Iowa Association of Track Coaches Hall of Fame

Glenwood & ISU (Athlete) 1982

Beaman-Conrad 1973 Dale was born in 1913 in Oskaloosa, Iowa and graduated from high school in 1931. He participated in track and football while in high school and was the first member of the Oskaloosa track team to break 2:00 in the half mile. Dale did not begin college until he was twenty five years…

Urbandale (IATO Official) 2011 Everyone knows this person for his leadership skills and many of us may not be aware that he has been a registered Official in five sports for 42 years. Before achieving “a leadership role” at the state level he had coached Track and Field for eleven years. Mike served on the…

Indianola (Athlete) 1997 Cristy Dickerson (Hamblin) was outstanding during her High School career at Indianola. Ron Werling, Cristy’s Coach, writes “Cristy was an outstanding Sprinter with a tremendous amount of natural speed, but the thing that made her the best sprinter for four years was her mental toughness and competitiveness. Some of her accomplishments: 3…

University of Northern Iowa 1974 Mr. Arthur Dickinson, Associate Professor, Emeritus, at State College of Iowa, was born on October 14, 1896, at Shellsburg, Iowa, was graduated from the State College of Iowa with the B. A. degree in 1917, and received the M. A. degree from the University of Iowa in 1933. Prior to…

Note: Brooke (Dinsdale) Schupbach and Blaire (Dinsdale) Puls were inducted at the same time as cherished teammate Sara (Stoakes) Kvidera. This induction speech is also displayed under their names.  When it comes to high school track teams in small-town Iowa, we have been blessed to watch some very good ones. Many times, these teams win titles…

Note: Brooke (Dinsdale) Schupbach and Blaire (Dinsdale) Puls were inducted at the same time as cherished teammate Sara (Stoakes) Kvidera. This induction speech is also displayed under their names.  When it comes to high school track teams in small-town Iowa, we have been blessed to watch some very good ones. Many times, these teams win titles…

Coralville (Athlete) 1988 Nanette Doak was a household name in the community and high school of Hedrick, Iowa. In the years of ’78-’80 she participated in softball, basketball, track, and cross country as well as being an honor student. Even though she was a success in other activities, running seemed to be her best area…

Ames 1994 Jim Duea was born in Des Moines to the family of Ben Duea who was coaching track at Valley High School in West Des Moines. Being a part of a coaching family, they moved to Fort Dodge where he attended school through his sophomore year and then moved to LaMesa, California where he…

Shenandoah 2003 Wally was born to Walt and Pat Duffy in Ottumwa, Iowa on July 11, 1961. He was raised in Shenandoah, Iowa and graduated from Shenandoah High school in 1979. He participated in many activities in high school. He was Salutatorian of his high school class, a member of the National Honor Society and…

Des Moines (Athlete) 1985 Clyde Duncan graduated from North High School in Des Moines. During his high school career he was State Champ in the 100-200-440 dashes for three years. He attended and graduated from Texas Southern University at Houston, Texas in 1969. While at college he received NAIA All-American honors for four years. His…

Drake 1975 Find the green hat and you find the announcer for the Drake Relays. He sat next to the track announcing the record paces and told the east side to bring those runners around. Jim Duncan was most famous as the Voice of the Drake Relays, Duncan influenced many sports, many participants, many coaches,…

Davenport Central 1981, (Official) – 2003 Ira W. Dunsworth was a member of Davenport High School track team, winning three consecutive state championships; 1952-1956 member of University of Iowa track and cross-country teams, serving as captain his senior year to finish second in Big Ten Conference; science teacher and Track & Field and Cross Country…

Iowa City (Athlete) 2010 We have all used, or at least heard, the old cliché “They are small in stature, but have a big heart”. No one exemplifies that description better than our Hall of Fame inductee, Tim Dwight. When Tim reached Southeast Junior High in Iowa City, and ran 51.9 in the 400, everyone…

Tom Ecker was raised in Waverly, Iowa and graduated from high school in 1953. He participated in many activities in high school. Tom lettered in football, basketball, and track. It was Track and Field where he excelled. He first qualified for the state meet as a sophomore in the high and low hurdles. During his…

Bob Ehrhart earned all-state honors as a quarterback in football and in track as a pole vaulter while a student at Naperville High School, Naperville, Illinois. As a collegian, he was a four-time Big Ten Pole Vault Champion at Northwestern University and he shared the Drake Relays title in that event with three other vaulters…

It was a hot summer day, in July of 1973, when Hall of Fame Coach Ira Dunsworth, took a much needed break from yard work to take a phone call from a Peoria, Illinois sportswriter. “You are getting a fine distance runner this fall, what do you think of him?” Asked the reporter. “Oh yeah,…

Davis Eidahl, was born in Iowa City, Iowa, and graduated from Newton High School in 1959. During his high school career he participated in basketball and track. He earned All-Conference honors in basketball. He qualified for the State Track meet two years and played in the State Basketball Tournament. After graduation Davis attended Central College…

If you have been involved in track and field for very long you have heard the clichés “He or she was ahead of their time”, or “He or she was as good as anyone around”. Well, those sayings are more than clichés if you are talking about Dick Eisenlauer. Eisenlauer was a Mr. Everything. President…

As I mentioned earlier, the Iowa Boys High School state track and field championships have been held for 112 years. Here is a little history on the boys hurdles in Iowa: The 120 yard high hurdles were run at 42” from 1906 through 1934 and at 39” from 1935 through 1977. The high school high…

Tom started his career in athletics in 1963 were he served as head FB and track coach at Hubbard Community School and later at Eddyville Community School. In 1979 he became an assistant football coach at William Penn College. From 1982 – 1986 Tom was an assistant track coach at Central College. In 1986 Tom…

During the years of 1937-1939, Traer High School was represented in all sports and activities by an individual by the name of Bruce Erickson. This 6’2″ 190 lb. individual is best known for his javelin throws even though he could throw the discus a modest 144′ and the shot put 45′ as well as compete…

As an Iowa State senior in 1979, Debbie Esser became the first woman to win four consecutive national collegiate track titles in the same event. She was and is the “Hurdler” She set the national 400-meter hurdles record fresh out of high school and won a national AAU championship. She piled up all 13 titles…

Linn-Mar, 2024 IATC Hall of Fame Athlete As we go through life and find some time to reflect on the past, I think most of us would be able to identify a period where we would say, ‘You know what, all things considered, that was a pretty darn good time in my life”. I have…

When girls could run no farther than 880 yards, the desire to be a runner and basketball player saw Robin Evans leave the Carroll School District where track was not a part of the program, to the high school of Manilla and a home away from home with the Hennessays. You might say this was…

Ken attended Wapello High School where he was All Conference in basketball, Captain of the track team, and the State Mile Champion. After high school, he attended the University of Iowa where he was a 3 year Letter winner in Cross Country as well as being a member of the Big Ten Champion Cross Country…

A graduate of Laurens High School and Buena Vista College, he started his coaching career at Manilla where he had teams that placed third and second at the state outdoor meet. He coached Manilla to the Iowa Federation Outdoor Championships in 1964 and 1965. He has coached at Missouri Valley where his teams were conference…

There was not a girl’s track team when he showed up at Tipton High School in 1968 to teach Business. In 1973 he started the girls program from scratch, and when Dave Fetterman retired he had developed one of the most successful programs this state has ever seen. This Sioux City native graduated from Wayne…

Al Feuerbach is one of Iowa’s own national heroes. Born in Clinton, he attended Preston High School where he lettered in baseball, basketball, football, and track. This talented individual attended Emporia State University at Emporia, Kansas. At this school he received NAIA All-American honors for 4 years. After his graduation in 1970, his accomplishments really…

Kent grew up in Wisconsin. He was an outstanding Football and Basketball player. Graduation from High School lead him to Luther College in Decorah, Iowa. Kent was All-Conference in Football and Basketball his junior and senior seasons, an All-American in Football his junior season and Conference Long Jump Champion his senior season. He remained at…

2023 Inductee Most of us have known a kid or two we thought just might have enough athletic ability to be successful, but just needed someone to give him or her the guidance and love needed to achieve that success. At Marshalltown, in the 70’s, it was Junior High Track and Field Coaches Stan Wooster…

Jack Foresman is a lifelong resident of rural Cleghorn and a lifelong member of the Mt. Pleasant Church. In high school Jack received varsity letters in every sport offered. His senior year he qualified for the state track meet in the pole vault and the mile run. He received his bachelor’s degree from Wayne State…

A native of Hawarden, Iowa. He competed in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He received his undergraduate degree from South Dakota State University playing four years of football and co-captain his senior year. He earned a masters degree and educational specialist’s degree from Drake University. He taught and coached at Cardinal of Elden and Laurens,…

2016 Inductee When an individual has climbed the proverbial ladder of success, to heights most of us can only dream about, and they can recall every step along the way and who has been there to help and guide them, it speaks highly of their character and of the passion they have for what they…

2022 Inductee For an Iowa high school girl to qualify to the state Track and Field Championships in each one of her opportunities, which today is 16, is pretty darn special and several have done it. For that girl to score all 16 times is much less common. For that girl to finish no worse…