south dakota athletes
...nd coach, Leahy returned to coach the Fighting Irish to triumph over eighty-six percent of their games. In fifteen seasons with the Irish Leahy coached seven unbeaten teams, mastered four National Championships, coached four Heisman Trophy winners, and accomplished a thirty-nine game winning streak (“No. 3 – Frank Leahy – Notre Dame”). Although Frank Leahy did the unconceivable he is not the only football standout in South Dakota, Jack Manders from Millbank, Argus Leader.com declares, was halfback for the Chicago Bears for eight straight years and perhaps one of the greatest kickers of his era. He was named three times to the all-pro team, and stared in three other National Football League (NFL) title games. Manders led the NFL in field goals four times, in points after touchdowns (PATs) three times, and in scoring twice. He also astoundingly held the NFL record with seventy-eight straight extra point conversions. In his outstanding career, Manders mightily kicked 133 extra points, scored nineteen touchdowns, and rushed for 1,586 yards. He was later inducted into the Football Hall of Fame (“Jack Manders”). Being inducted to the Hall of Fame was an immeasurable accomplishment for Jack, but what was more exciting for Jack was the he went there with his brother Clarence Manders. Argus Leader.com alleges Clarence was all-pro in 1941, when he led the NFL in rushing. Two other years he was named to all-pro teams. In his career Clarence rushed 690 times for 2,529 yards, passed 169 yards, caught twenty-five passes for 326 yards, intercepted eleven passes, and scored thirty-five touchdowns. During his college career at Drake University he set a Drake record with twenty-four touchdowns (“Clarence ‘Pug’ Manders”). While the Manders brothers were setting football career highs Marlene Bauer from the small town of Eureka, South Dakota, mentions Hickocksports.com, was conquering her opponents in the world of golf. At the amazingly young age of fifteen she won the U.S. girl’s junior championship. That same year she was named teenager of the year, golfer of the year, and the Associated Press female athlete of the year. At age sixteen she was the youngest person ever to join the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour and forty years later was its oldest active member. From 1925 to 1972 she won twenty-five LPGA events (“Bauer, Marlene (Mrs. Hagge) Golf”). Bauer may have set records in golf, but according to Cyber Soups-The Wild West, Casey Tibbs assembled records in the sport of bronc riding. Born on March 5, 1929 Tibbs was one of the most famous bronc riders in the extended history of bronc riding. Tibbs won six saddle bronc riding championships, two all-around Cowboy Championships, and one Bareback riding Championship. Outside the Rodeo Hall of Fame stands a statue of Tibbs called, “The Champion.” The sculptor of the statue Edd Hayes constructed the statue of Tibbs because; “No one has done more to establish Bronc riding and Rodeo as high level entertainment as did Casey Tibbs” (“Casey Tibbs”). South Dakota looks up to Tibbs for his great riding career, but no one is as well known for his or her running talents as Billy Mills. Robert Sech recites that Mills was born in Pine Ridge and was a 1958 and 1959 All-American in cross country, and won the 1959 and 1960 National College Athletic Association (NCAA) outdoor national championship. Mills went on to put the nation in awe when he single-handedly won a gold medal in the 10,000 meter race at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Boldly crossing the finish line at the Olympics he set an impressive record time of twenty-eight minutes and twenty-four seconds. Mills has been the only American to win a gold medal since. In 1984 the movie “Running Brave” was made solely based on his historic victory (“Billy Mills”). During the 1964 Olympics Mills became a hero, but Dave Collins, Dick Green, Carroll Hardy, and Mark Ellis became heroes for being the greatest baseball stars that South Dakota has ever manufactured. Dave Collins had a standout year with the Toronto Blue Jays in 1984 when he led the American League with fifteen triples while obtaining a .308 batting average; although, he was mostly used for his appalling speed on the bases and in the field (“Dave Collins”). Dick Green, Green was an outstanding second baseman for the Oakland Athletics, and helped them to capture three straight World Series Championships. In 1969 he led the American League as a second baseman ...