***FOR RELEASE WEEKEND OF MARCH 29-30 and thereafter**

FROM: The Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame Foundation
RE: 2009 induction class & award selections

**Please forward any stories/web casts/pod casts you do on the Hall of Fame throughout the year to buck_mahoney@charter.net or jensenpub@hamilton.net**

LINCOLN – The Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame Foundation will be adding 11 athletes, five coaches, two contributors and a referee to the hall at its induction ceremony Sunday, Sept. 27, at the Lied Center in Lincoln.
This will be the Hall of Fame's 16th induction ceremony. Tickets to the induction ceremony are available by contacting the Nebraska Sports Council at P.O. Box 29366, Lincoln, NE., 68529, or by calling 1-402-471-2544 or, in Nebraska, 1-800-304-2637. Ticket prices are: $25 for adults and $10 for high school and elementary students. Preschool children are admitted free. Doors open at noon with the program beginning at 1:30 p.m.
In addition to the inductees, the Hall of Fame will honor two golden anniversary and two silver anniversary teams as well as the Fischer Family Award winners and the Ron Gustafson Inspiration Award winner.
New this year will be a Dominant Dynasties award, presented to a team that sustained unequaled success over a long period of time. This year's inductees and honorees are:
ATHLETES:
--Tom Ernst, Columbus, 1959: A four-year starter in football and basketball and a three-year letterman in track, he earned all-state football honors and tied for the Class A gold medal in the shot put. In college, he started for the Nebraska baseball team.
--Sarah (Fredstrom) Secrest, Omaha Burke, (1994): A four-time state doubles champion in tennis, Fredstrom earned all-state honors in softball and basketball and went on to set many softball records at Colorado State University.
--Kelli (Benson) Jeffries, Grand Island, 1980: A high school All-American basketball player, she also was all-state in volleyball and state champion in high jump. She went on to be one of the best shooters in the history of the Nebraska Cornhuskers.
--Pat Hodges, Lexington, 1974: Set the state record making 47 consecutive free throws and set the Southwest Conference scoring record in basketball. He also set a state record in the 880-yard dash, winning four gold medals at the state track meet his senior year. He also was a two-way starter on Lexington's state champion football teams of 1972 and 1973.
--Andy Meyer, Superior, 1989: A two-time state champion and a state record-holder in the discus, Meyer also played football and basketball at Superior. For the Nebraska Cornhuskers, he was a three-time All-American and a Big 8 Conference discus and shot put champion.
--Jim Myers, York, 1942: An all-state halfback on York's undefeated football team of 1942, he also was named to the all-state basketball tournament team and won the gold medal in the pole vault at the state track meet.
--Rich Osentowski, Ord, 1965: All-state in football and basketball, he was the 1965 Class B state golf champion. He went on to star at Kearney State College in football and baseball and played professional baseball in the Twins organization.
--Laura Tietjen, Byron, 1976: Led Byron to a 14-0 season in 1976, averaging 38 points per game. She scored 58 points in one game, currently the second-highest single-game total.
--Larry Tomlinson, O'Neill St. Mary's, 1959: All-state in football and basketball, he set school records for scoring in basketball and was a a receiver on the St. Mary state champion team of 1958. He had five second-place finishes at the state track meet as O'Neill St. Mary won the state title. He played collegiate football for the Cornhuskers.
--Jim White, Hastings, 1968: An all-state basketball player who led the Tigers to the state tournament setting school single-game and single-season scoring records, White made his reputation on the golf course, winning the 1969 state tournament with a record-tying 70. He went on to play basketball and golf at Hastings College before embarking on an outstanding amateur and professional golf career.
--Zach Wiegert, Fremont Bergan, 1990: A three-sport standout at Bergan, Wiegert anchored Nebraska's “Pipeline,” starting 37 straight games at right tackle. The Outland Trophy winner in 1994, he played 11 years in the NFL.
COACHES:
--Curlee Alexander, Omaha North: Alexander coached more than 50 individual champions in a career that started at Omaha Tech in 1971. He led Tech to the state championship in 1978. In 1984 he moved to Omaha North where he led the Vikings to six state titles and three state runner-up finishes.
--Roy Bassett, Hastings: In a 40-year career that started at Nelson in 1932 then moved to Hastings in 1938, Bassett worked as head football, basketball, track and cross country coach. He coached numerous top 10 football teams, the state runner-up basketball team of 1949, the state champion cross country teams of 1958 and 1959 and the state runner-up track teams of 1963 and 1971.
--Jerry Eickhoff, Hampton: Retired this year as Nebraska's all-time winningest basketball coach with 670 wins. In his 40-year career, Eickhoff's teams won three state championships, three runner-up trophies and played in three other state tournaments.
--George O'Boyle, Lincoln Pius X: Coached 17 cross country championship teams and two track championship teams in a 40-year career at Lincoln Pius X.
--Keith Staehr, Kimball: Averaged six wins per year over a 32-year career that included four years at North Loup-Scotia before moving to Kimball in 1972.
OFFICIAL:
--Dale Butler, Norfolk: Estimated to have worked more than 2,100 games, Butler began officiating intramural games while at Chadron State College. He had his first full varsity schedule in football and basketball in 1969. Also umpired baseball. He has officiated at the state basketball tournament, the state football playoffs and state baseball tournaments.
CONTRIBUTORS:
--Roger Barry, Schuyler: A teacher and coach whose career started at Neligh, Barry has been a leader and a driving force in promoting wrestling and girls athletics. He started the wrestling programs at Neligh and Schuyler and was the first girls track coach at Schuyler. He also is involved in the Nebraska Scholastic Wrestling Coaches Association and the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame.
--Ray Ehlers, Lexington: A former NSAA Board of Control member, Ehlers was the activities director and assistant principal at Lexington High School for nearly 30 years. He also coached at Fullerton and Blair High Schools before moving to Lexington. He was an organizer of the Nebraska School Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.
FISCHER FAMILY AWARD:
--Sam and Edward Schwartzkopf families of Lincoln: Sam, a former mayor of Lincoln, and Edward, a former University of Nebraska regent, were football standouts at Lincoln High and the University of Nebraska, playing as teammates on the Husker team of 1939. Sam's wife, Dorothy, and daughter, Christie, were founders of the Nebraska Women's Amateur Golf Association and have won a combined 11 state amateur championships. Ed's son-in-law, Mike Fultz, was inducted into the Nebraska High School Hall of Fame in 2005. The grandchildren have added to the legacy, among other things, playing soccer at Nebraska and water polo at the University of Richmond.
RON GUSTAFSON INSPIRATION AWARD:
--Alex Gouldie, St. Paul: An amputee who lost her lower leg when she was 2 years old, Gouldie, a senior at St. Paul High School, has played first base on the high school softball team and played for the U.S. Paralympic volleyball team.
GOLDEN ANNIVERSARY TEAMS
--Omaha South boys basketball of 1959-60: Coach Cornie Collin's undefeated (21-0) state championship team of 1960 was the only undefeated team in Class A in a 29-year period.
--Central City baseball of 1959-60: The Class B state championship of 1960 culminated a magic run by the Bison, who lost only two games in district and state competition from 1956-60.
SILVER ANNIVERSARY TEAMS:
--Hayes Center girls of 1984-85: Hayes Center won its second Class D state track championship in 1985 and claimed the Class D-2 state championship in basketball and state runner-up trophy in volleyball.
--Columbus Scotus football of 1984: The first Class B team to go 13-0. They allowed only 55 points all season.
DOMINANT DYNASTIES:
Minden boys basketball teams of the 1950's were coached by Russ Bogue, 1950-51-52, posting a record of 62-4, and  Coach Aldie Johnson (109-29),  during the 1953-54-55-56-57-58-59 seasons.  The Whippets won state championships in 1952, 1955 and 1958 and runner-up trophies in 1950 and 1959.  Football Coaches Loren Kuper and Sam Somerhalder were assistant basketball coaches as well.
   The 1950's era was prior to the wild card method of entering the state tournament. Seven Minden teams were district winners during the dynasty period and went to state. The 1954 team lost in the state semifinals to the eventual Class B winner, Lincoln University High.  The 1951 and 1956 Whippet teams were highly regarded and rated in both Class B and overall class ratings even though losing in the districts.  The 1953 team would have also been a top wild card contender under current methods of selection and perhaps that qualifying vehicle, if in effect in the 50’s, could have given Minden a 10-year run in state tournament appearances.