2009 Dakota State University Athletic Hall of Fame
| Inductee Name |
Title/Award/Honor/Athlete/Coach/Others |
| Joyce Farrell |
Coaching |
| Tom Farrell |
Coaching |
| Anthony 'Toney' Blanks |
Football |
| Dick Anderson |
Coaching |
| Lee Moran |
Coaching |
| Phil Dobbs |
Coaching |
Joyce Farrell – Coaching
Joyce (Lusk) Farrell is a 1970 graduate of Dakota State College, with a degree in physical education and health. While at DSC, Farrell played field hockey.
Farrell began her teaching career at Madison High School in 1970. She spent her entire career at MHS, except for a brief time during 1977-78, when she served as head varsity gymnastics and head girls track coach at Pine River High School in Pine River, Minn. Farrell retired from MHS in 2006.
In addition to her work in the classroom, Farrell served as the head coach for Madison girls’ track team from 1970-75, head girls’ golf coach from 1975-77, and head gymnastics coach from 1979-86. Farrell was head volleyball coach from 1986-2006. She was also an assistant volleyball coach for Dakota State from 1982-84.
Farrell has been honored for her coaching success over the years. She was named the Golf Coach of the Year in 1981 and the Volleyball Coach of the Year in 1995 by the South Dakota High School Coaches Association. Her golf team earned second place in the state tournament in 1979 and 1989, and her volleyball team earned third place in the state tournament in 1999. Her volleyball team became the state champions in 1995. Dakota State recognized Farrell as Alumni Coach of the Year in both 1981 and 1999. She was honored as Distinguished Alumna by Dakota State in 2006.
Farrell is married to fellow DSC graduate Tom, class of 1970. They have two children and two grandchildren.
Tom Farrell – Coaching
Tom Farrell is a 1970 graduate of Dakota State College. While at DSU, Farrell participated in wrestling and track and was the student manager for the football team for one year. Farrell was the President of the Physical Education Majors Club and was the President for the student section of the South Dakota Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance Association.
Farrell began his teaching career at Dakota State after his graduation in 1970. He retired this spring (2009) as Associate Professor Emeritus of Computer Science and Information Systems.
While on faculty at Dakota State, Farrell served in many capacities in the athletic department including head women’s volleyball coach, head wrestling coach, head men’s golf coach, and assistant football coach. He also served as the sports information director, director of intramural sports, director of athletics, and coordinator of health and physical education program. He also served as the faculty athletic representative.
Farrell has been a South Dakota High School Athletic Association official in football, basketball, wrestling, volleyball, and track. He was a state volleyball official for 8 years, and was the state volleyball tournament co-director for two years when the tournament was hosted by Dakota State. Farrell has been announcing volleyball games on the local radio station, KJAM, for 23 years. He also has been a guest commentator for South Dakota Public Broadcasting for the state volleyball games.
Farrell and wife Joyce (Lusk), also class of 1970, have two children and two grandchildren.
Anthony ‘Toney’ Blanks – Football
Anthony ‘Toney’ Blanks graduated from Dakota State College in 1975. While at DSC, Blanks participated in football, wrestling, and track. Blanks was one of the first two African-Americans to enroll at Dakota State, and the first African-American to graduate from DSC.
Blanks was an accomplished athlete on the football field at Dakota State. Honors he received during his senior year in 1974 included SDIC All-Conference, NAIA All-District 12, Most Valuable Offensive Player, All-American, and Honorable Mention Little All-American Team.
As a wrestler, Blanks placed fourth in the SDIC tournament in 1973. His sprint medley relay team set the school record in 1974, and he was the SDIC Conference Champion long jumper in 1975. The records Blanks set in track stood until 1984, 1998, and 2008.
Blanks earned an MBA from Armstrong University in Berkeley, Calif., in 1979. He retired in 2009 after serving more than 20 years at San Diego State University, most recently as an operating systems analyst in the office of Student Testing, Assessment, and Research. He and wife Diane have one son, Christopher.
Dick Anderson – Coaching
Dick Anderson is a 1963 graduate of Dakota State University, then known as General Beadle State College. While at GBSC, Anderson participated in football, baseball, basketball, and track. He earned nine varsity letters and was named Athlete of the Year in 1963.
Following his graduation from GBSC, Anderson went on to a career coaching football that spanned six different high schools in four different stats including South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, and Nebraska. His overall coaching record was 149-68-3. His teams won several conference and district championships including two Nebraska State Football Championships.
Over the years, Dick has received numerous honors as a coach including: Nebraska Coach of the Year, 1986; Head Coach in the North Nebraska Shrine Bowl, 1985; Nebraska District 4 Coach of the Year, 1982; Sportscasters Coach of the Year, 1982; G.I. Independent Coach of the Year, 1982; and Sportscaster Coach of the Year, 1980. Dick also served as assistant coach in the South Nebraska Shrine Bowl in 1979.
Dick’s family includes wife Judy, son Jason, daughter Melissa, and seven grandchildren. He is a graduate of Montrose High School, Class of 1959.
Lee Moran – Coaching
Lee Moran was a coach at General Beadle State College from 1968-73. Moran came to GBSC for the fall football season and was an assistant football coach under George Blankley. Moran also served as head wrestling coach and head golf coach, and was an instructor in the Physical Education Department.
In January of 1970, Moran was named Head Football Coach after the retirement of Blankley. Moran also became the Athletic Director, stayed on as head golf coach, but gave up his wrestling coaching position. Moran coached the Trojan Football team from 1970-72 and compiled a record of 18-11.
On December 4, 1971, Coach Moran’s Dakota State College Trojan Football team made history as they were the first college football team from South Dakota to win a post-season bowl game, The Boot Hill Bowl. The post-season college football bowl game played in Dodge City, Kan. in the 1970’s and early 1980’s.
The 1971 Boot Hill Champion Trojans were ranked as high as seventh in national rankings during the regular-season, and conclude with a 9-2 record. Coach Moran was named NAIA District 12 Football Coach of the Year for 1971.
Moran resigned from DSC in 1973, to join the staff at New Mexico State University. He later gave up coaching and developed a successful 33-year career in sales. He and wife Maxine operated Winning Edge Sales in the Upper Midwest, but now have reduced their product lines to representing only Cutters Performances Gloves.
Phil Dobbs – Coaching
Phil Dobbs is a 1966 graduate of General Beadle State College. While at GBSC, he was a four-year letterman in football under Coach George Blankley.
Dobbs graduated with a degree in English and took his first teaching job at Chester Area High School where hew as head football and wrestling coach. His 1967 football team was 12-2 and won the Great Plains Conference Championship. Dobbs started the wrestling program in Chester in 1966.
After a coaching stint in Fort Dodge, Iowa, Dobbs moved to Racine Park High School in Racine, Wis. and became head football coach in 1973, a position he held until 1995. Dobb’s coaching record at Racine Park was 147-75-1, and he compiled six conference championships and nine runner-ups. Racine Park qualified for the WIAA playoffs nine times during those years. They made it to the semifinals of the largest school class three times, and won the Division I State Championship in 1988.
Overall, Dobb’s football teams had 21 winning seasons, including the last eleven at Racine Park. Dobb’s 25-year career head coaching record was 159-77-1. He was inducted into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Hall of Fame in 1997. In 2006, the football facility at Racine Park was named the Phil Dobbs Panther Football Facility.
Dobbs served on the board of directors of the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association for many years and was directly involved in the WFCA Football Clinic, one of the country’s top coaching clinics.
In 1995, Phil became Director of Athletics and Activities at Racine Park High School a position he held until his retirement in 2000. During that time, Phil led the fundraising effort to build a new football stadium for Racine. During those years, Racine Park’s athletic teams were very successful and won several state championships.
Dobb’s wife, Beth (Bowles), is also a GBSC graduate, class of 1965. They currently reside in Clermont, Fla., and spend summer and fall months in Wisconsin. Dobbs does television broadcasting of high school football games for Time-Warner Cable in Milwaukee.
