2016 Dakota State University Athletics Hall of Fame
| Inductee Name |
Title/Award/Honor/Athlete/Coach/Others |
| Dr. Kathie Courtney |
Athletic Trainer |
| Wayne Stowell |
Football |
| Rick Rodman (posthumously) |
Football |
| Steve Kueter |
Coaching |
| James Janssen |
Football |
| 1977 DSC Men's Tennis Team |
SDIC Championship Team |
Dr. Kathie Courtney - Athletic Trainer
Dr. Kathie Courtney is a pioneer in the field of athletic training as she was the first certified female athletic trainer in the state of South Dakota. She was one of the first women certified in athletic training at the national level as well.
Courtney was instrumental in the development of the athletic training profession through her involvement in the South Dakota Athletic Trainers Association. She served in every office of the SDATA and also served on numerous district and national committees.
Prior to coming to Dakota State in 1976, Courtney received her Bachelor of Science in Physical Education at South Dakota State in 1974. She went on to Indiana State University to receive her Master of Science in Athletic Training/Sociology in 1975.
Courtney was an instructor of Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) at Dakota State College from 1976 through 1988.
Courtney was Dakota State's first National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA) certified trainer during the 1970's. She worked with all sports from the days leading up to fall camp for football until the last spring sport season was completed.
She designed the first DSC training room which was accessible to both male and female athletes. She was very instrumental in the development of a strong student training program at Dakota State.
Courtney also brought new expertise to the course work for the physical education program with her degree and knowledge of athletic training. She was responsible for initiating Dakota State's long relationship with Orthopedic Institute in Sioux Falls. DSU still maintains that relationship for its athletes.
She became an Assistant Athletic Trainer and the Director of the Academic Advisement Center at Northern State University (S.D.) from 1988-1992.
She went to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln for her doctorate degree from 1992-94 and returned to Northern State for the rest of her career. She held various positions at Northern State including instructor, assistant professor and associate professor of Health Education, academic coordinator for HPE, Director of the Comprehensive School Health Education Summer Institute, Assessment Coordinator for the School of Education, and the NCATE Coordinator.
Courtney had made numerous presentations and publications during her career.
Courtney received awards and honors during her career, receiving the National Athletic Trainers' Association Athletic Trainer Service Award in 1996. She was inducted into the South Dakota Athletic Training Hall of Fame in 2000. In 2005, she was honored as a Distinguished Alumnus at South Dakota State University in the area of 'Service to Education.' Courtney was inducted into the Mid-America Athletic Trainers Association Hall of Fame, where she was the second woman in the history of MAATA to receive this award.
She was inducted into the DSU Athletic Hall of Fame with the members of the 1977 DSC Football undefeated team as an athletic trainer in 2007. She was inducted into the Sully Buttes High School Athletic Hall of Fame in October 2009.
Courtney retired in August of 2012 with 37 years of teaching and athletic training experience in higher education for South Dakota. She served as an excellent role model and liaison for women entering the profession of Athletic Training.
Wayne Stowell - Football
Playing for Spirit Lake High School in Iowa, Wayne Stowell was recruited by Hall of Fame coach Lee Moran to be part of the change at Dakota State College that would build a successful college football program.
Stowell was a four-year letterman and three-year starter for the Trojan Football team. As the starting defensive end as a sophomore, he led the team in fumble recoveries. Stowell was the starting defensive end for the Hall of Fame 1971 Boot Hill Bowl Team, which was the first South Dakota college team to earn a postseason bid. The Trojans finished No. 12 in the NAIA national rankings that year.
In each of the first three seasons as a starter, Stowell was named 'Defensive Player of the Week' for the first two games and several additional games throughout the season. He was also named 'Big Hitter of the Week' multiple times.
It was noted by his coaches that the first two games set the level of his play each season and he would have to even play better to earn the honor for other games. Stowell did so as a junior and earned Defensive Player of the Year for Dakota State. He was also named South Dakota Intercollegiate (SDIC) First Team All-Conference and NAIA Honorable Mention All-District 12.
As a senior, Stowell led the 1973 Hall of Fame Trojan Football team to their first-ever SDIC conference football title. Along with his senior defensive teammates Mick Twiss, Denny Lather and Jim Tirrell, the Trojans led the SDIC in rushing yards allowed with 86.2 yards per game and ranked second overall in SDIC's team defense.
Stowell repeated as a First Team SDIC All-Conference honor and was selected to NAIA All-District 12 First Team in his senior season.
He was one of the leading tacklers for the Trojans as well as quarterback sacks and fumble recoveries. As a junior, Stowell recovered two fumbles and returned them for touchdowns. In his senior season, he intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown.
During his junior and senior seasons, Stowell was the defensive captain calling all the formations and schemes during the game. He recalled that they studied game film and worked with the defensive coaches as they stimulated game-type situations on the practice field and used that knowledge during the game.
Tom Farrell wrote for the Eastern, a Dakota State newspaper, "He was able to put on a real effective pass rush, and also do an outstanding job of covering receivers out of the backfield. Wayne was also known for his pursuit across the field to bring down opposing ball carriers. Trojans opponents seldom ran outside of his end and many times were forced to try the other side."
After college, Stowell moved to St. Petersburg, Fla. where he has been a professional salesman and lives there today. He also coached football at the middle and high school levels and high school track.
Wayne has two grown children – daughter Jenny and son Tyler, married to Allison. He is also a grandfather to baby Peighton (15 months). Wayne enjoys playing golf and all sports as a spectator. Growing up on Lake Okoboji, he became a competitive water skier in slalom skiing and barefoot skiing.
Rick Rodman - Football (posthumously)
Rick Rodman was a vital member of one of the most dominate defensive teams in Dakota State's (S.D.) football history, including the first-ever undefeated Trojan Football team in school history in 1977. He was also an integral member of the DSC Football team that won the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference titles from 1975 through 1977.
Rodman lettered as a defensive lineman in his freshman season in 1974. He was a member of the DSC Football team that clinched a share of the SDIC conference title in 1975. They accomplished this by winning the final five games of the season, including three straight SDIC conference victories.
The Trojans won another share of the SDIC conference title in 1976 while finishing with a No. 9 ranking in the final national NAIA Division II Football poll. The Trojans completed the season with an overall record of 8-2. Rodman was named SDIC All-Conference Honorable Mention that season.
Rodman – listed as 6-foot, 205 pound nose guard in 1977 – had an impressive season. He led the Trojan team to their first-ever undefeated football team with a 10-0 record. This team finished with a sixth-place spot in the final NAIA national rankings.
The 1977 DSC Football team was inducted into the DSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.
Rodman was part of the 1977 DSC defense that led the nation in points allowed, holding its opponents to just 42 points for the entire season. That championship defense gave up only 4.2 points per game. The Trojan defense also placed in the top six in rushing yards allowed, holding opponents to only 70.2 yards a game. The DSC squad also finished fifth in total defense, giving up 181.7 yards per game.
Rodman was the unanimous choice for All-SDIC Defensive Honors in 1977. He was named NAIA All-District 12 and NAIA Division II All-American Second Team. He was the Trojan's second-leading tackler on the team after piling up of 136 tackles – 44 solo and 92 assisted tackles.
Rodman led the team in fumble recoveries for the Trojans that same season. He was selected as the NAIA District 12 Player-of-the-Week for his performances in DSC's 21-6 victory over long-time rival Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.). He recorded 14 total tackles in the game (3 solo tackles, 11 assists tackles) and registered two quarterback sacks.
After he left Dakota State, Rodman became a member of the 1981 Middleboro Cobras Eastern Football League (EFL) Championship team. He was the assistant coach for the 1990 Randolph Oilers EFL Championship Team.
Rodman was also an assistant coach at Whitman-Hanson High School from 1982 through 2000. His teams captured 14 league championships, appeared in 7 state championship games and won 3 state championships. The Top Lineman award was named 'The Rodman Award.'
Rodman was a teacher of Health Education at Plymouth Community Intermediate School (PCIS). He was also a Student Council Advisor. PCIS established a student award in his honor called the 'PCIS Rick Rodman Positive Spirit Builder Award.'
Steve Kueter - Coaching
Dakota State (S.D.) University alumnus Steve Kueter ended his impressive football coaching career with Sioux Falls O'Gorman High School in 2015, where he has coached since 1982.
Kueter joined the Dakota State College football team in 1973 after graduating from West Central High School as a three-sport letterman. A broken leg in his sophomore year ended his football playing career, but started bringing an interest in coaching.
He was one of the teammates with the Trojan Football team that won the first-ever South Dakota Intercollegiate conference title in 1973.
After officiating football for two years, Kueter graduated from DSC and became the head football coach at Webster High School. After one year at Webster, he joined the coaching staff at O'Gorman High School where he became the head coach in 1983.
Kueter was the head football coach at O'Gorman for a total of 33 years until his retirement in 2015. He compiled an overall record of 289 wins, 92 losses and 1 tie, setting the record for most wins in the history of South Dakota high school football. The previous record was held by Yankton's Max Hawk with 285 victories.
He is a member of the South Dakota Football Coaches Association (SDFCA) Hall of Fame and the South Dakota Coaches Association (SDCA) Hall of Fame. He has won numerous Coach-of-the-Year awards, including nomination for National High School Coach of the Year twice.
His Knights teams appeared in 14 State Championship games (in Class 11AA and Class 11AAA combined), including Kueter's final season in 2015. The Knights made a record 24 semifinals appearances and also reeled off consecutive undefeated seasons in 2004 and 2005.
Kueter led the Knights to seven state championships including 1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993, 2004 and 2005. The Knights were runner-up in the state championship game seven times in 1982, 1984, 1990, 1999, 2006, 2010 and most recently in 2015.
Although retiring as the football coach, Kueter remains as the activities director of the Sioux Falls Catholic Schools and O'Gorman High School. He was named the DSU Alumni Coach of the Year in 1989.
Steve and his wife Gloriann have three children – Sam, Max and Megan.
James Janssen - Football
James Janssen proved to be one of the Trojans' best running backs during Dakota State's (S.D.) dominance in the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (SDIC) during the decade of 1970's. His rushing yard marks are still intact in the Trojan Football record book today.
During his first two years at Dakota State College, Janssen played basketball for the Trojans under the direction of Hall of Famers Ed Harter in 1975-76 and Cliff Anderson in 1976-77.
Janssen then joined the Trojan Football team for his remaining years at Dakota State. He was part of the integral members of the 1977 DSC Football team that finished with their first-ever undefeated 10-0 record while winning their fourth SDIC conference title in five years.
The offense got off to a rather slow start but came on strong to average 345 yards per game in the final five contests. The offense also got 21 or more points each of those games.
Janssen had a stellar 1978 season breaking three different school records, leading to his recognition as an NAIA All-American Second Team running back as well as receiving SDIC All-Conference honors.
He rushed 46 times in a single game versus the University of South Dakota/Springfield in 1978, tying the school record for most rushing attempts in a single game with Hall of Famer Darwin Robinson. Janssen also owns the school record for most rushing yards in a single game, racking up a total of 294 yards against USD/S.
He finished the season with single-season school record of 1,370 rushing yards for the Trojans in 1978. All three records are still intact today in the DSU Football record book.
The 1978 DSC grid team ended the year with an overall record of 8-2 and a perfect 6-0 SDIC conference record, where the Trojans won their fourth consecutive SDIC football conference title. Janssen earned the team's most valuable offensive player award after he ended the season with an average of over 273 yards a game.
Janssen was voted as the Most Valuable Offensive player as well as the Most Valuable Player on the 1979 Trojan team. He also received SDIC Football All-Conference recognition when the Trojans finished their season with an overall record of 7-3 and 5-1 in the SDIC. The squad's only conference loss was to Black Hills State (S.D.).
Janssen graduated from Dakota State in 1980. After graduation, he worked on the oil fields in Wyoming for three years before moving back to South Dakota in 1984 where he coached Florence boys' basketball team. In 1985, he worked for the City of Watertown up until his retirement in 2015. He played on the city league team for many years.
Janssen loves to golf and throw a good game of darts. He enjoys hunting, fishing and camping as well.
James and his wife Debbie have six grown children and 13 grandchildren.
1977 Dakota State College Men's Tennis SDIC Championship Team
The 1977 Dakota State College Men's Tennis Team never lost a single match, cruising to their South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (SDIC) Championship.
The Trojans opened the season with a 3-0 record after blanking long-time rival Dakota Wesleyan (S.D.) 8-0. In that match, the number one singles went to DSC's Kelly Sullivan over Phil Serr, 6-0, 6-3, while Tony Simon downed Paul Serr 6-0, 6-1. Trojan Bruce Beyer shut down Steve Oster 6-0, 6-0. Mark Merrigan also blanked Tate Redding 6-0, 6-0 for Dakota State and Wade Merry earned 6-0, 6-0 victory over Don Faggieui.
Dakota State also dominated the doubles play over the Tigers, winning each doubles match. The Trojans shut down the University of South Dakota/Springfield and Sioux Falls College (S.D.), both by the scores of 9-0.
The DSC men's tennis squad earned runner-up honors at the Northern State (S.D.) Invitational later in the season. The Trojans scored 20 points in the tournament while Merrigan and Owen Reitzel were undefeated in tournament play.
After falling to the University of South Dakota, Dakota State bounced back in the winning column by defeating Sioux Falls College.
The Trojans dominated the SDIC Conference Men's Tennis Tournament in Springfield, S.D. Dakota State tallied 63 points in the tournament, followed by South Dakota Tech with 34 points, Dakota Wesleyan third with 16 points, Black Hills State (S.D.) fourth with 10 points and USD/Springfield fifth with no points.
It was the first time a team had ever gone through the SDIC Men's Tennis Tournament undefeated. The Trojans were also 10-2 in dual matches during the season.
Simons captured the number one singles title at the SDIC match, while Kelly Sullivan took the number two singles crown. Beyer was the number three singles champions with Merrigan winning the number four singles.
Simons and Beyer teamed up for the number one doubles championship and Sullivan and Merrigan swept the number two doubles for Dakota State.
Reitzel and Merry filled the number four and five singles sports, respectively during the regular-season and also comprised the number three doubles team for the Trojans. Roger Mesteth was also a member of the DSC Men's Tennis Team.
Beyer, Merrigan, Simons and Sullivan garnered SDIC Men's Tennis All-Conference honors. The DSC men's tennis team was coached by former Dakota State Hall of Famer George Blankley.
