2001 Dakota State University Athletic Hall of Fame
| Inductee Name |
Title/Award/Honor/Athlete/Coach/Others |
| Monique (Reed) Nelson |
Women's Basketball |
| Pete Strewe |
Football, Men's Basketball |
| Eldor 'Lars' Larson |
Coaching |
| Dick Miller |
Football, Men's Basketball |
| 1971 DSC Football Team |
Boot Hill Bowl Champions |
Monique (Reed) Nelson – Women’s Basketball
As co-captain for the 1986 women’s basketball squad, Monique was an NAIA Academic All-American and honorable mention All-Conference selection at Dakota State College. In 1985, she received the hardest worker award while being named All-Conference in the SDIC. She received the Most Improved player award in 1983.
She finished her career at DSC fourth on both the career rebounds and single season blocked shots lists. She finished 7th on the career list for blocked shots, even though stats were kept only during her senior season. Monique excelled off the court as well, as he was a member of the Dean’s List, a Who’s Who student and a Lowry Scholar. She was part of the DSC Ambassadors, a member of Kappa Sigma Iota, Vice President of the Math and Science Club and was involved with interhall council. While at DSC, she received several scholarships.
Since graduating, Monique has been an active teacher. Her first teaching job was in LeSueur, Minn. as a science teacher. For two years there, she was also the junior varsity and freshmen girls’ basketball coach.
She has lived in Elk Point, S.D. since 1988, teaching chemistry at North High School in Sioux City, Iowa. In 2000, she was named to Who’s Who Among American High School Teachers. Monique also teaches Sunday School, Bible School and plays in the church band. She has also served on the church council and church board of education.
Her and husband, Bret Reed, have been married since July 1987. Together, they have two children, Kelly (8) and Cody (5).
Pete Strewe – Football, Men’s Basketball
Merle ‘Pete’ Struwe graduated from General Beadle Teachers College in 1951. While at GBTC, Struwe was a tight end on the football team and a guard/forward on the basketball squad. He was a four-year starter in both sports.
Pete recalls playing in a football game his senior year with a foot of snow on the ground and a temperature of zero degrees. The game was played against rival Sioux Falls College as the Trojans won 39-0. Bing humble, Pete said he really didn’t have anything to do with the outcome of the game as half-back Robert Caselli scored all 39 points.
In basketball, Struwe remembers a game against Black Hills State on their home court. The Trojans won the game by one point on a last second shot. Struwe remembers the game as a fluke.
After graduating, Struwe spent two years in the military. His first teaching job was at Chester from 1954-56. He then came back to Madison to teach and coach basketball, football and track at General Beadle High Scholl until 1963.
In 1964, he began teaching at Madison Junior High School until he retired in 1992. While at the junior high, he coached football, basketball and track. He also coached semi-pro baseball and American Legion Baseball.
Struwe has remained active at Dakota State, being a part of the chain-gan for over 20 yars at all home football games.
Pete was married to Elaine Merager in 1954. Together, they have three sons, Gregg, Jeff and Toss and six grandchildren.
Eldor ‘Lars’ Larson – Coaching
Eldor Larson came to General Beadle Teacher’s College in 1947, wanting to get playing experience to make him a better coach and teacher, which would be his passion. Larson joined the basketball team, learning techniques he would use as a coach. After just a year at General Beadle, Larson graduated with a state certificate, permitting him to teach in the elementary school. He was offered a seventh and eighth grade teaching and coaching position at Strandburg.
Larson coached the basketball team into the State ‘B’ tournament his first year there. In 1950, he decided to focus on getting his bachelor’s degree and came back to General Beadle. Four of his players decided to join him. He was now playing beside the athletes he had previously coached at Strandburg.
The five played both football and basketball. Larson cracked three ribs in the first football game against Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) and broke his leg in the final game of the season. After he recovered from his injuries on the football field, Larson joined three of his former players on the basketball court. It was one of the highlights of his playing career to play along side the boys he had once coached.
After graduation in 1952, Larson went to South Shore to teach and coach. In 1954, he became the superintendent. He traveled to Minnesota in 1960 and for the next 20 years, he worked as a superintendent at several different school districts. After two heart attacks in 1981, Eldor resigned from Park Rapids to find his way back to South Dakota. Before retiring in 1989, Eldor served as superintendent, elementary principal and boys’ and girls’ basketball coach at Midland.
Eldor currently resides in Watertown with his wife Vivian of 53 years. Together, they have four sons and three daughters, along with 11 grandchildren, who all reside in South Dakota, North Dakota and Minnesota.
Dick Miller – Football, Men’s Basketball
Dick Miller was a four-year starter in both football and basketball, playing in every game during his career. He was the all-time General Beadle Teacher’s College scorer, capping off his career in 1959 with 1,118 points and All-Conference selection. He held that record until 1961.
During his football career at GBTC, Miller threw 26 touchdown passes, was co-captain in 1958 and voted the college’s best athlete for the 1958-59 season.
After graduating, Miller coached high school basketball for 28 years accumulating a varsity record of 448-201. He earned 13 conference championships, 10 district titles, three region titles, was named District Coach of the Year seven times and regional Coach of the Year twice.
He also coached varsity football for 27 years, compiling a record of 188-63-3 with 26 winning seasons. Miller was voted North Dakota Athletic Director of the Year in 1987 in Oakes, N.D., where he retired in 1995.
He resides in Oakes, N.D. with his wife of 31 years, Mary Zilch. Together, they have three children, Sara (Greg) Wohl, Betsy (Curt) Seter and Jay Miller and three grandchildren, Mary Pat Seter, Maggie Seter and Marcus Wohl.
1971 Boot Hill Bowl Champions – DSC Trojan Football Team
On December 4, 1971, the Dakota State College football Trojans helped make history, as they were the first college football team from South Dakota to ever win a post-season bowl game. Tonight, the team will again make history. This time as the first athletic team to ducted into the Dakota State University Athletic Hall of Fame.
The game was the Boot Hill Bowl, played at Memorial Stadium in Dodge City, Kansas against the Northwestern State College Rangers from Alva, Okla. The night was described as a snowy, chilly South Dakota type evening with an ice-covered football field.
Northwest Oklahoma was a full scholarship program. The Trojans feared they wouldn’t be able to match up to the bigger, quicker Rangers, giving up a significant size and slight speed advantage to them. During the first-half, as the 20-3 score would indicate, the Trojans worst fears were becoming a realization in being able to match up with them.
Head coach at the time, Lee Moran indicated that halftime conversation evolved around ‘the score was simply 30 minutes of football. There were still 30 minutes remaining.’
Inside the locker room, the team and coaches discussed all the efforts of the alumni, the faculty and the DSU boosters who helped get them to the ball game. In Moran’s words, “We could go out and simply be embarrassed or we could regroup and come out and play OUR 30 minutes of football.”
The Trojans did just that as they showed that the early season goals they had set, the strong chemistry throughout the entire team that evolved and the great leadership from within proved to be stronger than their opponent in the second half.
The Trojans took advantage of a few breaks, gaining confidence they could beat the Rangers. The kicking game became a strong suit throughout the second half, and the punting game helped the Trojans gain field position.
The Trojans total team effort defense forced several key turnovers in the second half. The defensive coaches kept fresh players on the field to give the offense a shot at scoring points.
The Trojans were now in position to look to its playmakers and go for the big play. The play, a ‘pro right 90’ was called with the ball on the Trojan 20-yard line. The offensive line gave game MVP, quarterback Daryl Fletcher, a 6-0 and 185 lbs. sophomore from Hartford, S.D., enough time to take a three-step drop and find flanker, Darwin Robinson, a 6-2 and 180 lbs. sophomore from Redfield, S.D., as he cut to the post after a 10-yard routine. “This was definitely the play of the game,” recalled Moran.
The win capped truly a great season for this group of Trojans, as it was the highlight of their careers. “Pulling together, as a team, and pulling off this huge upset, has never been forgotten and will always be remembered as a total team effort,” Moran concluded.
The Boot Hill Bowl Champion Trojans posted a 9-2 record that season, which found them ranked as high as number seven in the national rankings. Several team members garnered SDIC All-Conference honors including defensive back Pat Behrns, a 5-11 and 185 lbs. junior from David City, Neb.; running back Mike Reed, a 6-0 and 190 lbs. sophomore from Sioux City, Iowa; and tight end Dan Stratton, a 6-3 and 215 lbs. junior from Wentworth, S.D.
In just his second season with the Trojans, Moran was named NAIA Football Coach of the Year.
1971 Dakota State College Football Schedule/Results
9-2 overall record; 5-2 SDIC conference record |
| Opponent |
Score |
| Peru (Neb.) |
W, 45-13 |
| Southwest Minnesota State |
W, 19-14 |
| Northwestern (Iowa) |
W, 28-21 |
| USD/Springfield* |
W, 31-0 |
| South Dakota Tech* |
L, 7-17 |
| Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.)* |
W, 14-13 |
| Northern State (S.D.)* |
L, 18-30 |
| Black Hills State (S.D.)* |
W, 17-13 |
| Huron (S.D.)* |
W, 3-0 |
| Sioux Falls (S.D.)* |
W, 20-8 |
| Northwest Oklahoma State $ |
W, 23-20 |
*SDIC Conference Contest
$ - Booth Hill Bowl Game (Dodge City, Kan.) - Dec. 4, 1971 |
