A total of six individuals have been selected to go into the South Dakota High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame later this month.
Among the new inductees are former Aberdeen Roncalli football coach Terry Dosch, and former Milbank wrestling coach Bob Hirsch.
The induction ceremony will be at 1 p.m. Sunday, July 26, at the Mitchell High School Performing Arts Center.
Here are the bios of this year’s honoreees:
Terry Dosch, Aberdeen
Coach Dosch, a 1976 Ipswich graduate and Northern State University alum (1980), began his coaching career in Faulkton, where he served as head football and assistant wrestling coach. His 1981 team played in the first-ever 9AA State Championship game and also captured a North Central Conference title.
In 1985, he began a 40-year career at Aberdeen Roncalli, where he coached football, track, and wrestling while teaching generations of student-athletes. As head football coach for 32 years and head boys track coach for 20 years, he built one of the most respected programs in South Dakota.
Under his leadership, Roncalli won 13 Northeast Conference titles, made 8 state semifinal appearances, and reached the state championship game 3 times—including back-to-back state titles in 2005 and 2006. His track and field program also captured a Class A State Championship in 2006 and multiple conference and regional titles.
Coach Dosch’s career includes 5 Regional Coach of the Year honors, 2-time SDHSCA Football Coach of the Year, and national recognition as a finalist for NHSACA Coach of the Year. He was inducted into the SDFBCA Hall of Fame and is also a member of both the Roncalli and Ipswich High School Halls of Fame.
Beyond the field, Terry has served on state coaching boards and was named SD Catholic Schools Teacher of the Year in 1992. Above all, he is most proud of the relationships built with athletes, families, and fellow coaches over four decades of service.
We will be honoring Coach Dosch and all Hall of Fame inductees at our 55th Annual Awards Ceremony on July 19th at 1:00 PM at the Mitchell Performing Arts Center.
Bob Hirsch, Harrisburg
We are proud to recognize Bob Hirsch for his outstanding lifelong dedication to South Dakota wrestling and high school athletics.
A 1979 graduate of Vermillion High School and 1983 graduate of Northern State University, Coach Hirsch began his teaching and coaching career at Harding County High School before taking over a long and successful tenure at Milbank High School in 1984. There, he coached wrestling and tennis for 19 years and built one of the most respected wrestling programs in the state.
At Milbank, his 1990 team captured the Class A State Championship and finished state runner-up three additional times. He later continued his career in Watertown, where he contributed to another successful era, including an ESD Championship in 2007.
Over his career, Coach Hirsch earned 14 Region Coach of the Year honors, was named SDHSCA Wrestling Coach of the Year in 1990 and 1993, and was a multiple-time NHSACA National Coach of the Year finalist. His leadership and impact were further recognized with induction into the Northern State Hall of Fame and the South Dakota Wrestling Hall of Fame.
Beyond school coaching, he has served on the SD Wrestling Coaches Board since 1987 and continues to give back to the sport as a high school and college wrestling official.
Deb Thill, Mitchell
A 1981 graduate of Groton High School, Coach Thill earned her degree in HPER from South Dakota State University in 1985 and later completed her master’s degree from Emporia State University in 2010. Her coaching journey spans more than three decades of leadership across volleyball, basketball, and track & field.
In 1991, she launched the Mitchell High School volleyball program—one of the last Class AA schools to add the sport—and quickly built it into a powerhouse, capturing state championships in 1995 and 2003. She joined the girls’ basketball program in 1992 and helped guide the team through its transition to a winter season, leading them to a state championship in 2003.
In track & field, she began coaching in 2013 and became head coach in 2022, continuing her success by mentoring numerous high jump athletes, including state champions.
Coach Thill’s honors include South Dakota Volleyball Coach of the Year (2003), induction into the SDVBCA Hall of Fame (2011), NHSACA National Volleyball Coach of the Year finalist (2012), and the prestigious Max Hawk Award (2022). She has also been a longtime leader in the coaching community, serving on the SDHSCA Board of Directors and as SDHSCA President in 2008, as well as serving nine years on the NHSACA Board.
Tonight, she also becomes part of a historic moment as one half of the first father-daughter duo inducted into the SDHSCA Hall of Fame, joining her father, Richard Donovan, who was inducted in 2001.
Deb and her husband Shane are the proud parents of Jordan (Meghan) and Bridget (Alex). Known as a “coach’s coach,” her leadership, passion, and dedication have left a lasting legacy at Mitchell High School and across South Dakota.
Paul Hendry, Rapid City
We are proud to recognize Paul Hendry of Rapid City for his outstanding lifelong dedication to student-athletes and South Dakota athletics.
Paul Hendry’s journey in athletics began long before high school—with little league baseball, soccer, and a coach who didn’t need a whistle or a playbook to make an impact: his mother. She was the one who got him involved, never missed a game, and worked tirelessly to give him every opportunity to succeed. Her belief in him was unwavering—from childhood all the way through his coaching career—and she remained his biggest supporter until she lost her courageous battle with cancer. Paul still credits her as the greatest coach he’s ever had.
He graduated from Stevens High School in Rapid City, where he was a three-sport athlete and a three-time state champion in the triple jump. He still holds the Stevens school record in that event (46’10”) and was named the Top Raider and the Rapid City Male High School Athlete of the Year in 1987.
Paul went on to compete in both football and track & field at the University of South Dakota. In 1989, he became the first male indoor All-American in USD history in the triple jump and later served as captain of the Coyotes’ 1992 North Central Conference Indoor Championship team.
After graduating, Paul began his teaching and coaching career in 1992 at North Middle School, where he coached boys and girls basketball, volleyball, and track & field. He later moved to Stevens High School, where he has spent the last 28 years—25 of those as head coach of the Raider Track & Field program. During that time, Stevens has earned 16 team state championships, and athletes under his leadership have captured 75 individual and 43 relay state titles. He has coached a national record holder, 18 state record holders, 57 school record holders, 14 All-Americans, and nine Gatorade Track & Field Athletes of the Year. Paul consistently credits his assistant coaches, supportive families, and student-athletes for his success, often saying they have “taught me more than I could ever teach them.”
In addition to track & field, Paul has served as an assistant coach in basketball and tennis, and continues to support student development as Stevens intramural director and weight room supervisor. He also helped launch ASA girls softball in Rapid City, coaching the first Rapid City Flames team in 1995, which included future WNBA star Becky Hammon. That experience reinforced his belief that coaching is about creating opportunities for young people to grow and succeed.
Paul has also played an active role in advancing track & field statewide through leadership in the SDCCTCA, SDHSCA, and SDHSAA Track & Field and Cross Country Advisory Committee. His many honors include induction into multiple halls of fame, national and state Coach of the Year recognition, and numerous professional awards.
Above all, Paul is most proud of being a father to Mya, DeAndre, and Tyree, and credits his faith, family, colleagues, and athletes for shaping his journey.
Dan Mitchell, Yankton
A native of Wayne, Nebraska and graduate of Wayne State College (BA 1984, MS 1989), Coach Mitchell began his teaching and coaching career at Yankton High School in 1985, where he would go on to spend more than three decades shaping student-athletes and programs across wrestling, football, and strength and conditioning.
In wrestling, he served as both assistant and head coach, helping guide 39 qualifiers to the state tournament, along with conference titles and a 1986 state championship. In football, he served as a longtime assistant coach for Yankton’s highly successful program, which captured 6 Class 11AA state championships, 12 Eastern South Dakota Conference titles, and 10 region championships during his tenure.
Beyond the field, Coach Mitchell made a lasting impact in athletic performance and development, supervising the Yankton High School weight room and contributing to strength and conditioning education statewide.
Following his retirement from Yankton in 2019, he returned to Wayne State College to teach in the Center for Applied Technology and continued coaching as a volunteer assistant at Beresford High School through 2025.
His many honors include SDHSCA Assistant Coach of the Year, Max Hawk Award recipient, multiple state and national coaching awards, and induction into the South Dakota Football Coaches Hall of Fame and Wayne High School Hall of Fame. He also served as President of NHSACA (2024–2025) and has held numerous leadership roles in state and national coaching organizations.
Ken Koistinen
A Lake Norden native and graduate of Huron College, Coach Koistinen began his teaching and coaching career in Erwin before spending 14 years at Wessington Springs, where he coached football, basketball, and track. During his tenure, his football teams captured three Central Conference championships and finished the 1979 season ranked No. 1 in Class B.
In 1981, Coach Koistinen moved to Pierre High School, where he taught mathematics and coached football and track for 19 years until his retirement in 1999. Throughout his 36-year career, he influenced countless student-athletes through his leadership, dedication, and commitment to education.
Beyond the sidelines, Coach Koistinen served 10 years on the South Dakota Football Coaches Association Board of Directors and has been inducted into both the South Dakota Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame and the Pierre High School Hall of Fame.
