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Mar. 27—EDITOR'S NOTE — Due to incorrect information provided to the Mitchell Republic, this story has been updated to clarify these inductees will be going into the South Dakota High School Coaches Association hall of fame this summer.
MITCHELL — Four coaching greats will be inducted into the South Dakota High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2025.
Bill Weber of Watertown, Kim Nelson of Sioux Falls, Jerome Garry of Madison and Jeff VanLeur of Emery are slated to be inducted during the 54th annual SDHSCA Awards Ceremony scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, July 20 at the Mitchell High School Performing Arts Center.
VanLeur has compiled an impressive 45-year coaching career in South Dakota that has included 45 years as head coach in football and boys and girls track and field, 25 years as an assistant boys basketball and four years as a head coach and 17 as an assistant in girls basketball.
At the completion of the 2024 season, VanLeur had a 300-137 career record in football that has included six state Class 9AA championships (2001, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2013) and a state Class 11B championship in 2019. All of those titles have been with Emery/Ethan or Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan. His teams also produced state Class 9AA runner-up finishes in 1993 and 2009 and Class 11B runner-up finishes in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021. He has the most wins of any South Dakota coach who has spent his entire career at one school.
The run of success also has featured 12 Cornbelt Conference titles between 1989-2009 and Big East Conference titles in 2018-2020.
Other coaching highlights include being an assistant on four state-tournament teams (1987, 1990, 1994 and 1995) and top finishes as a head coach in girls track (third in 2006) and boys track (fourth in 1994).
VanLeur served as a board member for South Dakota Football Coaches Association from 2000-2002 and the South Dakota Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association from 2007-2022. His various honors include being named the South Dakota High School Football Coach of the Year in 2007-08 and Region 6 Football Coach of the Year six times as well as a nominee for the American Football Coaches Foundation Power of Influence Award in 2015. He was inducted into the SDFBCA Hall of Fame in 2014.
Weber spent 35 years as a teacher and football/track and field coach in Rosholt, Mitchell and Watertown. He was a nine-man football head coach for Veblen-Rosholt and the state's first three-school co-op (Tri-School with Rosholt, Veblen and New Effington) from 1986-2004 before serving as an assistant in the sport for Mitchell (2004-2006) and Watertown (2006-2021). He compiled a 97-67 record as a head coach with eight Eastern Coteau Conference titles, three Region 1 titles and a runner-up finish in Class 9A. Weber also was an assistant on Watertown's state Class 11AA runner-up team in 2013.
Nelson's 45-year football coaching career included stops at Milbank, Rapid City Central, Sioux Falls Washington and Roosevelt as well as Edina, Minn.
With career record of 314-154, Nelson is the winningest coach in South Dakota high school football history. He led his teams to numerous Northeast, Sioux Interstate and Greater Dakota Conference titles along with a state Class 11AA championship with Roosevelt in 2011 and state runner-up finishes in Class 11A at Milbank (1983), Class 11AA at Washington (2002) and Class 11AAA at Roosevelt (2013, 2014 and 2017).
Garry, a 1975 Garretson grad, began his 40-year teaching and coaching career began in 1979 at O'Gorman High School, where he spent eight years. He later spent 20 years at Madison High School (1987-2007) before closing his career at Lourdes High School (2007-2019) in Rochester, Minn.
Garry enjoyed success as a coach in football, serving as an assistant on three state Class 11AA championship teams at O'Gorman before compiling a 74-66 record in 14 seasons as the head coach at Madison. He also served as an assistant at Rochester Lourdes where the teams went a combined 102-18 with three state Class AAA championships in 10 seasons.
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MITCHELL — Four coaching greats will be inducted into the South Dakota High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2025.
Bill Weber of Watertown, Kim Nelson of Sioux Falls, Jerome Garry of Madison and Jeff VanLeur of Emery are slated to be inducted during the 54th annual SDHSCA Awards Ceremony scheduled for 1 p.m. Sunday, July 20 at the Mitchell High School Performing Arts Center.
VanLeur has compiled an impressive 45-year coaching career in South Dakota that has included 45 years as head coach in football and boys and girls track and field, 25 years as an assistant boys basketball and four years as a head coach and 17 as an assistant in girls basketball.
At the completion of the 2024 season, VanLeur had a 300-137 career record in football that has included six state Class 9AA championships (2001, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2013) and a state Class 11B championship in 2019. All of those titles have been with Emery/Ethan or Bridgewater-Emery/Ethan. His teams also produced state Class 9AA runner-up finishes in 1993 and 2009 and Class 11B runner-up finishes in 2017, 2018, 2020 and 2021. He has the most wins of any South Dakota coach who has spent his entire career at one school.
The run of success also has featured 12 Cornbelt Conference titles between 1989-2009 and Big East Conference titles in 2018-2020.
Other coaching highlights include being an assistant on four state-tournament teams (1987, 1990, 1994 and 1995) and top finishes as a head coach in girls track (third in 2006) and boys track (fourth in 1994).
VanLeur served as a board member for South Dakota Football Coaches Association from 2000-2002 and the South Dakota Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association from 2007-2022. His various honors include being named the South Dakota High School Football Coach of the Year in 2007-08 and Region 6 Football Coach of the Year six times as well as a nominee for the American Football Coaches Foundation Power of Influence Award in 2015. He was inducted into the SDFBCA Hall of Fame in 2014.
Weber spent 35 years as a teacher and football/track and field coach in Rosholt, Mitchell and Watertown. He was a nine-man football head coach for Veblen-Rosholt and the state's first three-school co-op (Tri-School with Rosholt, Veblen and New Effington) from 1986-2004 before serving as an assistant in the sport for Mitchell (2004-2006) and Watertown (2006-2021). He compiled a 97-67 record as a head coach with eight Eastern Coteau Conference titles, three Region 1 titles and a runner-up finish in Class 9A. Weber also was an assistant on Watertown's state Class 11AA runner-up team in 2013.
Nelson's 45-year football coaching career included stops at Milbank, Rapid City Central, Sioux Falls Washington and Roosevelt as well as Edina, Minn.
With career record of 314-154, Nelson is the winningest coach in South Dakota high school football history. He led his teams to numerous Northeast, Sioux Interstate and Greater Dakota Conference titles along with a state Class 11AA championship with Roosevelt in 2011 and state runner-up finishes in Class 11A at Milbank (1983), Class 11AA at Washington (2002) and Class 11AAA at Roosevelt (2013, 2014 and 2017).
Garry, a 1975 Garretson grad, began his 40-year teaching and coaching career began in 1979 at O'Gorman High School, where he spent eight years. He later spent 20 years at Madison High School (1987-2007) before closing his career at Lourdes High School (2007-2019) in Rochester, Minn.
Garry enjoyed success as a coach in football, serving as an assistant on three state Class 11AA championship teams at O'Gorman before compiling a 74-66 record in 14 seasons as the head coach at Madison. He also served as an assistant at Rochester Lourdes where the teams went a combined 102-18 with three state Class AAA championships in 10 seasons.
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