Mike Miller headlines 21-member South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame class of 2026

Apr. 14—SIOUX FALLS — The South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame will be inducting 21 sports legends on Sunday, Sept. 13, 2026, at the Sioux Falls Convention Center.

The 2026 class includes one of the most successful basketball players in state history, a baseball major leaguer who pitched to Babe Ruth and Joe DiMaggio, a Guinness Book of World Record holder, as well as legendary coaches and announcers.

Tickets will go on sale later this year. The new inductees are: Taylor Baker, Mike Begeman, Howard Blumart (deceased), Frank Cutler, Julie (Krauth) Dearing, Laticia DeCory, Jim Dorman, Dan Freidel, Barry French (deceased), Jeff Fylling (deceased), Randi (Morgan) Haines, Mylo Jackson (deceased), Greg Jimmerson, Louis Koupal (deceased), Tim Miles, Mike Miller, Kent Mueller, John Papendick, Thelma (Austin) Smalley (deceased), Jim Sorensen, and Jason Sutherland.

Mike Miller, a Mitchell standout, was the first-round draft choice of the Orlando Magic and played 17 seasons in the NBA. Fellow 1990s Class AA basketball standout Jason Sutherland starred for Watertown on the hardwood and cleared 7 feet, 1 inch in the high jump at the state track meet before scoring more than 1,000 points in a college basketball career at Missouri.

Tim Miles, a highly respected basketball coach and native of Doland, is the only active coach to lead teams to postseason play at the NAIA, NCAA Division II, and NCAA Division I levels. Randi (Morgan) Haines starred for Mitchell High School and Dakota Wesleyan University as a member of the talented Morgan basketball family. She was a three-time NAIA All-American and the national player of the year in 2002.

Jeff Fylling was the voice of the Augustana Vikings football and basketball teams for nearly 50 years. He called more than 400 football games and was on the call for iconic basketball moments such as men's national championship win in 2016 and for the 2013 Women's Final Four women's basketball team. Chamberlain-born Barry "Bear" French graduated from Sioux Falls Washington in 1940, played college football at Purdue, served in World War II for four years and then played 49 games over four seasons for the Baltimore Colts and Detroit Lions as a lineman.

Kent Mueller helped build the boys' basketball and football dynasty at West Central. His teams won 14 of the 17 state championships they appeared in. He is one of only four coaches in state history to win state football and basketball titles as a head coach, and the only one to win multiple state titles in both sports. Frank Cutler was a high school sports standout at Langford, starred for Claremont as an amateur baseball player and coached high school basketball for 36 seasons at Platte-Geddes, earning 546 wins and a state championship in 2008. Mike Begeman was a talented guard at Parker High School and Augustana before coaching boys basketball, boys golf and girls tennis, most notably at O'Gorman.

Armour star Dan Freidel helped lead eras of dominance for Armour football and basketball from 1978 to 1980, while also starring on the track and in baseball. Freidel played for four seasons at Augustana for both football and basketball, landing on Augie's list of all-time greats as a guard and defensive back. Jim Sorensen is one of the most successful prep coaches in state history. The long-time Beresford high school coach led his boys' basketball teams to 27 winning seasons, three state runner-up finishes, five regional titles, 11 district titles and eight conference titles, and was a four-time South Dakota golf coach of the year. Greg Jimmerson was a three-time state cross country champion at Rapid City Stevens and was a national championship cross country runner for Stanford in 1996. Mylo Jackson coached track, football and boys basketball for Aberdeen Central in the 1940s and 1950s.

Laticia "Doni" DeCory is one of the best all-around athletes to come out of the talent-rich Pine Ridge Reservation and was a starter as a true freshman for the BYU basketball team, but transferred to Utah State where she became part of three conference winning track teams. Julie (Krauth) Dearring was a two-time All-American and national championship pitcher at Augustana and also starred in basketball for both Tri-Valley and Augie. Thelma (Austin) Smalley was one of the state's earliest girls basketball stars, leading Lake Andes to a state girls basketball championship in 1925 and for Wagner in 1926. Taylor Baker won 13 state individual championships for Rapid City Stevens gymnastics from 1994 to 1998, leading the Raidres to four state team titles, while also winning three individual track and field titles and three team championships.

Lou Koupal played 19 seasons of professional baseball, with seven in the big leagues. A pitcher, he got his pro baseball break when he was on the mound in an exhibition game on Oct. 18, 1922, vs. Hall of Famer Babe Ruth of the New York Yankees. Koupal homered off Ruth in the contest but did not give up a home run to Ruth. Koupal also struck out Hall of Famer "Joltin' Joe" DiMaggio three times in a game.

Howard Blumhardt, the "Bowdle Blaster" as he was known before graduating in 1946, starred at the University of South Dakota as an All-American fullback in football. Longtime athletic administrator Jim Dorman was a talented athlete at Hamlin before a dedicated career coaching the Chargers and then as an athletic director at Madison and Sioux Falls Lincoln. Bridgewater native John Papendick had a long career at newspapers in Salem, Bridgewater, Mitchell and Aberdeen and is one of the state's leading sports historians.

With the 21 new inductees, the hall will have enshrined 418 women and men from every part of the state representing more than 30 sports. The South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame was established in 1968 by the South Dakota Sportswriters Association. A group of unpaid volunteers from across the state now manages it.

Inductees are voted into the hall in four categories: as athletes, coaches, contributors (such as media, administrators and/or officials) and/or legends (deceased).