Suzanne Allard LaMaack
(Class of 1980) currently lives in Windom, Minnesota with her
husband, Michel and children Maggie and Jesse. She has been a second
grade teacher at Highland Elementary School in Windom since 1981.
Suzanne started her outstanding athletic career at Jefferson High
School in Jefferson, SD where she was a member of the first SD State
Girls Basketball championship team in 1975. Suzanne also placed in
the mile run at the SD State Track Meet in 1976. She received a
basketball scholarship from Dakota State and arrived on campus in
1976.
Suzanne
played volleyball for Dakota State, being named Best Offensive
Player her senior year, but found her real niche on the basketball
court. She was named to the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference
in 1976, and received an award for scoring over 1000 college career
points. The Trojanettes, as they were known then, finished 17-8 in
Suzanne’s senior year, capturing a share of the SDIC championship
title, and placing second in the state tournament behind SD Tech.
Suzanne was named Best All-Around Player of the 1975-76 team.
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John ‘Cal’ Mathison
(Class of 1951) will be honored posthumously. He attended General
Beadle from 1947-1951, graduating with a bachelors degree in
education. While at General Beadle, Cal lettered all four years in
football and basketball. In 1952 Cal accepted a position at Franklin
school as a teacher and coach. Under his tutelage, the Franklin
boys’ basketball team won three district championships, one regional
championship, and took fourth place in the State B basketball
tournament. His team of 1953 was known as the ‘Cinderella Team’. He
moved from the Franklin School district in 1957 to Madison Central
School to take the position of head basketball and track coach,
along with duties as athletic director and assistant football coach.
Cal completed his Masters Degree in Education and Physical Education
from SDSU in 1959.
Over the
years Cal’s dedication to sports and student athletes has been
recognized in various ways. In 1970 he served as the honorary
referee for the Madison Invitational Track Meet (Barker Relays). In
2001 he was inducted into the Madison High School Athletic Hall of
Fame. His friend Ray Thomas established an annual scholarship at the
high school in Cal’s name. The scholarship is given to a student who
is active in sports, has compassion for people, and has enthusiasm
for life; traits Cal Mathison displayed in both his personal life
and professional career.
Cal
married Colleen Kaiser in 1954. They had seven children. Cal passed
away in 1988.
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Maury Poppen (Class
of 1959) graduated from Madison High School and went on to the
University of South Dakota, but transferred to General Beadle State
Teacher’s College in 1955. During the three years Maury was at GBSTC,
he led the men’s basketball team in rebounding and averaged nearly
twenty points a game. He was named to the SDIC All Conference
Basketball team in 1956 and 1957 and was SDIC Honorable Mention in
1958. He graduated from GBSTC in 1959. Maury went on to earn his
Masters Degree in Secondary Education and Psychology from Northern
Arizona University in Flagstaff in 1970.
Following
college Maury took a job at Carthage High School where he coached
all sports. Under his leadership Carthage was named as the top
six-man football team in the state in 1959. In 1962 Maury moved to
Orange City, Iowa where he was an assistant coach in all sports. In
1965 he moved to Las Vegas, NV where he coached and taught at Valley
High School until his retirement in 1991. He began his coaching at
Valley High School as the head junior varsity football coach and
assistant baseball coach. In 1969 he was named head baseball coach
and his Valley High School Vikings went on to win the Nevada State
Baseball Championship in 1970. He retired from coaching in 1973 but
continued as a teacher of Psychology and Personality Development.
In 2002,
Maury and his wife Alice established the Maury and Alice Poppen
Endowed Scholarship at DSU. This scholarship will award $1,000 per
year for four years to a freshman men’s basketball player who is in
good standing academically.
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Rick Fisher (Class of
1968) graduated from Pontiac Northern High School in Pontiac, MI
where he was a standout athlete in Football, Basketball and Track.
He was selected to the All-Oakland Country Football team as a
quarterback his senior year. Rick was recruited by Coach Ed Harter
to play basketball for General Beadle in the fall of 1964.
At General
Beadle Rick played basketball for four years, ran track for two
years and was on the baseball team for one season. During his four
seasons, the Trojans overall record was 61-34. Rick started as a
sophomore, averaging thirteen points per game and shooting 53% from
the floor. The Trojans won their first SDIC Championship, finishing
the season at 20-6 when Rick was a junior. As a senior, the team
challenged for the SDIC lead all season, with Rick averaging 11
points per game, 54% shooting from the floor and scoring 27 points
against NSU in the season opener.
Rick began
his coaching career at Frost, MN in 1968. Under his guidance, his
teams captured three Border League Team titles, two District V
Championships, and compiled a record of 91-37.
In 1974
Rick replaced the legendary coach Lloyd Stussy at Wells-Eaton.
During his subsequent twenty-one years at Wells-Eaton, Rick’s
Wildcats appeared in nine District V finals, winning championships
in ‘79, ‘84 and ‘88. His ‘84 team won the South Central Conference,
District V, Region II and the Minnesota State Basketball Consolation
Championship.
Fisher
coached his entire career at schools that were the smallest in their
conference. His lifetime coaching record is 324-222 and he was
selected as District V Coach of the Year five times and Region II
Coach of the Year in 1984.
Rick retired from teaching and coaching in 1998. He is currently
working as an Account Executive for Promotions 2000 and supervises
student teachers for Minnesota State University at Mankato. Rick and
his wife Sharon live in Mankato and have three sons, Brad, Ryan and
Dustin.
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1966-1967 Men's Basketball Team-Under
Coach Ed Harter the 1966-67 Trojan Men’s Basketball team compiled
the best record in the school’s history at 20-6. In addition to
winning more games than any previous Beadle effort, the team earned
their first conference championship, sharing the honor with DWU. The
Dakota Wesleyan Tigers won the game that decided who would represent
the SDIC in the District 12 NAIA playoffs with a last second tip in
shot.
The Trojans started the
year with a five game win streak before dropping a close game to
the Westmar Eagles. In the conference play that followed, the team
beat defending SDIC champs Northern on their court by a score of
78-73. More victories were in store for the Trojans, including a
win against the Braves of Sioux Falls College. This particular
victory, on the Braves home court, snapped a four-game losing
streak in basketball and football to the Sioux Falls team.
Most of
the games during the 1966-67 season were played before a packed
house at the Fieldhouse. There was standing room only for the game
between the Trojans and Dakota Wesleyan, won by the Trojans and
ensuring them at least a share in the SDIC crown.
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