The 4th Annual Flandreau Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony will be held this summer and here’s the chance to learn a little on the inductees.
The FAHOF committee announced the 2026 inductees recently which includes a team of excellence, seven individual athletes including three brothers, and two contributors/builders.
The 20026 FAHOF Banquet and Induction Ceremony will be held Sunday, July 5 in the Royal Room at the Royal River Casino.
Tickets for the public may be acquired as in previous years. $30 each – either by VENMO @fahof2023 or dropping off check or cash at the Zephier home. Email [email protected] with questions.
The event will begin at 2:30 pm on July 5 with the setting up of memorabilia display and then a social gathering which is open to the public at 3:30 pm. The dinner will be served at 5 pm and the induction ceremony starts at 6 pm.
2026 Inductees are:
Terry Nelson, FHS Class of 1975
Terry Nelson was a ten-time letter-winner in football, basketball and track for the purple and gold. In football, he was All-Big 8 Conference his senior year and earned All-State Honorable Mention as a punter and linebacker.
On the hardcourt, he played varsity hoops 4 years, was All-Big 8 Conference 3 times, and led his squad to a 3rd place finish at the 1975 State B, earning All-Tourney and All-State honors while setting a school scoring record with 1198 points. In track, he threw shot and discus, high jumped and ran a leg on the fastest 440 relay team in the state, contributing valuable state meet points for Coach Gus Barnes three-time state champs (72,73,74, runner-up in 75) and set school records in the discus, high jump and 440 relay. Terry would continue his sports career at Huron College where he participated in football, basketball and track. He received the Inaugural Larry Luitjens Coach of Influence Award for his coaching work at Britton/Hecla.
Tim Nelson, FHS Class of 1977
Following in his big brother’s footsteps, Tim Nelson lettered 10 times for the Fliers in football, basketball and track. In football, Nelson earned 1st team All-Conference in 1977 and was Honorable Mention All-State.
In basketball, Tim was an All-Conference selection in 1976 and 1977 and earned 2nd Team All-State honors for Coach Dann Cecil’s 21-3 Fliers, posting a season average double-double, with 18.0 ppg, and 10.4 rpg as a senior. Nelson was a thrower for Gus Barnes track and field squads for 2 seasons and finished his high school career at 3rd all-time in the discus (132’3”) and 4th all-time in the shot (45’). He would continue his football career for the Tigers of Dakota Wesleyan, lettering 4 years as a defensive tackle. He was Honorable-Mention All-Conference in 1979, and All-Conference in 1980 and ’81. He still holds the school record for most fumbles recovered with 13.
Tom Nelson, FHS Class of 1979
Not to be outdone, Tom Nelson lettered in football, basketball and track all four years at Flandreau High School. His football career was highlighted with an All-Conference nod in 1979 and a 1st Team All-State pick as a punter/kicker. On the hardcourt for the Fliers, he started all 93 varsity contests. He earned All-Conference in 1977 and 1979 and topped the conference scoring charts in 1978 (16.6 ppg) and 1979 (23.0 ppg).
At the time of his graduation, he held school records for most game, season and career assists, with 11, 150 and 370, respectively, and topped the career scoring leader chart with 1356 points. Tom threw discus for the Fliers for 4 years, finishing 4th at the state meet in 1979, with a school record 147’8” toss (currently 10th best all time) and held the shot-put record-47’7 (currently 4th all time as a Flier.
Graydon Dailey, FHS Class of 1973
Dailey will enter the Class of 2026, checking off three of the five categories for induction, as an athlete, coach and contributor. Dailey lettered in four sports for the Fliers: cross country, football, wrestling and track. With encouragement from Kenny Dailey, he finished 2nd at 85 pounds at the 1969 SD State AAU Wrestling Tournament. After a bout with mono, he spent his freshman season wrestling but only in exhibition matches because he was too small. He did wrestle AAU that spring and won the state 85 lb. title. Finally, his sophomore season, he got to wrestle varsity at 98. He lost only 2 matches that year, and qualified for state, where he finished 3rd. As a junior, Graydon moved up to 112. He avenged his only loss earlier in the season, with a 5-2 decision at regions over Goltz from Beresford. He ended up placing 2nd at state to Willuweit from Burke. He started his senior campaign at 126 but dropped down to 119 after Christmas. He would go 0-2-1 at his new weight, but with Coach McGlone’s encouragement to stick with it, it did work out. He went on to become the Fliers’ 2nd ever state wrestling champion with a 6-2 decision over West Central’s Irvine. He finished his 3 years of Flier wrestling with 75-6-1 record. Dailey continued his wrestling career at USD/Springfield for 4 years, wrestling for 2 years at 134 and 2 years at 150 for Coach Mike Durfee. He was the SDIC champ at 150 in 1976, and qualified for nationals 3 times. Dailey moved to Belle Fourche, SD, where he taught for 37 years and was head wrestling coach for 17 years. Graydon also officiated wrestling for 16 years, including 10 State A tournaments. He was 150-76-2 as the Broncos wrestling coach, earning his way into the SD Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame and Belle Fourche High School Hall of Fame in 2021.
Randy Oldenkamp, FHS Class of 1975
Oldenkamp enters the Class of 2026 as an athlete. Randy was a ten-time letter-winner for the Fliers in three sports – football, basketball and track. He earned an All-Big 8 Conference nod in 1974 at quarterback for Tiger McGlone’s 7-2 gridiron squad. His 2 years as a varsity basketball player for Coach Cecil’s cagers culminated in a 3rd place finish at the State B in 1975, and a Class B, 3rd Team All-State recognition. In 4 years as a multi-event place-winner for Gus Barnes’ track squads, Oldenkamp was part of the Flier track and field dynasty that won 3 consecutive State Class A Track titles in 1972, 73 and 74 and a runner-up finish in 1975. Arguably the most versatile track athlete to come through FHS since Buster Charles in the 1920s, Oldenkamp topped the Fliers’ competition in the long jump, triple jump, shot put, discus and sprint relays for 4 years. He still holds school records for the shot and triple jump and came close to Buster Charles’ long jump record. Randy would go on to double up in college, playing football and track and field for the DWU Tigers for 4 years. He garnered All-SDIC honors in 1977 and ’78, one of few Tiger players who can claim All-Conference honors on both offense and defense. Randy also excelled in track. He was the SDIC and NAIA District 12 Decathlon Champ in 1978 and 1979. In his senior year, he set a school decathlon record that remained for 18 years. He was inducted into the DWU Hall of Fame in 1997.
Dennis Danforth, Sr., FIS Class of 1976
Danforth will enter the FAHOF as an athlete. “Teyohahase – Good Road,” is a member of the Oneida Nation (WI). Danforth began his boxing journey at 10 years old with his brothers at the Oneida Mission Boxing Club. In 1974, he transferred to the Flandreau Indian School, where he was a multi-sport athlete, participating in football, basketball, track and field and boxing. His impact was felt on both sides of the ball, for Coach Berle Johnson’s football squad, as Dennis helped FIS to a 5-3 record his senior year, the best in recent memory. He had 41 solo tackles during the 1975 season, rushed for 591 yards, caught 10 passes for 129 yards, scored 5 touchdowns, 5 extra points and kicked a field goal. He was offered a football scholarship at BHSU, but his prowess in the squared circle took him on a different life path. Dennis fought in the welterweight and middleweight classes. His greatest accomplishment as a boxer was being invited to the 1976 Olympic Trials and being a three-time National Indian Athletic Association two-weight class champion. Danforth won the 1977 SD State Championship, the Upper-Widwest Golden Gloves in Minneapolis and eventually was crowned the 1977 Golden Gloves Welterweight Champion. He received a bid to the U.S. National Golden Gloves Tournament in Hawaii, joining Team Minnesota. He fought hard in Honolulu where he was defeated in a controversial split-decision to a former three-division world champion professional fighter. Dennis was inducted into the North American Indigenous Athletics Hall of Fame in 2024.
Derek Burshiem, FHS Class of 1976
Burshiem enters the FAHOF as an athlete and contributor. Derek played basketball for the Fliers and golfed. He was a three-time state meet qualifier and went on to play for Dakota State University after graduation. It was as an amateur golfer where Derek made a name for himself and became a contender for medalist honors in every tournament he entered. In September of 2022, he became the first Native American member of the South Dakota Golf Association Hall of Fame. A formidable player, and quiet competitor, Derek has won 5 SDGA Championships and numerous runner-up finishes. He is a three-time Senior Male Golfer of the Year. Beyond his playing ability, Derek has made many other significant contributions to golf in SD. He has volunteered countless hours at Rivers Bend Golf Course, helping to manage and maintain the course through difficult times. He has also been deeply involved in junior golf at Rivers Bend, FHS and FIS.
The final two Class of 2026 Inductees come in the Contributor/Builder category.
Jackie Bird, FIS 1985
Bird enters the Class of 2026 as a Contributor/Builder. A proud member of the Mandan/Hidatsa/Arikara Nation, she is the daughter of FIlandreau Indian School alum, Gordon (1961) and Joanne (1962). Jackie’s hobbies in high school were art and music, and she was an active member of Ron Goodeagle’s Indian Club. The hoop dance, as we know it today, began with Tony Whitecloud in the 1930s. He created a performance program for the tourism industry using willow hoops to form shapes and designs, while dancing to intertribal music. The movement he inspired led to the first World Championship Hoop Dance Contest at the New Mexico State Fair in 1991. Jackie Bird was the first woman to enter the contest in 1994. She started dancing and performing in 1988 and learned to hoop dance from the legendary Lakotah Hoop Dancer, Kevin Locke. Bird is one of few modern Native women who has permission to perform the hoop dance. Since she has no male relatives in her generation, her grandmother granted her the right to dance for her family. Most people know Jackie as a performing artist. She has traveled the globe expressing her Native American Culture through song and dance, representing her family, the Flandreau Indian School and all of Indian Country, having brought her message of hope and beauty to audiences in over nine countries. Her contributions have not only enriched Native arts but also bridged cultural understanding worldwide. Against this backdrop, Bird was invited to perform as a hoop dancer at the opening ceremonies for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
Dr. B.T. Otey
Dr. B.T. Otey, a longtime family physician in Flandreau, was heavily involved in serving his community, outside his medical practice. He and wife Cathy moved to Flandreau in 1953. He graduated from the University of Tennessee Medical School in 1937 and served in the Army from 1942-45. He was an elder of the 2nd Presbyterian Church, member of the Presbytery for SD, Library Board, Crystal Restoration Board, AMA, American College of Surgeons, American College of Family Practice, the Third District Medical Society, physician of FIS, and President of the American Cancer Society. As chair of Flandreau’s Citizens’ Committee, Dr. Otey led the charge for an eventual bond issue, which resulted in the construction of a brand-new high school for the Flandreau School District that opened its doors in the fall of 1968. He served the student-athletes of both the Flandreau Public and Flandreau Indian High schools and received the SDHSAA Distinguished Service Award for ‘service through community support’, in 1978.
FHS 1992 State B Boys Golf Champs
The only Team of Excellence entering the Class of 2026 is the Fliers’ State B Boys Golf Champs of 1992. This was the 2nd Team title for FAHOFamer Coach Tiger McGlone. His linksters dominated the competition in the spring of ’92, capturing 9 tournament and dual victories and a 2nd place at West Central. Junior Shane Bisson had the hot hand at the State B in Yankton, carding 161 over two days, good for a 5th place finish overall. Senior Jesse Nester shot 170, and placed 13th, while sophomore Todd McKeown and freshman Matt Johnson both shot 177, good for 25th and 26th. The steadying influence of the squad’s only senior cannot be overstated, as this was Nester’s 5th state golf tournament appearance.
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