brown took the Broncos to an undefeated state championship season in Eight Man-1 football before coach --Dan Brost guided Mullen to its third consectivite state championship in Class D wrestling.
Dominant Dynasty - Howells Football/Wrestling 2000-2012: The Bobcats won 10 state football championships under coach Mike Speirs and they had 12 top-ten finishes in wrestling under coaches Lee Schroeder and then Brian Jones, including four Class D state titles and two runner-up finishes.
Great Moment in High School Sports - Jacob Molacek, Creighton Prep, set six state records and one national record at the 2014 state swimming and diving championships.