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Congrats Bob Jensen - NE High School Sports Hall of Fame Inductee

Alum-Ni

All-State
Gold Member
Aug 29, 2004
49,882
1,629
113
The Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2015 has been announced. The class will formally be inducted at the annual banquet on October 4 in Lincoln.

Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame - Class of 2015

ATHLETES


Bob Green, Omaha Creighton Prep (1978)
A three-time state tennis champion at No. 1 singles, he never lost a match his last three years, going 67-0. Was a three-time MVP at Boston University and went on to professional tennis, reaching No. 39 in the world rankings in 1984.

Russ Hochstein, Hartington Cedar Catholic (1996)
A first-team All-American by the Sporting News and a two-time first-team All-Big 12 selection at Nebraska, he was the second NFL player to win a Super Bowl ring in three consecutive years. In high school, he earned 12 varsity letters and made the Blue Chip Illustrated All-America football team as a senior.

Calvin Jones, Omaha Central (1990)
A prep All-America football player, he was a third-team All-American as a Nebraska junior before turning pro. He ran for 3,153 yards for the Huskers and won a Super Bowl XXXI ring as a special teams player with the Green Bay Packers. At Central, he set Class A single-game, single-season and career rushing records and was a state champion sprinter in track.

Tonya (Kneifl) Gordon, Newcastle (1997)
She set records at the state track and field meet in the high jump, long jump and triple jump while winning 12 Class D gold medals and two all-class gold medals. Was a nine-time Division II All-America jumper at South Dakota. Also at Newcastle, she scored 1,987 points in basketball, which still ranks among the top 15 all time, and starred on the 1994 Class D2 state championship team.

Jenny Kropp-Goess, Grand Island Central Catholic (1998)
A four-year letter winner in volleyball and basketball, she helped the Crusaders win one state volleyball championship in three finals appearances. She was an All-American at Nebraska and later played professional indoor and sand volleyball.

Lionel McPhaull, Omaha North (1993)
The three-sport letterman's signature sport was track, in which he was a seven-time gold medalist and set the state record in the 400. At South Dakota, he was a 10-time Division II All-American. He competed professionally for two years.

Danny Noonan, Lincoln Northeast (1983)
All-Nebraska on the Rockets' 1982 state runner-up football team, he earned All-America honors while playing for the Huskers and had a six-year NFL career. Later he developed interests in kickboxing and mixed martial arts.

Alice Schmidt, Elkhorn (2000)
An Olympian in 2008 and a three-time NCAA champion at North Carolina, she dominated middle distances in high school track, setting the state record in the 800. She collected five all-class gold medals and 12 Class B gold medals at the state track meet.

Dean Thompson, Omaha Westside (1980)
Led the Warriors to the Class A boys basketball title as a senior while gaining all-state honors. He was voted to the golden-anniversary Metro Conference holiday tournament basketball team. Is still the all-time leading scorer at Nebraska-Omaha.

Jan Wall, Lincoln Northeast (1958)
A standout in basketball and baseball at Nebraska, he struck out 121 in 103 innings at Northeast and had an ERA of 0.98. He was a two-time all-state basketball player (19.8 points per game) who was an All-American as a senior and in 1983 was considered one of the top 10 basketball players in the state outside of Omaha over a 30-year period.

P.J. Wiseman, Ralston (1992)
A five-time gold medalist at the state swim meet, he was listed on the state's all-time charts in six of the eight individual events and all three relays. He was a five-time All-American swimmer at Tennessee.

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COACHES

Dan Brost, Mullen
Led Mullen to five Class D state wrestling titles and three runner-up finishes in 31 years while coaching 29 individual state champions. Also was athletic director at Mullen and McPherson County before his death this winter.

Dan Keyser, Cambridge
Coaches the Trojans to six state football championships and two other finals appearances while posting a 198-51 career record. The Trojans' 48-game winning streak, which ended in 1999, is the state record. Keyser this year will join the Nebraska School Activities Association board.

Doug Krecklow, Omaha Westside
His boys' teams have won 11 state swimming championships and been runners-up five times during his 34-year tenure, and the girls have nine state championships and seven runner-up finishes.

Sharon Zavala, Grand Island Central Catholic
She has 875 victories in her 40-year career as the Crusaders' volleyball coach, leading them to nine state championships, eight state runner-up finishes and 26 state tournament appearances.

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OFFICIAL

Doug Martin, North Platte
Officiated basketball for 42 years, football for 38 and track for 19, including 19 state championship games in football and basketball. Also was North Platte's longtime track coach.

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CONTRIBUTORS

Phil Cahoy Sr., Omaha
For more than 50 years, his gymnastics training center has provided the foundation for countless prep gymnasts, including Olympians Jim Hartung and Phil Cahoy Jr. He has coached several junior national teams.

Bob Jensen, Central City
Longtime newspaper man is the founder and publisher of Huskerland Prep Report, which has evolved from a weekly statistics report into a multimedia publication featuring athletes statewide.

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OTHER AWARDS

Great Moment in High School Sports: Jacob Molacek, Omaha Creighton Prep
He set six state records and one national record at the 2014 state swimming and diving championsihps.

Fischer Family Award: Arnold and MaryAnn Thiele, Clearwater
Their sons played key roles in creating the Clearwater boys basketball dynasty of the 1980s. Their grandchildren are making their mark in the state in volleyball, basketball and golf.

Gustafson Inspiration Award: Kenzie May, Southwest
Born without a right hand and forearm, she was the most valuable teammate in the Nebraska Coaches Association All-Star Volleyball Game and is now playing volleyball and running track at Chadron State.

Golden Anniversary Team: 1965 Bertrand football
Coach Terry Renner's Vikings were 9-0, giving up only one touchdown in the last five games. They finished second in the final World-Herald ratings to 10-0 West Point.

Golden Anniversary Team: 1966 Omaha Central track
Led by Bobby Allen, Jim Hunter and Joe Orduna, coach Frank Smagacz's Eagles repeated as Class A champions by winning five events to outscore runner-up Omaha Tech 58-33.

Silver Anniversary Team: 1990 Papillion-LaVista football
The Class A state champions (12-0), coached by Gene Suhr, set Class A scoring records in the regular season and playoffs. Beat Grand Island 42-21 for the state title.

Silver Anniversary Team: 1991 Sutton girls basketball
Coach John Schoneberg's Fillies were the only undefeated (26-0) girls basketball team in 1990-91, edging Crofton 40-38 in the Class C1 state final.

Silver Anniversary Team: 1990-91 Mullen football/wrestling
Coach Mike Brown took the Broncos to an undefeated state championship season in Class D1 football before coach Dan Brost guided Mullen to its third consecutive state championship in Class D wrestling.

Dominant Dynasty: 2000 to 2012 Howells football/wrestling
The Bobcats won 10 state 8-man football championships with Mike Speirs as coach. In wrestling, with Lee Schroeder and then Brian Jones as coaches, they had 12 top-10 finishes that included four Class D state titles and two runner-up teams.
 
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