Kooistra inducted into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame!

Date:

by Carrie Moritz, Gazette

man in blue and white striped shirt and hat posing for photo
Clarence Kooistra

            His football games had a nearly perfect winning streak for 30 years. His record boasts of a State Championship runner-up, a 24-game streak in nine-man football, and 23 games won in a row in 11-man football. And now, he can add member of the 54th class of the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame to that record.

            Former Garretson High School teacher and football coach Clarence Kooistra remains humble, however.

            "I give all credit to the teams- it's all about them, and the community," Kooistra said. "I owe it to all those people."

            Kooistra was the Garretson High School football coach for 30 years, leading 300 games from the 1970's to the 1990's before retiring from coaching in 1997 and teaching in 1998.

            After serving for four years in the Marines during the Vietnam war and obtaining his Bachelor’s Degree at Sioux Falls College (now University of Sioux Falls), Kooistra began teaching in Coleridge, NE. It wasn't long before he moved back to the area and started teaching in Garretson.

            He taught high school social studies, geography, and government before moving into the guidance counselor position. During his 34 years of teaching, he impacted many lives and guided many kids through their teenage years.

            In an interview with the Gazette, Kooistra spoke of the impact of community involvement. He mentioned pep rallies, which were held every Friday for K-12. Oftentimes, the whole community would be involved. He remembered doing one rally while standing on a beat-up car on Main.

            "It was all for the kids," he said, pointing out how much the students got involved in the pep rallies, doing skits and having the band play. He wished the school could still hold the pep rallies that often, but realized it probably wasn't feasible anymore, because there are more games and sports than there used to be.

            Participation was the name of the game for Kooistra. He noted that he expected his athletes to attend practices without fail and expected them to be good leaders. Once, his team got in trouble with an initiation, and "it was bad," he said. "But I was tough with the kids so we didn't usually have too much issue with that."

WANT TO SEE MORE?

More article below - Read with a mailed subscription or full on-line subscription!

Your financial support of this locally-owned, locally-run newspaper and its advertisers ensures we can continue bringing you great content. Thank you for your support!

MAIL SUBSCRIBERS: Register to receive full access to archives, past issues, extra photos, and more. (Allow up to 3 business days for full activation.) On a recurring subscription? You likely already have an account!

Already have an account? Log In:

Share post:

spot_img

Related articles

Former GHS Standout Wrestler Recognized

Story by Dan Bly  & Oran Sorenson This last weekend at the state wrestling tournament in Rapid City, ten new...

JH Football Jamboree

Story and photos by Kelsey Buchholz             Junior High Football went 2-1 on the Jamboree on Saturday, Sept. 14....

New policy may ease creation of football schedules

By Dana Hess For the S.D. NewsMedia Association             PIERRE — If the state’s high schools comply with some new...

SDHSAA Board considers policy change for football schedules

By Dana Hess For the S.D. NewsMedia Association             PIERRE — For South Dakota high schools, one of the most...

Log In

Latest articles

Three will compete for two seats on the Garretson School Board

With a joint city of Garretson and Garretson School Board election coming up on Tuesday, April 8th, 2025...

Open fire burn ban now in effect for rural Minnehaha County

By Dave Baumeister County Correspondent SIOUX FALLS – Due to severe dry conditions, Minnehaha County Commissioners voted unanimously to immediately...

Oh, what a Birthday Weekend!

submitted by Sam Williamson On March 18, Joan Engebretson celebrated her 93rd birthday. The weekend before, friends and family...

FFA qualifies 27 for State CDEs

by Brielle Weir, GHS Blue Ink FFA career development event (CDE) contests just began at the beginning of the...

Burn Ban in effect, dry conditions continue

Ban prompted by several area fires, including Garretson On Tuesday, Minnehaha County Emergency Management placed a burn ban county-wide...

From the Desk of the Mayor 

I wanted to get this out before April so that I could cover a number of things happening...
s2Member®