September 26, 2024
 

MADISON, S.D. – Former Dakota State athlete and area coach Kim Nelson was inducted in the 2024 Dakota State University Athletics Hall of Fame on Sept. 13.  He has forty-five (45) years of successful coaching at the high school levels, and was an integral member of the dominant Trojan football squads in the late 1970's.

Nelson was a three-sport student-athlete at then Dakota State College (DSC) in football, basketball, and baseball.  He was the team captain in all three, including football – 1977, basketball – 1978-79, and baseball – 1978.

He was a member of the undefeated 1977 DSC football team, which had a 10-0 record and limited the opponents to under five points per game.  It was the first unbeaten team in school history, and they were ranked sixth in the final NAIA Division poll. The team also won their fourth South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference in a span of five years and was named the South Dakota Collegiate Team of the Year by state sportswriters.  That squad was inducted into the DSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2007. 

Nelson was named to the SDIC All-Conference in baseball in 1977 and was awarded the Dusty Andersen Memorial Award.

After graduating from Dakota State in 1979, Nelson's first head coaching job was in Milbank, S.D.  He coached there from 1979 through 1987, with a record of 58-22.  The Milbank High School squads won four Northeast Conference Championships, seven straight winning seasons, and earned runner-up honor in the State Class '11A' championship game in 1983.  Nelson was named the conference's Coach-of-the-Year four times.

He moved to Rapid City, S.D., in the fall of 1987.  After going 1-17 in the first two seasons, Nelson guided Rapid City Central to four consecutive winning seasons.  RCC's 1990 football team had the school's first 9-0 season and earned their first state playoffs victory in school history.  He had the privilege of coaching Adam Vinatieri, a retired NFL kicker, in 1989 and 1990. 

Nelson received the Region IV Coach of the Year award in 1990 and was selected to coach in two All-Star games in 1991 and head coach in 1992.  He was 27-31 record as the Rapid City Central football head coach.

He moved to Sioux Falls, S.D., to coach for the Sioux Falls Washington High School football.  In their first year, the Warriors won the first Sioux Interstate Conference (SIC) Championship in school history.  Nelson guided the S.F. Washington team to win one more SIC championship and three Greater Dakota Conference (GDC) Championships.

Nelson had an overall record of 84-42 at Sioux Falls Washington.  In 2000, the Warriors' squad had their first undefeated regular season since 1960 and set a record for wins in a season with 11.  S.F. Washington was the state runner-up in Class 11AA in 2002 with 11 victories.

While coaching at Washington High School, Nelson was chosen as the conference's Coach-of-the-Year four times, City Coach-of-the-Year three times, and Region V Coach-of-the-Year once.  He was also honored by his alma mater as the Alumni Coach of the Year in 2001.

Nelson was selected six times to coach in the South Dakota All-Star games for the South Team and two times with the North team.

He went on to coach at Edina High School in Edina, Minn.  The school won the conference title in 2007 and was the conference runner-up twice in Nelson's four seasons at Edina.  He was named the Metro Coach of the Year in 2007.

Nelson returned to Sioux Falls to coach for the Roosevelt High School football team for the 15 years until his retirement.  The Rough Riders were the state champions in 2011, and runners-up in 2013, 2014, and 2017.  Nelson was named the South Dakota Football Coach of the Year in 2011.

He accumulated an overall record of 314-154, the winningest coach in South Dakota history.  That record had never been set in high school football history in the state of South Dakota.

Nelson served on the South Dakota Football Coaches Association Board of Directors, representing Region V, and served for nine years on the football advisory committee for the state activities association.  He has been a member of the South Dakota State Coaches Association for 35 years and a member of the Football Coaches Association since its inception.

Nelson was president of the South Dakota Football Coaches' Association from 2012-13.  He is proud to have been asked to speak at 17 different football clinics and has five articles published by "Gridiron Strategies" magazines in recent years.  Most recently, Nelson served as an executive secretary of the South Dakota High School Football Coaches Association from 2019-23.

In 2004, Nelson was a national finalist for the Power of Influence award from the American Football Coaches Association and America Football Coaches Foundation.  He received the American Youth Character Builder award from 'Character Counts' in 2000.  Later that year, he received an award of gratitude from the Communication Services for the Deaf after being nominated by one of his former deaf athletes.  He has also been a national finalist for high school football Coach of the Year twice in 2015 and 2024.

Kim and his wife Michelle (West) have two sons, Ross and Joey.  Kim enjoys golfing, bike riding, playing tennis, and watching football during his spare time.
 

2024 Dakota State Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees Series
Monday, Sept. 23	Michelle (Butash) Daniels
Tuesday, Sept. 24	Brent Dowling
Wednesday, Sept. 25	Brad Gilbert
Wednesday, Sept. 25	Tommy Hofer
Thursday, Sept. 26	Mike Katen
Thursday, Sept. 26	Kim Nelson
Friday, Sept. 27	Jeff Rensch