New Hall of Fame Members Announced

Five new members of the Brookings High School Hall of Fame will be inducted at halftime of the football game against Yankton on Friday, August 25, 2017.  In addition, a championship team will be honored for the first time. This is the link to the Register:  ( you may have to cut and paste the address in your browser) https://brookingsregister.com/article/erickson-adams-andersh-burns-johnson-to-be-inducted-into-bhs-athletic-hall-of-fame

A couple of the honorees may be quite familiar to us; one was a teammate/classmate, while the other was teacher/coach.  Our teammate/classmate is Bob Adams, the fourth member of the 1968 State "A" championship team to be so honored, joining Lee Colburn, Jim Kortan, and Tom Osterberg.  The teacher/coach receiving recognition is Norman "Nig" Johnson (1945-1973).   The other inductees are Ron "Red" Erickson, class of 1951; Lori Andersh, class of 1981; and Tim Burns, class of 1988.

Bob Adams moved to Brookings in 1963, at the start of his 8th grade year, and immediately displayed his athletic and scholastic skills  He was talented enough to play on teams with the older boys.  This prowess allowed him to earn nine varsity letters in football, basketball, and track and field.  He was one of the few athletes of his era who excelled in three sports.

In football, Bob played quarterback for his first two years.  When Jim Kortan earned the starting quarterback position during Bob's senior year, he adapted easily to his new position of wide receiver.  On defense, he used his speed and intelligence to perform most admirably at the safety position, setting a school record of three interceptions in one game.  I believe that record still stands.

In basketball, he was the lone starting senior on the 1968 championship squad.  He was not the most flamboyant or flashiest player, but his steadiness and leadership helped cap off an exciting season for a new coach in a new high school building.

In track and field, he was one of the few members who qualified for the state meet.  He was one of the best hurdlers the school has ever produced, setting two school records in the 120 highs and 180 lows.  His 120 highs record lasted for about 30 years.  If Bob had had the training facilities that the school has today, he probably would still have that record.  His 180 lows record will likely never be broken, as that event has been replaced by the 300 meter intermediate hurdles.

Athletics was not all that Bob was gifted at.  He also was exceptionally blessed musically and academically.  He earned All-State choir honors three times, and was chosen as an All-State soloist.  He was valedictorian of his class, and was awarded a National Merit Scholarship.

Bob attended Hamline University in the Twin Cities, and continued to excel in track and field, specializing in the 440 yard intermediate hurdles, while earning a degree in music.

Ron "Red" Erickson graduated about the time most of us were born.  His career (and hair color) was somewhat of a precursor to that of Bob Adams.  Like Bob, "Red" was multi-talented as an athlete, and  actually outdid Bob one better in the letters department, earning 10 varsity letters.

"Red" was a member of some fine athletic teams.  The football teams on which he played had a combined record of 22-8-1 and won ESD crown.  He played on three basketball teams that participated in the state tournament, finishing as runners-up in 1949 and  3rd place in 1951.  They were also ESD champions in 1951.  To cap off that fine 1950-51 school year, the Bobcats were state champions in track and field.  "Red" was on the 880 yard relay team, which won the meet with a school record time of 1:33.9.  Also during his senior year, "Red" was homecoming Lord.  He continued his athletic career at South Dakota State College, again competing in three sports:  football, track and filed, and baseball.

It was interesting to come across an article of the March 21, 1956 edition of the Register.  It mentions that "Ron Erickson, SDSC athlete and Brookings Cubs centerfielder the past few years, has signed a contract to be head basketball coach at Cosmos, Minn...Cosmos (500 population) is located 65 miles west of Minneapolis.  The town is new and a sportsminded town."

I also believe "Red" taught in Madison, SD for a while..  He was in a class that I took in the mid-70's.   Tom Osterberg taught in Madison for about 35 years.  Did they know each other?

Tim Burns  is the third male athlete to be inducted this year.  Coincidentally, he also has (had?) red hair, as Bob and Ron did.  Some of you may know of Tim's father Bob.  He was a young college professor (political science?) at SDSU when many of us enrolled there after high school.  Although he is officially retired, he is still quite active in the political arena. Tim was another excellent three-sport athlete.  He earned three letters in football.  His senior season was rewarded by earning All-ESD and All-State honors.  Also during his senior year, he was wrestling captain, winning the region at heavyweight, and placing third in the state meet.  In track and field, he was chosen as the most valuable athlete.  He won the prestigious Howard Wood Dakota Relays discus championship, as well as the conference title, while finishing third at the state meet. He was rewarded for his athletic achievements by being named Outstanding Boy Athlete for BHS. That class was somewhat reminiscent of ours.  They had a number of outstanding athletes, had  won the State "AA" basketball championship the year before, and finished third ithat year (1988).  Tim earned four letters in football at SDSU, being named a team captain his senior year.

In the early 1980's (1982 perhaps), Tim was directly involved in a policy change in athletics at the Middle School.  Like a number of boys of that era, he tried out for the 7th grade basketball team. However, the coach was not overly impressed with his skills.  Thus, Tim did not make the team.  Tim's father, who was on the school board on the time, disagreed with the decision to cut players at such an early stage in their development.  Bob Burns made the case that no one should be cut from the squad. At that age, he claimed, it is too early to determine how successful one will be later on in life.  Consequently, a no-cut policy was instituted the next year (1983-84).  For me, that meant a team of about 45 players.  Since there was no one assisting me at the time, I needed help and guidance to come up with a plan that was fair to all involved.  We decided to have split practices.  One group would practice from 3:45-5:00, while the other group would practice from 5:00-6:15.  (Somewhat reminiscent of our second semester Junior English classes.  Remember them?  Half the class would come for the first half of the period, while the other half would come for the second half of the period).  We had a great group of players, and they responded exceptionally well.  When those same players were juniors (1986-7), they accomplished what we did in 1968:  a state championship.      
While the girls in our class may not know much about Norman "Nig" Johnson, the boys likely do. Most of us knew him as the athletic director, a position he held from 1954-1973.  He was also our PE teacher our freshman year. In some of the older annuals, he is listed as a history and/or algebra teacher, I bleieve.  

I have heard that Mr. Johnson grew up in Sinai.  He was an exceptionally talented athlete at Augustana College in Sioux Falls, becoming the first to earn 16 letters at that school.  He started teaching/coaching in Brookings in 1945.  At that time, it was common for an individual to coach multiple sports.  Consequently, Mr. Johnson was assistant coach in football, basketball and track and field.  He became head track and field coach in 1951, remaining in that position until 1965.  (Did Mr. Rykhus take over then for a few years?)  As mentioned above, his 1951 team was state champion, while they were runners-up the next two years.  Some of those member that will be recognized from that championship team are "Red" Erickson, Arnold Johnson (Mr. Johnson's son), Duane Rykhus, Dave Christensen, and Jerry Danielsen. Mr. Johnson also had much success as a golf coach.  He was the guiding hand behind the state championship teams of 1969 and 1970.  The were ESD champs in 1970 and 1971.  Mr. Johnson retired in 1973.  He moved to Arkansas, and I believe passed away while residing  there.  His son Norman (Nig, Jr.), himself a member of the Hall of Fame, and his daughter will likely be receive this award. 

The female athlete is Lori Andersh, class of 1981. The family moved here while she was in high school.  Her father was the postmaster.  He may have taken over for Tom Lyons, father of Kris.  (As an aside, both Bob Adams and I worked at the post office during our junior years.)  As the others were three sport athletes, so was Lori:  cross-country, gymnastics, and track and field.  She was one of the many outstanding female athletes BHS was blessed to have in the early 1980's.  In the fall, she was named the most improved runner on the cross-country team that won both ESD and State championships.  In the winter, she was again voted most improved for a gymnastics team that won the Region meet and finished fourth at the State meet.  In the spring, though, she really shined.  She was a key member of four championship relay teams during her track and field career:  4 x 400; 4 x 800 (twice); and medley.  Like Bob Adams, she was a hurdler (her gymnastics training undoubtedly helped her in this event), setting a school record in the 300 intermediates with a time of 46.6 seconds.  She was quite versatile too, setting another school record in the 800 at 2:20.0.  Her name was etched into the annals as  a member of two relay teams that established school records:  4 X 400 (3:59.9) and 4 X 800 (9:25.83).  The latter was also a state record at the time. 

Congratulations to all of these fine individuals.  If you happen to see this blog entry and are in the Brookings area on August 25, 2017, please join in the festivities.  There will be a social at BHS from 4:30-6:00 pm.  This will be a wonderful opportunity to meet and greet the new inductees.  Following the social will be the football game with Yankton, slated to start at 7:00 pm on the SDSU campus.  The five members will officially be inducted at halftime.