Bernie Saggau
Our inductee into the Hall of Fame was born and raised in Denison, Iowa. He graduated from Denison High School in 1946. During his high school career, he participated in Football, Basketball, Baseball, and Track. After graduation, Bernie attended Buena Vista College receiving his Bachelor of Arts Degree in 1950. Bernie participated in Football and Track in College. He ran 9.9 for 100 yards in college. After receiving his degree, he began his career at Cherokee Washington High School as a teacher and coach. Later he also served as a principal before leaving to enter private business. He joined the staff of the Iowa High School Athletic Association in 1963 as the Assistant Executive Secretary. The last 32 years he has served as the Executive Director. Some of Bernie’s accomplishments include serving as the Chairperson for the National Basketball Rules Committee for eight years and the Football Rules Committee for 25 years. Bernie has also served on the United States Olympic House of Delegates Committee. He is a renown motivational speaker. Honors Bernie has received include being the recipient of the National High School Coaches Distinguishes Service Award and an Award of Merit from the National High School Athletic Directors Association, which is the highest honor given by that organization. In 1996, he was selected as one of the top 20 individuals in last 20 years to have done the most for improving officiating by Referee Magazine. Bernie was inducted into the National Federation of State High Schools Hall of Fame in 1993. The Board of Control established an award in his name in 1989. This award honors an outstanding citizen athlete (boy or girl) in every one of the 400 high schools in the State of Iowa. Bernie spent over 30 years as a referee for high school and college basketball and football. Bernie has also served as the meet manager for the State Boys Track and Field meet. He has seen the sports of track and field and cross country increase in participation during his time as the Executive Director of the Iowa High School Athletic Association. He is currently raising funds to build the Hall of Pride to recognize student achievements in Iowa high schools in all facets of the school, not just athletics. He also serves on the Board of Trustees for Buena Vista University. Bernie and his wife Lois had three children. Today Bernie is the proud grandfather of three granddaughters and one grandson. It is an honor to introduce Bernie Saggau as a 1999 inductee to the Iowa Association Track & Field Hall of Fame.
George Saling
*Photo from University of Iowa Archives
George Saling was born in 1909 in Memphis, MO. When he was 3 months old the family moved to Corydon, Iowa where he graduated from high school in 1927. George’s first love was basketball and he was captain of the Corydon team in 1926 and 27.
He went out for track, partly because that was what most of the other boys did in the spring. In meets he filled in wherever he was needed most, running anything from the 100 to the 440, in addition to the hurdles.
In the fall of 1927 Saling began classes at the University of Iowa and turned his ambitions toward basketball. One night as he was leaving the court after practice, he raced over a couple of hurdles that were nearby, as George Bresnahan, the U of I head track coach happened to be passing.
Coach Bresnahan spotted Saling’s natural gift for the hurdles and immediately began an intense campaign to recruit George away from basketball and on to the track team. ….Saling credited Bresnahan for much of his success.
During his senior year at Iowa, in 1932, Saling established himself as a world class high hurdler. He set records in many meets that year, including the Drake Relays and the National Collegiate championships, where he equaled Percy Beard’s world record of 14.1. At the 1932 AAU Championships, Saling lost in the high hurdle final to Jack Keller, but still earned a place on the US Olympic team by winning the 200M hurdle title.
In the first heat at the Los Angeles Olympic Games, Saling came in second to Don Finlay of Great Britain. He came back in the semis to run 14.4 breaking the Olympic record. In the final Saling ran 14.6 and took home the gold medal. In fact, Team USA took home both gold and silver as Percy Beard finished 2nd.
Corydon and the track world were stunned by the untimely death of George Saling on April 14, 1933, as a result of a car accident near St Louis. He was just 23 years old.
George Saling’s memory was honored by his hometown high school in 1938 when its newly lighted athletic field was dedicated as “Saling Field”. In 1983, during Corydon’s Old Settlers Celebration, Saling was honored in a special ceremony and a bronze plaque honoring his Olympic Gold Medal winning effort was mounted on the east side of the bandstand on the Wayne County courthouse grounds. In 1989, the University of Iowa established an Athletic Hall of Fame and George Saling was one of the athletes and coaches named to the inaugural class.
Saling’s Olympic track uniform, warm-up suit, Olympic jacket, photos, and clippings are on display in a special case of the 20th Century wing at the Prairie Trails Museum.
Tim Sanderson
After graduating from Beaman-Conrad high school in 1967, Tim Sanderson went on to college to continue his athletic career and get a degree. Tim found himself at Westmar College in LeMars earning a degree in Elementary and Secondary Education and starting all 4 years on both the baseball and football teams. He earned his Masters in Education Administration at Iowa State.
Tim’s first job landed him at Paton-Churdan in 1971 where he taught Social Studies and PE, coached football and track and spent his last 2 years there as the Elementary Principal. Tim left Paton-Churdan in 1978 to become the Elementary Principal at Benton Community. Before retiring from there in 2009, Tim also wore the hats of the Athletic Director and the Special Ed Director.
When Tim got out of coaching, officiating provided him the “fix” he needed by allowing him to stay directly involved in high school athletics. Tim was a registered baseball official from 1971 to 1992 and worked 2 state championship games. He became a registered track official in 1973 and is still very active in our sport.
Tim is a charter board member of the IATO, having been a member since 1999 and the groups President in 2006 and 2007.
Tim has been both an umpire and a starter at NCAA championship meets. He has been a clerk and a starter at the state track meet and was a starter this past season at the state cross country meet.
Seven times in his career, Tim has been chosen as a state or national track and field or cross country official of the year.
Tim and Jacque have 2 children
Chuck Schoffner
He came to Iowa from Indiana knowing little about track and field. Chuck Schoffner was born in Lima, Ohio and lived there for 16 years before his family moved to South Bend, Indiana. He played basketball and baseball at Clay High School, graduating in the spring of 1968. He made the move to Des Moines in the fall of ’68 and graduated from Drake University in 1972. After being exposed to the Drake Relays as a Drake Journalism major, Chuck Schoffner has become a great ambassador of our sport.
Chuck attended his first Drake Relays in 1969, as a student, after being hired by longtime Drake coach Gary Osborne to help with meet preparation. He has not missed America’s Athletic Classic since. For the most part, Chuck has been a “behind the scenes” kind of guy but it his work “on the scene” that has led to his winning the Laverne Kloster Service Award. After graduating from Drake, Chuck embarked on a long and rewarding career as a sports and feature writer and editor, for United Press International and The Associated Press, retiring in 2005. With the AP, Chuck was the national women’s basketball writer. He has covered 5 Olympic Games and a number of men’s and women’s Final Fours.
In track and field, Chuck worked in media information his last 3 years as a Drake student, and then covered the meet during his working career. Upon retiring, Chuck was invited to be a member of the Relays Committee. He is chair of the subcommittee that picks the high school participants. In addition to being on the Relays Committee, Chuck writes a feature story each year for the program and works in media information, providing daily wrap-ups and useful information for the throng of media personnel attending The Relays. Chuck has also worked in the same capacity for the NCAA and USATF meets that Drake has hosted. Chuck began covering the Iowa high school state meet in the mid ’70s while working for UPI and AP. Since retiring, he continues to work at the state meet, but in a somewhat different capacity. He sits in the booth with Bud Legg and I talking with Bud about the Cleveland Indians, knowing “that next year is their year”; reciting verbatim the lyrics to any 50’s or 60’s rock and roll song that comes to mind and providing me, and the media with wonderful, useful nuggets of information on participating athletes and teams.
Chuck also chairs the Hall of Fame committees for the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, coordinating the selection of athletes in track and field, basketball, softball, and volleyball. He is a “behind the scenes kind of guy”, but it is that work behind the scenes that helps our Iowa athletes get the recognition they deserve and make those people “on the scene” sound and look like they know what they are doing! He and his wife Pam, a Drake Journalism grad herself are still very active writers.
Bob Scott
Bob was born on February 20, 1935, in Rochester, Minnesota. He attended Chatfield High School, graduating in 1953. He participated in football, basketball, baseball, and track & field while in high school. He participated in the 1953 Minnesota State Track & Field Meet. Bob graduated from Winona State University in Winona, Minnesota with a Bachelors Degree in Mathematics & Physical Education in 1960 and a Masters in Mathematics in 1966. Bob ran track and cross country for Winona State serving as captain of both the cross country (fall of 1959) and track (spring of 1958) teams. He qualified for the national meet in the two-mile run and won the conference two-mile title in 1958. Bob held the Winona State Cross Country Course record in 1958. Bob began his track and field coaching career in 1960 at Bloomington, Wisconsin, starting the Track & Field program. He won two conference titles and had one individual state champion. Bob started the boys and girls cross country programs at North Fayette in 1968. During the last 38 year,s North Fayette (now North Fayette- West Union) High School has become one of the premier programs in the state. Here are some of Bob’s accomplishments in track & field, Twenty-two conference championships including the last twelve years in a row, five District titles, and one runner-up finish at the State Meet and the 2006 State Championship Team. He has been selected Regional Coach of the year four times and the State Coach of the Year in 2006. He has had twelve individual state champions (including 3 won titles in two events) and one relay team state champion which set a state record in the 4 X 200 Meter Relay. Bob also has coached a Long Jump Champion at the Drake Relays. Bob’s Cross Country achievements are just as outstanding. His girls’ team won the 1975 State Title, and has had 4 runner-up finishes. He has won nine district titles. The boys won one State Mile Team championship. His teams have won three conference titles. Bob was selected State Girls Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1975. Bob is actively involved in many other aspects of track & field. He has served as a director of Kids Hershey’s Track & Field Meet. He has been the race director for the Fayette County Fair Road Race for 25 years. He was the Boy’s Referee for the Drake Relays in 2004. He is a Level II TAC Coach and a member of the Winona State University Athletic Hall of Fame. Bob was nominated for the National Cross Country Coach of the Year in 1975. He has also received awards for his teaching duties as well. Bob received the Honor Teacher Award presented by the NSF, NASA, NSTA, and UF at the Stearns Space Center in Mississippi. He also received the NSF Math award at Lafayette University. Bob and his wife, Betty have four children. They are Dan, Kelly, James, Julie and Kristyn. They are also the proud grandparents of 11 grandchildren. They also found time to raise eight foster children. Bob has been a member of the Lions Club for 37 years and the American Legion for 20 years.
Dick Seivert
If you’ve ever wondered if coaching high school track and cross country would help you to take on bigger things in life, just ask Dick Seivert, now retired from coaching at Le Mars Gehlen. Dick was born in Elkton, South Dakota in 1950 and took his first teaching job at Armstrong High School in Armstrong, Iowa, in 1972. In 1976 he began teaching and coaching at Le Mars Gehlen Catholic. In 1983 he added the title of 7-12 Guidance Counselor. Dick coached over 100 seasons at Gehlen, heading up softball, baseball, football, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls basketball and boys and girls track at different times in his career. As a cross country coach, he had many state qualifiers, including the 1986 state championship girls’ team. The girls track team won 13 conference titles, 14 district/regional titles and 3 state titles. In his 34 years of coaching girls track, Gehlen had at least 1 state qualifier each season.
In the spring of 1999 something happened that changed Dick’s life. He helped set up a mission trip to Honduras for one of his students, and as they say, the rest is history. Gehlen Catholic Mission Honduras, eventually becoming Mission Honduras Le Mars was born and Dick is the director. They send medical teams into Honduras in January to perform clinics and student teams are sent in the spring to do water projects. By 2003, Coach Seivert knew he had to make a decision. He was getting overwhelmed with all of the “irons he had in the fire”. Along with teaching, coaching, being the guidance counselor and Director of Mission Honduras Le Mars, Dick added a food packaging program called “Then Feed Just One”. Something had to give. After 20 years of coaching cross country, he stepped down after the 2004 season. Two years later he made the painful decision of resigning from girls track after almost 3 ½ decades.
Since sending that first student on her mission trip, Dick has orchestrated sending 32 mission teams to Honduras; completed 31 water projects, sent 660 people on mission trips, has brought 7 children to the US for medical care and continues to provide medical care for countless others within Honduras. They have distributed thousands of school supply items, clothes, hygiene products, shipped 352 tons of Then Feed Just One food, which is equivalent to 5 million meals. They have funded and continue to fund orphanages, clinics, and malnutrition centers while working closely with four Honduran organizations to help even more people.
In closing, Dick said, “Although I thoroughly loved every minute of my coaching career and wish I could still enjoy coaching track today, I know that I made the right choice in helping our students in another way; by teaching them how to treat the less fortunate, whether they are from our country or a different one. I guess I have stopped coaching sports to coach our young people in life”.
Charles “Chuck” Silvey
Chuck Silvey was born in Bethany, Missouri but lived out his love for track in field in Iowa.
After receiving his degree from Iowa States Teachers College (UNI), Silvey began his long time coaching career at United Community Schools, coaching boys and girls basketball. His next stops were at Prairie City and Calmar before accepting the position as Head Boy’s Cross Country and Track and Field coach at Tech High School in Des Moines. Silvey made his mark as an excellent cross country coach as his Engineers won six state titles and two state mile team race crowns. Seven more times Tech’s cross country teams finished as state runner-ups. Three of Tech’s individuals won state cross country titles during Silvey’s tenure.
In Track and Field Tech won 6 state titles indoors and one outdoors. Chuck Silvey’s track and field teams were very successful at the Drake Relays winning 15 relay championships and 5 individual gold medals. At the State track meet, Silvey led squads won 14 relay golds and crowned 10 individual champions. In 1982 Chuck Silvey accepted the position as Head Cross Country and Track and Field coach at Des Moines North High School. He retired from North in 1984, closing out a 32 year career at the two schools. He served as Director of Athletic Facilities for Urbandale Public Schools from 1984 to 1998. Coach Chuck Silvey was widely known for conducting all-comers track and field and cross country meets for many years in the greater Des Moines area. Silvey gave countless hours to the sports that he loved so dearly. Chuck Silvey passed away on November 21, 1998. He is survived by his wife Betty and children Charlotte, Gary and Steve.
Evo Sjecklocha
Graduated from Sheldahl High School and Simpson College. He coached the Indianola Track & Field teams to many invitational, conference , and district championships. His team was runner-up in the state indoor and were outdoor champions in 1957. His team came back in 1958 and won both the state indoor and outdoor championships. He was elected to the Simpson College Hall of Fame in 1997.
John Sletten
Graduated Cum Laude from St.Olaf College with a B.A. in 1954. He was a three year letter winnerin Track & Field and Team Captain his senior season. Following two years in the Army John began his coaching and teaching career at Fairibalt, Minnesota – one year. He then moved onto Northfield High School in Northfield, Minnesota. His Teams won 31 major Championships, 12 straight District Championships, two Regional and one Big Nine Conference Title in Track & Field and three District Championships and had a dual meet record of 53-21 in Cross Country. In 1969, John moved to Ames High School. His accomplishments prior to induction – Boy’s Track & Field 13 District Championships 10 Big 8 Championships 8 Metro Championships 9 State outdoor Championships and Four Runners-up 17 Individual and 16 relay Champions 8 individual and 13 relay Champions at the Drake Relays Boy’s Cross Country – 13 District Championships
Doug Smith
There are really not that many people who can say they raced against the great Jim Ryun. There are fewer that can say they held their own, in a race against Jim Ryun. There are even fewer who can say they raced against Jim Ryun, held their own against Jim Ryun, were a college teammate of Jim Ryun and were on an NCAA Championship team with the legendary miler. Doug Smith the former Sioux City Central star, if ever questioned, could answer all in the affirmative.
Doug Smith was good enough to be on the track in the same meet, in the same race with not only Ryun, the 1968 Olympic Silver medalist at 1500 meters, but also 1972 Olympic 800 champ Dave Wottle, Marty Liquori and the great Steve Prefontaine. Doug Smith was that good.
With conversions in place, Doug Smith had a high school PR for 1600 meters of 4:11. He ran the equivalent of 9:05.8 for 3200. In 1964 he ran 4:15.5 in the mile as a 14 year old freshman. That is 4:13.9 for 1600 meters. That mark was the national freshman record for 42 years!
While at Sioux City Central, Doug was surrounded by other outstanding runners, who helped push him to great performances. During his high school career, Central won the state mile team race three times, they won four state cross country championships and the 1967 Class 2A track title.
In Cross Country, teammate and 2 time individual champion Dave Compton led Central to team titles in 1963 and 1964. Smith was 3rd as a freshman in ’64, and took his turn in leading the squad to victory in 1965, 66 and 67. This amazing run of success made Central the only team to win 5 in a row plus have the 5 individual champions. In the early years of high school cross country in Iowa, only the top three finishers figured in the teams score. So just for icing on the cake, so to speak, Central finished 1-2-3 and scored a perfect 6 points in the 1964-65 and 66 state meets. They struggled in 1967 finishing 1-3-4, watching their team total balloon to 8 points.
As an individual, Doug’s results are unmatched. He was a 3 time state cross country champion, a three time Drake Relays mile champion and a 3 time state mile champion.
Upon graduating from high school Doug took his talents to Lawrence, Kansas to run for Hall of Fame coach Bob Timmons and the Kansas Jayhawks. It was at KU that Doug was fortunate enough to train and race with Ryun. Smith said, “Jim was a senior when I was a freshman. We became good friends. He was very quiet, reserved and dedicated. His work ethic was second to none. It was good for me to try to stay close to him”.
While at KU, Doug took his mile PR to 4:02.9, was an indoor All American, Captain of the cross country team his senior year and was a part of some of the NCAA’s best teams of the early 70’s.
In Doug’s four years at Kansas, Kansas won 3 Big 8 indoor titles, 4 outdoor titles and 1 cross country crown. They were indoor national champions in 1969 and 1970; outdoor runner-ups in `69 and outdoor champion in ‘70.
After graduating in 1972 with a degree in education, Doug began a 15 year career as a high school teacher and track coach. His teams at Salinas Central won 2 state championships. Doug left teaching and coaching in 1986 to enter the business world. He is now with Josten’s in the Milwaukee area and lives in Waukesha, Wisconsin.
When asked who impacted his life or had a positive influence, Doug was quick to mention his coaches. His junior high coach Rich Risner, his high school coach Ray Obermiller, and Kansas Coach Bob Timmons.
When I asked about other competitors he had those names at the ready as well. He mentioned fellow IATC Hall of Famer Jerome Howe. He battled with the former Treynor standout both in High School and college, as Howe competed for fellow Big 8 school Kansas State, as well as mentioning his teammates from those great Central teams.
In closing, Doug said, “I am very proud of my accomplishments as a runner; especially the discipline it taught me. I learned valuable life lessons from my sport. I am most proud of the team championships I won as an athlete and as a coach”.
Mark Smith *NEW! 2022 Inductee
As we all know, outstanding high school athletes don’t always make outstanding coaches. But those that do, do so because they are able to translate the knowledge they acquired from their own successes to athletes who often go on to be successful as well.
Mark Smith is a perfect example of what I am talking about.
As a freshman, at Independence High School, Track and Field Coach Lyle Leinbaugh sent Mark with the throws group that included state champ Mike Mulvaney and state medalist Barry Black. He was immediately hooked and the rest, as they say, is history.
While competing for the Mustangs, Mark was 6th at state in the Discus as a sophomore, 2nd as a junior and won Drake Relays and state titles as a Senior.
In that outstanding senior season of 1972 his winning throw of 170 feet 10 at Drake made him the first prep to surpass 170 feet there. He also became the first Iowa prep to ever throw over 190 feet with his PR of 193-5, a mark that, some 50 years later, still ranks as #9 All Time.
With a record setting high school career in the books, Mark headed to St. Ambrose where he earned All American honors three times in the discus and once in the shot put. His collegiate PR of 169-3 stood as the St. Ambrose school record for 45 years.
Mark is retired now after 30 years of working in the Department of Corrections and 22 years as a first class throws coach at North Fayette Valley. During his time mentoring high school throwers at North Fayette, Mark Smith coached athletes qualified to the state meet 65 times. Thirty three times they medaled, 7 of which were gold. Twenty-one times Tigerhawk throwers qualified to Drake and fourteen times they came home as medalists.
Of all the high school throwers, that Mark has mentored, the two that set the gratification bar the highest were his own children. Jesse was state champ in the discus and Lauren won two state titles in the discus and another in the shot put.
Mark still finds his way to the throws rings himself. He was won 25 Iowa Games gold medals in the Discus and 20 in the shot put with no plans to hang it up anytime soon.
He and Connie, his wife of 40 years, are the parents of Jesse, Jeremy and Lauren and grandparents to 4 year old Aidan and 2 year old Tristan, the proud owners of their own rubber discus.
Mark has been selected as an IATC Assistant Coach of the Year and as a member of the IATC Senior All Star Meet Coaching staff. He is now a Member of the IATC Hall of Fame.
Mike Stanley
He was a two time high school state qualifier in the high jump and a 17 time letter winner at Sidney High School, graduating in 1966. He went on to Tarkio College and earned four Varsity letters in basketball before graduating in 1970. But it is as a track official that we honor Mike Stanley today.
Mike Stanley does what he does because he loves the sport and he loves kids. He has been a track official for nearly 35 years. He has started 41 District and/or Regional track meets and 30 boys and/or girls state track meets. Mike retired from AHST-Avoca over10 years ago and in his 33 years in education, he spent 17 years in the classroom and 16 as a high school Principal. He spent 30 of those years as an Athletic and/or Activities Director as well.
Mike is a member of the Sidney High School Hall of Fame, Iowa High School Athletic Directors Hall of Fame, the Iowa High School Athletic Association’s Official’s Hall of Fame and in 2013 was the honored recipient of the IATO’s prestigious John Lowry
Al Stiers
Al was born and raised in the state of Nebraska. In Nemaha High School he played Football, Basket ball and competed in Track and Field finishing 2nd in the State Meet, in the Discus, his senior year. He attended Peru State College where he was an All Conference tackle his junior and senior years. Upon graduation, in 1956, he entered his first teaching job at a small school in Johnson, Nebraska. He coached Football, Basketball, Baseball and Track & Field, while teaching Industrial Arts, Literature, Speech, Civics and directed the senior class play for a salary of $3,900. After six years he took a job in Sac City, Iowa. He taught and coached for five years. He coached Football and Track & Field producing 2 State Champion Shot Putters. His third and final school was in Cedar Rapids from 1967-1996. Al was appointed the Head Track & Field coach his second year at Kennedy High School, a position he held until his retirement, along with coaching Cross Country for nine seasons. During his tenure at Kennedy, he coached 7 Mississippi Valley Conference Team Championships, 3 District Titles, 1 Mississippi Valley Conference Cross Country Team Championship, 13 State Individual Champions, 13 State Individual Runners-up and 7 Drake Relays Champions. He was selected District coach of the year 4 times, Mississippi Valley and Cedar Rapids Metro coach of the year five times. He has served as a guest speaker at the Iowa State Track Clinic and a charter member of the IATC. Al retired from teaching and coaching in July of 1996 giving education and working with kids 40 years of service. Al and his wife, Twila, have been married for 42 years and raised three sons. In his retirement, he enjoys building furniture and visiting his grandchildren.
Sara (Stoakes) Kvidera
Note: Sara was inducted at the same time as cherished teammates Blaire (Dinsdale) Puls and Brooke (Dinsdale) Schupbach. This induction speech is also displayed under their names.
When it comes to high school track teams in small-town Iowa, we have been blessed to watch some very good ones. Many times, these teams win titles with depth plus have that one individual they can count on scoring well in 3-4 events.
At North Tama, just over 10 years ago, Coach Kent Hanser put girls’ teams on the track that were talented, plus had three of the best individuals our state has ever produced. Regardless of class or gender.
What Sara Stoakes and the Dinsdale twins provided Iowa high school track and field fans from 2005 to 2009 was nothing short of special.
They led the RedHawks to 4 consecutive class 1A state track and field titles beginning in 2006 after finishing 3rd in 2005. The first came when the Twins were sophomores and Sara was a freshman. That year this talented trio accounted for 6 event titles, with Brooke winning 4. In 2007 they led the team to crown number 2 with Blaire leading the way, winning 4 golds.
Sara won 4 times in 2008, the final season the Twins would wear the red singlets of North Tama. They scored 110 team points which stood as the best ever state meet score for Iowa girls OR boys until the Waukee girls put up 116 in 2017 and 122 last spring.
2009 was a special season. As special as they come. The Twins have gone, now making things happen at Nebraska, and it was up to Sara to keep this Redhawk machine rolling. She won the state cross country title in the fall, then led North Tama to the state track meet team title, by herself, in the spring. Yes, by herself. She won 4 events, putting up 40 points, winning the team trophy by 2 points.
The Twins finished their high school careers with 8 state and 3 Drake Relays titles each. Brooke won 2 state cross country titles and Blaire one.
Sara Stoakes was a 12-time state track champion, a 3 time Drake Relays champ plus a state cross country gold medalist. She won every individual running event at the state meet during her career but the 100 hurdles and the 3,000 meter run.
The numbers these 3 young ladies put together in their high school careers is staggering. They combined to qualify to the state track meet 46 times, winning 46 medals, 28 of which were gold. They qualified to the Drake Relays in 25 events, winning 25 medals, including 5 titles. They qualified to the state cross country meet a total of 12 times, coming home with 11 top 13 finishes, 4 individual gold medals plus a state team title and 2 other top 4 team finishes. They were a part of 4 consecutive state track and field team titles. Between the 3 of them, they hold Class 1A state meet records in 3 events. They also hold 6 spots on the Iowa Girls All Time lists in 3 different events.
They were as accomplished in the classroom as they were on the track and the cross country course. Brooke was named class Valedictorian in 2007 while Blaire took home Salutatorian honors. The next year Sara took home the title of Valedictorian.
Not bad for a small Iowa town of 1500 with no more than 50 students per graduating class.
I want to make sure that everyone knows that these 3 superstars were not the only members of these championship teams. Coach Hanser had other girls from which to pick and choose to fill needed spots on relays, but it was obvious North Tama’s dominating 4-year reign was in the hands of these 3 Hall of Famers.
Upon graduating from North Tama, Brooke and Blaire headed to Lincoln to compete for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. There they combined to win 11 All-Conference honors and were named to the conference All-Academic team 3 times.
Brooke is an accountant at Farmers Mutual Hail Insurance company of Iowa in West Des Moines and is the Head Girls Track and Field coach at Urbandale High School. She and her husband of over 6 years, Taylor, have 2 daughters, Brie who is 3 and one year old Indy with Baby Schupbach number 3 on the way.
Blaire lives in Hudson with Husband Channing Puls and is the Head Boys Track Coach for the Pirates. She works for CUNA Mutual in Waverly as a Compliance Analyst.
After high school graduation, Sara accepted a scholarship offer from Kansas State and moved to Manhattan where she won a B12 title in the outdoor 800 plus B12 All-Academic honors. She was also part of K-States 4×800 team that won the 2011 Drake Relays. Nebraska was also in that race with a team made up of Iowans: The Dinsdale Twins, Ashley Miller, and Ellen Dougherty. It was a great day on the Blue Oval.
Sara and her husband Taylor live in Huxley. Sara received her Ph.D. in Nutritional Sciences from Iowa State in 2017 and is a technical consultant for Micronutrients and travels the country providing technical support in mineral nutrition for dairy nutritionists.
Aaron Stockstell
Aaron Stockstell had a pretty good start in track and field, breaking the Iowa City elementary long jump record, held by fellow Hall of Famer Tim Dwight, by jumping 15’ 6” in 5th grade. He jumped 17 feet in 6th grade but didn’t compete again until open enrolling to Mid Prairie in 8th grade.
Once Aaron Stockstell arrived in Wellman and began wearing the black and gold of the Golden Hawks, it became quite apparent that the scrawny little new kid was something special.
When track practice started his freshman year, Aaron was quick to let coach Steve Hollan know that he was a 100-200 guy, and racing at a longer distance was out of the question.
That season the Golden Hawks 1600 medley relay was having trouble getting a time fastest enough to qualify for the Drake Relays so Coach Hollan took his freshman ace aside and asked him to bump up to the 400 for the medley. NO WAY was the immediate answer. Hollan asked him to think it over and they could talk about it the next day. The next morning, Aaron found his coach and told him he would try it once. He ran 50 flat on the medley that night.
A week or so later the medley was still on the bubble, and Hollan knew that if they were going to run on the Blue Oval, Stockstell had to be the anchor. He asked, then received the same song and dance. 800 meters was too long. Couldn’t do it, wouldn’t do it. Coach Hollan once again told him to sleep on it and they would talk tomorrow. The next morning Aaron found his coach and told him he would give the 800 leg a try, but don’t count on him doing it too often. He split 1:59 that night, and the rest as they say is history.
Aaron Stockstell would go from being strictly a 100-200 guy, to being one of the best 400-800 combo guys this state has ever seen.
He loved to visit the uniform closet and tried to wear a different uniform every time he raced. No matter what he was he wearing, he raced fast.
His 11 state championships include seven individual wins and four relay titles. He won the 400 meters three times, the 800 meters three times and the 200 meters once. In 2008 he was the first in state meet history to win the combination of the 200, 400 and 800. He also anchored the 1600 medley to gold that weekend, leading the Golden Hawks to the class 2A team title.
He won state meet gold as part of the distance medley relay three times, all three coming out of the slow section, and the 4×400 meter relay once.
This 15-6 5th grade long jumper turned out to be a memory maker on the track. He holds the states All Time best mark in the 800 at 1:50.18. He is #6 in the 400 with his 47.67. He is on the 200 list with his PR of 21.96 The Golden Hawks Drake Relays and state champion 1600 Medley from 2008, still holds the 2A state meet record of 3:26.16.
I can tell you that not many 21.96 200 meter guys run cross country. But this one did and he did it well, placing 15th in the 2006 state meet and 16th in 2007.
Upon graduating from Mid Prairie, Aaron headed to Tuscaloosa, Alabama to run for the Crimson Tide. Despite earning All Conference honors in the always tough SEC, Stockstell realized he was too far away from his family and decided to come back home and finish his career at UNI. As a Panther, Aaron ran on 2 Missouri Valley Champion 4×4 teams and was a 2 time conference medalist in the 800.
I asked Coach Hollan what, if anything, made Aaron special besides his amazing talent on the track. Coach was quick to reply that Aaron was a great teammate and leader. Always humble and true to the ways his Mother raised him.
Aaron and his wife Caitlin along with their children Shay and AJ, live in South Bend, Indiana where they own and operate Stockstell Services, a landscaping and snow removal business.
David Suntken
Dave Graduated from Belmond High School in 1960, Participating in football, basketball and track. Belmond won the Class A State Indoor and Outdoor high school track titles in 1960 and he won two events and placed in two other events. Went on to the University of Northern Iowa graduating with a BA – 1965 and an MA – 1972. Dave was a sprinter and a high jumper plus the co-captain of the track team in 1964.
Dave first worked as an Elementary PE teacher and coach for thirty-three years in Clear Lake, coaching the Boys Track team. His 1971 Clear Lake boys’ team placed 3rd in the state meet. Dave also coached of the North Central Conference champions in 1973 and his teams were runners up three times. Dave also coached both boys and girls Cross Country teams for twenty years (1970-90), and started the Girls CC program at Clear Lake in 1983.
HONORS in the past couple decades include:
1987 2A NE Regional Cross Country Coach of the Year
1998 NFHS Officials Association Iowa Boys Track and Field Official of the Year
2001 NE Regional Track and Field Official of the Year
2003 IATO Official of the Year for Boy’s track and field
2004 NFHS Officials Association Iowa Girls Track and Field Official of the Year
2004 IATO Official of the Year for Cross Country
2005 NE Regional Track and Field Official of the Year
2006 IATO Official of the Year for Girls track and field
2009 Inducted into the Iowa High School Officials Hall of Fame
Dave has been a certified official for 44 years, of which 33 years in Track and Field.
He has worked Track Meets at the District/Regional/Qualifier level for 30 years and has been a starter for the State Track and Field Meet 15 times at the time of his induction.
Dave has been the Secretary–Treasurer for IATO organization since its origin in 2000.
Tim Sweet
If you attend any major high school or college track and field meet in the state of Iowa, chances are, Tim Sweet will be working at least one of the throwing events.
Tim, who lives just west of Des Moines in DeSoto, spent 47 years on the road as a healthcare textiles salesman, retiring in 2017; but even with all of his traveling, Tim still found time to officiate track and field competitions.
He has attended every Drake Relays since 1962, but 3, and those 3 were for very good reason…he was serving our country in the Navy.
Tim’s son was a talented Middle-Distance runner at Illinois State in the early 90’s. In 1992 Hugh Norman told Tim the Drake Relays needed Shot Put officials, and might he be interested? Tim’s answer was “Of course”. Norman got Tim certified and not only did he get to help with the shot put, which in those days was always held on the infield in turn one, he got to watch his son compete on the Blue Oval while only a few feet away.
Track and Field officiating has certainly kept Tim from getting bored in retirement. He has worked 30 USATF championship meets from Junior Olympics to Masters. He has worked at least 12 collegiate national championships and he has been a part of every Iowa high school state track and field championship meet since 1992.
April 2018 marked 26 years as a Drake Relays official for Tim Sweet, the last 7 as the Head Judge for the Discus.
Charlie Swink
Attended Valley High School, located in Valley Junction, before it became West Des Moines. Charlie earned 12 letters in Basketball, Football, and Track & Field. Track & Field was his favorite and he specialized in the 440 dash. While in high School he ran the third fastest time ever by an Iowa boy in :50.0. He ran this time on three occasions and at various meets. He ran on several record setting relays: :44.8 in the 440 yd. relay, and 3:38.6 in the mile relay. Not bad times for cinder and clay surfaces. Charlie held the 440 yd. Valley High School record of 49.0 for 50 years.After High School Charlie attended Drake University where he competed in Track & Field, but service called and he served four years in the Army.
William “Fred” Teufel
Fred was one of Davenport’s most decorated track and field athletes and an outstanding track and field athlete and 1938 team captain for the University of Iowa. Fred’s high school career:
1934: 3rd State Indoor 440 (52.6) and the 3rd place mile relay team that ran 3:35.7
1935-36: 100yd. dash (10.1), 440 Relay (43.7) – Drake Relays Champions, 880 Relay (1:30.3) Drake Relays Champions(Drake Record), Mile Relay (3:27.3) –Drake Relays, 440 Dash (51.0) State Champion,
Mile Relay (3:28.0) State Champions (State Record)
Fred and his team won the State Meet in 1935.
University of Iowa:
100 Dash (9.8), 220 Dash (21.7), 220 Low Hurdles (22.2), Long Jump (20-0)
Chicago Relays (indoors) – Mile Relay (3:22.0)
Drake Relays – Mile Relay (3:15.4) Drake Record
1938 Big Ten Outdoor: 2nd – 220 Dash, 3rd – 220 Low Hurdles, 4th – Mile Relay
Tim Thomas
When the IATC decided to name an award after Laverne Kloster, one of its founding members, it was decided that this award would be one based on service; Commitment to our sport. Tim Thomas made a commitment to our sport as an outstanding distance runner in his hometown of Huntertown, Indiana in the mid 60’s where he was a three time cross country MVP and school record holder in the 2 mile.
After graduating from high school, Tim took his talents to Tarkio College in Tarkio, Missouri where he was a standout on the cross country and track teams and graduated with degrees in Physical Education and Mathematics in 3 years.
He was raised in Indiana, went to college in Missouri and Kansas, taught middle school in Kansas and in 1978 he landed in Wilton, Iowa. Fortunately for us, he stayed in our great state for the rest of his teaching and coaching career.
He has coached wrestling, baseball, girls and boys basketball, football, track and field and cross country during his 39 year coaching career. It is his commitment to track and field and cross country that we honor Tim today.
After a 7 year stint in Wilton, Tim went to Collins-Maxwell for 2 years, and Centerville for 5 years before spending the final 17 years of his career in the Galva-Holstein school district.
It is at Galva-Holstein where Tim has really been able to shine as a coach and Athletic Director. Tim was chosen as the Northwest District Junior High AD of the year in 2005 and the Districts High School AD of the year in 2007. His Boys and Girls cross country teams have combined for 21 Maple Valley/Western Valley Conference titles, four district championships and 15 trips to the state meet with 8 top ten team finishes.
For those outstanding achievements in Cross Country, Tim was named IATC Class 1-A Regional Coach of the Year 8 times.
As the head boys and girls track coach, his teams won a combined 4 District/Regional championships, 4 conference championships, and crowned 6 state champions along with numerous Drake Relays and state meet qualifiers and place winners. Tim was named IATC Regional 1-A Track and Field Coach of the Year twice.
Tim is a past president of the IATC, and remains active in the Senior All Star track and cross country meets and the Mike Henderson junior high track and field meet of which he is a past director. He is a member of the IATO; served a 6 year stint on the Track and Field Advisory Board and has been a registered track and field official for 39 years. He has been meet director for the 40 team Galva Holstein Cross Country Classic for 17 years, meet director for the Galva-Holstein Relays for 14 years, the Russ Kraai Relays for 13 years and meet director for 15 District/Regional track meets.
Tim has been active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for over 30 years and he and his wife Ann currently serve as Huddle leaders for the FCA.
Tim and Ann are very active in their church and have been involved in the Special Olympics and Habitat for Humanity. They are the proud parents of two sons.
Randy Thompson
Randy broke the school record in the 100 meter dash….the first time he ran it!
He placed in the Top 3 in the Drake Relays 100 meter final four times, winning it twice.
He was a 7 time state champion; winning four 100 meter titles, two gold medals in the 200 and one in the 400. In 1993 he was Corwith-Wesley-Luverne’s only state qualifier placing them second as a team after winning the 100-200-400 and placing 2nd in the long jump. Randy did all of this without having a track at his high school to train nor compete on.
After an outstanding high school career at CWL, Randy went on to an equally impressive Division 1 collegiate career at Iowa State. Steve Lynn was the head coach at ISU at the time, and was not too impressed with Randy’s ability the first time he saw him compete in high school. Steve said changing his mind was one of the best decisions he ever made!
During his All American career at ISU Randy ran on 4×100 teams that won Big 8 and Drake Relays titles, set Big 8 and school records with a time of 39.23. He was a 14 time Big 8/Big 12 medalist, ranking him in the top 10 at ISU in the 60 and 200 indoors and the 100 and 200 outdoors, with PR’s of 10.39 and 20.78, and is on school record 4×100 and 4×200 relays teams.
Randy was not only a great track athlete but a fine person and leader as well. That is well documented with the off the track accolades he has to his credit. While in high school Randy was awarded the Bernie Saggau Award which honors a student who best exemplifies a patriotic spirit strong religious and moral convictions, living and professing qualities of honesty, integrity, and sportsmanship; believing that both games and life should be conducted by the rules. While at ISU, along with being selected as a track team captain, he was a 3 time member of Successful Farming Magazine All American Farm team, being named captain in 1997. In 1998 he was the recipient of the Budget Rental Car Sportsmanship award in recognition of his integrity and sportsmanship on and off the field.
Coach Lynn said that he cannot talk about Randy Thompson without mentioning his family. They were at most every meet, home and away, and were always full of enthusiasm. Randy is Daryl and Ruby Thompson’s youngest of six children.
Terry Thompson
Terry Thompson was born and raised in Humboldt, Iowa and graduated from Humboldt High School in 1978 where he earned varsity letters in football, basketball and track. He was on of the top sprinters in class 3A finishing 3rd and 5th in the 100m dash at the state meet and qualifying in the 100 at the Drake Relays both his junior and senior years.
Terry became a registered official with the IHSAA in 1977 working football and basketball games for youth leagues while attending high school.
After high school, Terry attended Iowa State where he lettered in track. He competed in several meets for the Cyclones earning a 3rd place finish in the 100m dash at the Big 4 Championships. One of Terry’s career highlights was running workouts with an Olympic gold medalist, but injuries ended his running career and Terry became a coaching assistant.
While at Iowa State, then assistant coach, Steve Lynn knew Terry wanted to become a track starter. Coach Lynn asked Terry to be the assistant starter, then a co-starter for ISU home meets in the early 1980’s.
In 1984 Terry took over as Head Starter at Iowa State and is entering his 33rd year in that role.
In 2004 & 2005 Terry was selected to serve as a starter for the NCAA Indoor Championships at the University of Arkansas. He has since served as a starter for 12 NCAA Championship events.
Terry joined the Drake Relays starting crew in 2008 where he currently starts the University and Elite divisions and has had the opportunity to start events featuring many of the best athletes in the world.
Terry has been a starter for over 40 college conference championships including the Iowa Conference, Missouri Valley, Big8/Big 12 and Big 10 conferences.
He has also been very active at the high school level where he has been a state Cross Country meet starter since 2003; Girls State Indoor starter 2007-2011; Chief Umpire at the State Outdoor meets since 2010; starter at many State Qualifying meets and a Drake Relays official since 1999.
In 2007 Terry was inducted in to the I-H-S-A-A Officials Hall of Fame. He was a founding board member of the IATO, serving as vice-president in 2002-2003 and president 2004-2005
Terry has been selected as IATO Official of the year for Girls Track in 2000, Cross Country in 2005 and the Iowa Official of the Year by the NFHS 3 times.
Recently retired after serving 25 years as a Paramedic, Terry and his wife Annette reside in Ames. He continues to keep busy with a full track and field and cross country schedule as well as working security at area events.
Brian Tietjens
Brian competed at Manly High School. The High Jump was his specialty from the start. 1978 – High School Freshman – jumped 5′ 10″ 1979 – High School Sophomore – jumped 6′ 5″ – school record – qualified for the Drake Relays, but could not compete due to injuries. 1980 – High School Junior – 7′ at the Dickinson Relays, the first Iowan to jump 7′. He also Long Jumped 21′ 3½” at the meet. At the State Meet he jumped 7′ ¼” which was the fourth best jump in the nation that year. At the Junior Olympics in Santa Clara, California he jumped 7′ placing 2nd. He was selected as a National High School Track and Field All-American and won the Hertz #1 Award, but did not accept in order to maintain his High School eligibility. 1981 – High School Senior – Jumped 7′ 2″ at the Dickinson Relays Indoor Meet to set a National High School Indoor record – he also Long Jumped 22′ 1¾”. At the Drake Relays he cleared 7′ 3″ and placed 2nd second in the Long Jump with a jump of 22′ 7¾”. He won the State Meet with a High Jump of 7′ 3½” and the Long Jump with a jump of 22′ 9¾”. Brian averaged 6′ 10½” for the entire season. During the summer of 1981 he participated in the Golden West Invitational, in Sacramento, California, jumping 6′ 8″, the Keebler Invitational in Chicago, Illinois jumping 7′ and was selected as a National High School Track and Field All-American. He again won the Hertz Award and this time he went to New York, New York to accept the award. Following high school Brian enrolled at Iowa State University. His College Career – 19981-1982 – Freshman year: did not compete on the Iowa State Track and Field Team. Jumping unattached he jumped 7′ 4½” at the USA-West Germany-All Africa Meet in Durham, North Carolina, 7′ 4½” at the Athletic congress National Meet in Knoxville, Tennessee, and 7′ 4½” at the Iowa State Intramural Meet. 1982-1983 – Sophomore year:In his first meet as an Iowa State Cyclone he set a Big 8 Indoor Record, Iowa Intercollegiate Record, Iowa State Record while competing in the Badger Indoor Classic in Madison, Wisconsin. He jumped 7′ 5¼”. At the Ames Open Indoor Meet he cleared 7′ 6″ which was the sixth best by an American, set a Big 8 Indoor Meet Record of 7′ 4½”, and jumped 7′ 5″ at the Drake Relays. 1983-1984 – Junior year: Brian jumped 7′ 5¼” at the NCAA Outdoor Meet in Eugene, Oregon placing third. This qualified him for the Olympic Trials held in Los Angeles later that year. He was named an All-American. An injury to his take-off foot required surgery. He was given a no height at the trials for he had his cast removed just one month before the event. 1984-1985 – Senior year: He jumped 6′ 11½” at the Big 8 Indoor Meet. Brian jumped 7′ 5″ at the NCAA National Indoor Meet, but his foot and never again competed like he wanted to compete and gave up his remaining collegiate eligibility. A severe auto accident in 1987 resulted in ending his High Jumping career for good. Vaughn Koster, Brian’s High School Coach said, “Brian was a fine young man, a great individual to work with, and would have broken 8′ if he had not gotten hurt.” Brian and family live in Bollingbrook, Illinois. Brian says, “I live for my daughter’s smile and “Hi Daddy”, when I come home from work.”
Joe Toot
Cross Country and Track and Field have played a significant role in Joe Toot’s life dating back to his years as a student athlete at Nevada High School.
Joe was active in student government, cross country, basketball and track while a Nevada Cub, graduating in 1966.
As a member of the track team, Joe was on the 2-mile relay that ran 8:11.13, setting a school record that stood for 28 years.
After 2 years at Mankato State, participating in cross country and track, Joe transferred to Iowa State and received his degree in Elementary Education in 1970.
After graduating from ISU, Joe moved back to his hometown and began a rewarding teaching career that spanned 36 years.
He began working local track meets in 1970 and became a registered official in 1990. Joe has officiated both track and field and cross country from the middle school level, to high school, to D1, 2 and 3.
We have come to expect to Joe Toot to be working at any major competition in Iowa.
Although now retired from teaching, Joe is still active with Nevada athletics. He has been the football PA announcer and basketball scorer since 1972.
Joe and his wife Barb had a son Eric and a daughter Erin. He has had the good fortune of having two granddaughters grow up with a love for running. Both have been varsity team members of state champion cross country teams at Johnston High School.
Jon Turner
2021 IATO Hall of Fame
There is no written rule that says you had to have been a good athlete to become a good official. Don’t get me wrong, having been an athlete in the sport in which you are officiating will be a benefit in understanding some of the nuances of that sport, but having outstanding mentors along the way is really your ticket to success as an official.
No one knows that better than our first IATO Hall of Fame inductee, Jon Turner of Des Moines. Jon’s Grandparents, Marguerite and Jimmy Muto were PE teachers in the Des Moines school system and not only were their students selected to participate in the Drake Relays, plus his Grandfather was a long time Relays official and owns a spot on the Officials Wall of Honor.
Jon’s father George, was co-owner of Vic Young Sporting Goods and a longtime figure at the I-G-H-S-A-U. Vic Young’s was a track and field mecca of sorts during Relays week, as athletes and coaches would show up to purchase shoes and spikes needed for a successful weekend at the Drake Stadium.
Young Jon Turner soaked all this in. He attended every girl’s state championship event while growing up/tagging along, learning the ropes, and serving the sport.
Around, 1990 Relays Throws Chief Scott McAdam showed trust in a greenhorn official, and Jon became the assistant to long time Drake Weights and Measures Official, Earl Shostrom.
The experience gained doing Weights and Measures at America’s Athletic Classic have given Turner the credibility and experience necessary to take his talents on the road as well. He has worked several USATF championships, NCAA regional and national championship meets, many conference championships and 3 Olympic Trials. In fact, at the 2021 Trials in Eugene this past June, Jon was the implement inspector/which meant he was ringside when Drake Relays favorite Ryan Crouser not only had the best series of throws known to man, he also broke Randy Barnes’ longstanding World Record, with a monster put of 76-8 ¼ and Jon Turner of Des Moines, Iowa was there to certify it. An implement inspectors bucket list item for sure.
After a long and distinguished career in Architectural Art and construction, Jon has turned his love of Italy and the Mediterranean into a new career. In Jon’s own words, he is “now a self-employed sports enthusiast, spinning pizza dough between track meets, recreating old-world Neapolitan style wood oven pizzas at the Iowa State Fair and around the Des Moines metro area as Parlo Pizza.
Jon is a 1974 grad of Des Moines Hoover and has been happily married to wife Nancy for 43 years. They have a daughter Sophia and 4 grandchildren.
