Parker headlines hall inductees
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BY RYLY JANE HAMBLETON / Lincoln Journal Star
There is a certain notoriety about playing football for the University of Nebraska.
Former Huskers are recognized on the street and are accorded varying levels of adoration by Nebraskans.
But for Stan Parker, an all-America honorable mention player for the Huskers, it is a little different.
* Bobby Bass, Omaha Benson, 1975: Bass was a three-time all-stater in football, scored 22 touchdowns as a junior and also lettered in basketball, baseball and track, playing on the 1974 state championship baseball team.
* Randy Brooks, Creighton Prep, 1977: Won five gold medals at the state track meet in 1976 and 1977, set the state record in the 110-meter high hurdles (13.7 seconds), posted the all-time fastest time in the 180-yard low hurdles and was a second-team all-state selection in football; was a four-year track letterman and national qualifier at Nebraska, the Big Eight 60-yard high hurdle and 110-meter high hurdle champion in 1981.
* Elmer Dohrmann, Seward, 1933: Also attended Staplehurst; on Seward’s 1931 state champion football team (9-0) that outscored its opponents 320-2; competed in football, basketball, track and baseball at Nebraska, earning 11 letters, the most of any Husker athlete; won the Big Six 60-yard high hurdles in ’34 and was drafted by Washington of the NFL in ’38.
* Jeff Evans, Fremont, 1973: Won all but two races in his high school swimming career, setting state records at four state meets and winning seven gold medals; first Nebraska swimmer to break four minutes in the 400-meter freestyle.
* Stan Parker, Bellevue East, 1982: A Super-State football player, went undefeated in wrestling his senior year (25-0) to win a state title, won the Class A discus in ’81 and was runner-up in ’82; his throw of 194 feet, 1 inch in ’82 was the second-longest throw in the nation that year; lettered three years in football for Nebraska and was All-America honorable mention in ’86; drafted in the ninth round by the New York Giants.
* Doug Phelps, Hastings, 1975: Was the first Nebraskan to clear 7 feet in the high jump, won three straight gold medals at state; broke the state record five times his senior year; was a three-year, three-sport letterman for the Tigers, also competing in football and basketball; earned all-conference and all-state honorable mention in football and basketball; was the 1975 Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star Athlete of the Year; was a three-year letterman at Nebraska in track and the ’78 Big Eight indoor and outdoor champion in the high jump.
* Virginia (Stahr) Gee, Centennial, 1985: Earned 12 varsity letters, was the Lincoln Journal-Star Athlete of the Year; her volleyball team went 24-0 and won the ’85 Class C-1 state championship; all-state in basketball her junior and senior years and qualified for the state track meet in 12 events; played volleyball at Nebraska, on the 1989 national runner-up team, earning Big Eight Player of the Year and NCAA All-Tournament honors; All-American in 1988 and 1989 and Big Eight Female Athlete of the Year in 1989.
* Erick Strickland, Bellevue West, 1992: Earned Super-State honors in football and basketball and led Bellevue West’s basketball team to three straight state tournaments, including a runner-up finish in 1991; a four-year letterman in basketball for Nebraska; Big Eight Freshman of the Year and was three-time All Big-Eight defensive team selection; played for the Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, Vancouver Grizzlies, Boston Celtics, Indiana Pacers and Milwaukee Bucks in the NBA.
* Clarence Swanson, Wakefield, 1917: Played football, basketball and baseball, a freshman starter on the football team; at Nebraska, a four-year football letterman, set school record for career touchdown receptions (17) that stood until after his death in 1970; was a second-team All-American in 1921; great-grandfather of Barrett and Bo Ruud. The university’s award “for outstanding contributions to UNL and the Husker athletic department” is the Clarence E. Swanson Memorial Award.
* Howard “Dutch” Welch, Gothenburg, 1924: Played football and was a four-year letterman in basketball at Berwyn and Gothenburg; never lost a mile race in Nebraska; won two state titles in the mile and one in the 880; won the mile in the National Interscholastic Track Meet at the University of Chicago, with a winning time of 4:35.3; at Hastings College, he was all-conference in football and basketball twice and set conference records in the 880 and mile as a freshman.
* Allison Weston, Papillion-La Vista, 1992: Lincoln Journal-Star Athlete of the Year, was Super-State in volleyball and basketball twice and was named the state Gatorade player of the year in basketball; qualified for the state track meet and was an all-state soccer player; at Nebraska, a three-time All-American in volleyball, led NU to the 1995 national championship; captain of the 2000 Olympic volleyball team in Sydney, Australia, played professional volleyball in Italy.
* Andre Woolridge, Omaha Benson, 1992: Scored a championship-game record 50 points to lead the Bunnies to the state title in ’92; finished with 1,911 points, a Class A record; Super-State in basketball; a four-year starter at Iowa, he led the Big 10 in scoring and assists, earned third-team All-America honors; played professionally in France, Italy, Turkey and Greece.
Coaches
* Paul Brungardt, Humphrey St. Francis: Compiled a career basketball coaching record of 473-159 over 29 years, winning Class D-1 state championships in ’90, ’92 and ’94 at Humphrey St. Francis, as well as a state runner-up trophy in ’88; also coached in Topeka, Kan., Denver, Norfolk Catholic, Peru, Ill., and Battle Creek.
* Linda Carlson, North Platte: Started the volleyball and track programs at North Platte, guiding the Bulldogs to the inaugural Class A state track championship in ’71; compiled a 476-252 record in volleyball from 1970-2003, won state championships in ’79 and ’80 and was runner-up in ’75; Lincoln Journal- Star Female Coach of the Year in ’81; North Platte qualified for state 15 times and won 14 conference championships; also coached tennis for 17 years.
* Ron Coleman, McCook: His golf teams won seven Class B state trophies and two runner-up trophies from 1990 to 2004; also an assistant in football and basketball, playing a part in two state championship and two state runner-up football teams and a state runner-up in basketball; started coaching at Barneston in football and basketball; was the co-head basketball coach at McCook in 2004.
* Don Kelley, Lincoln Pius X: Coached boys and girls state basketball championships; also coached six-man football and basketball at Ohiowa and boys basketball coach at Norfolk Catholic; at Pius X, he coached boys basketball from 1968 to 1980, advancing to the state tournament five times and winning it in ’74; became the girls coach in ’85, leading the Thunderbolts to five state tournament appearances in seven years and winning state titles in ’91 and ’92; Lincoln Journal-Star Female Coach of the Year in ’92; combined boys and girls coaching record is 371-188.
* Jim Puetz, Columbus Scotus: Compiled a 236-96-6 record coaching football for 34 years, 31 at Scotus; his teams won state championships in ’84 and ’93; Lincoln Journal-Star Coach of the Year in ’94; in track, his teams won two state championships, two state runner-up trophies, 18 district championships and 19 conference titles.
Others
* Mark Ahmann, Wayne, contributor: Known for his sign-off: “Have a good day the rest of this one, a good tomorrow and take care of yourself, won’t you,” he was the primary face and voice of Nebraska high school sports while hosting KOLN/KGIN’s Friday Night Sports Roundup from 1972 to 1980; also worked as a broadcaster in Lexington, North Platte and Wayne, as well as in Iowa and Michigan.
* Dwaine Gahan, Oakland, contributor: Co-owner of the Oakland Independent and Lyons Mirror-Sun, Gahan has been of longtime supporter of high school athletics through newspaper coverage and columns, as well as a pioneer in directing, developing and promoting all-star events for seniors.
* Ronald Park, Millard North, contributor: The first athletic director at the school, he worked in the Millard schools for 32 years; ’88 high school athletic director of the year.
* Dennis Logan and Dan Newmyer, North Platte, officials: Officiating partners in football and basketball for 40 years; officiated at the state basketball tournament from 1964 to 1968 and refereed the 1984 Shrine Bowl football game.
Awards
* Ron Gustafson Inspiration Award: Drew Pope, Chadron. Fischer Family Award: Henry and Ethel Rother family of Wolbach. Silver anniversary teams: Wilber-Clatonia girls basketball, Wheeler Central girls track and field and Columbus boys tennis. Golden anniversary teams: Lexington football and Clatonia boys basketball. Great Moments in Nebraska High School Sports: Museum space in the NSAA’s new building.
“People will come up to me and instead of saying, ‘Hey, you’re Stan Parker and you played for Nebraska,’ they will say, ‘Hey, aren’t you Stan Parker and didn’t you throw the discus?’ It’s strange,” Parker said.
Parker did, indeed, throw the discus. And it was during an amazing time for the event in Nebraska. The Bellevue East graduate threw the discus 194 feet, 1 inch his senior year and it was the second-longest throw in the nation that year.
The catch is, the longest throw that season was 202-1 by Larry Station of Omaha Central.
Parker is one of 22 athletes, coaches, contributors and officials who will be inducted into the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame this fall. Station was previously inducted.
Other inductees are athletes Bobby Bass of Omaha Benson, Randy Brooks of Creighton Prep, Elmer Dohrmann of Seward, Jeff Evans of Fremont, Doug Phelps of Hastings, Virginia (Stahr) Gee of Centennial, Erick Strickland of Bellevue West, Clarence Swanson of Wakefield, Howard “Dutch” Welch of Gothenburg, Allison Weston of Papillion-La Vista and Andre Woolridge of Omaha Benson; coaches Paul Brungardt of Humphrey St. Francis, Linda Carlson of North Platte, Ron Coleman of McCook, Don Kelley of Lincoln Pius X and Jim Puetz of Columbus Scotus; contributors Mark Ahmann of Wayne, Dwaine Gahan of Oakland and Ronald Park of Millard North; and officials Dennis Logan and Dan Newmyer.
“It was an extremely exciting time,” Parker said. “When you had competitors at that level, it piqued a lot of interest. And it wasn’t just Class A. Marty Kobza of Schuyler was throwing it a long way. Even though we never faced him, he was on our minds.
“That draws the best out of you when you have competition like that. The fences would be lined by people and they would push up along the boundaries just to see us throw the discus.”
Station’s mark is still second on the all-time chart, surpassed by Andy Meyer of Superior in 1989 (203-6). Kobza is third at 201-7 and Parker’s mark is ninth on the all-time chart.
Parker was a three-sport standout for the Chieftains. He was a Super-State football player and a state champion wrestler (25-0 his senior year). He won the discus as a junior and finished third his senior year in the pouring rain.
He said athletics provided some of the greatest highs and lows of his life.
“Athletics are mentally, emotionally and physically challenging. I don’t know if I have been in another situation that pressed me as hard in all three areas,” Parker said. “When you press yourself and compete, there are clear indications of progress and where you want to go.
“Athletics can build confidence and teach sacrifice, focus and discipline. Those are things that make you successful in other areas of your life.”
There are two painful memories from his high school career.
“The first is my senior year in track. It was so wet at the state track meet. It’s one thing to run on a wet track and another thing entirely to try to spin on wet cement,” he said. “We tried everything, putting socks on our shoes, using towels, anything we could think of. I threw 161-8 at state that year and I threw that far without spinning.
“The second was my junior year in wrestling. I didn’t wrestle as a sophomore, so I probably had no business getting to the final. I had my opponent 2-0 going into the third period and we were both dog-tired. I let him up and it was 2-1. Then we danced around a bit and he was eventually awarded two penalty points and beat me 3-2. That hurt.”
Hall of fame induction ceremonies will be Sept. 23 at the Lied Center for Performing Arts. Tickets for the 14th annual ceremony are $20 for adults and $10 for high school and grade school students. Ticket information is available from the Nebraska Sports Council at (402) 471-2544.
For more information about the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame, got to www.nebhalloffame.com.
Ryly Jane Hambleton at 473-7314 or rhambleton@journalstar.com.
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