Deb Thill Inducted into SDHSCA Hall of Fame

Hall of Fame Ceremony

Longtime Mitchell High School coach Deb Thill will join a six‑member class for 2026 when the South Dakota High School Coaches Association holds its induction ceremony. The event takes place Sunday, July 19, at 1 p.m. in the Mitchell High School Performing Arts Center, and admission is free for the public. This honor recognizes a career that spans three and a half decades of teaching and coaching across multiple sports.

Thill’s induction also marks a historic first: she becomes the inaugural daughter to be honored alongside her father, Richard Donovan, who entered the hall in 2001. Richard coached for 31 years at four South Dakota schools—Delmont, Highmore, Groton and Mitchell—building a legacy that now continues through his daughter.

Thill’s Career Highlights

After retiring earlier this year, Thill can point to 35 years in education and a résumé that includes volleyball, track and field, and basketball at Mitchell High. She created the Kernel volleyball program in 1991, the last Class AA school to adopt the sport, and quickly turned it into a powerhouse. Under her leadership, the team captured state titles in 1995 and 2003, qualified for the Class AA tournament 15 times—including 2025—and amassed 517 wins.

Thill also led the girls basketball squad for two seasons (2003‑04) after 11 years as an assistant, securing the 2003 state championship. Her track and field career began in 2013, with her promotion to head coach in 2022 focusing on high jump competitions. She earned state volleyball coach of the year honors in 2003, was named to the South Dakota Volleyball Coaches Association hall of fame in 2011, and served nine years on the National High School Athletic Coaches Association board.

Academic credentials round out Thill’s story: she graduated from Groton High School in 1981, earned a health, physical education and recreation degree from South Dakota State University in 1985, and completed a master’s at Emporia State (Kansas) in 2010. Her college alma mater and her community impact illustrate a career defined by both teaching and sport.

Other 2026 Inductees

Terry Dosch of Aberdeen brings 40 years of coaching to the class, having spent three decades at Roncalli High School as head football coach and two decades as head boys track coach. Roncalli reached the state football championship three times, capturing back‑to‑back titles in 2005 and 2006, and the track team claimed a Class A championship in 2006. Dosch’s two SDHSCA football coach‑of‑the‑year awards underscore his influence.

Paul Hendry has spent 28 years at Rapid City Stevens, 25 of them as head track and field coach, guiding the program to 16 team championships, 75 individual state titles, and 43 relay victories. A three‑time state triple jump champion and indoor All‑American at USD, Hendry also coached future WNBA player Becky Hammon on the ASA girls softball team in 1995.

Bob Hirsch built a respected wrestling program at Milbank over 19 years, earning the 1990 Class A state title and finishing second three times. He also coached wrestling and tennis at Harding County and Watertown, was named SDHSCA wrestling coach of the year twice (1990, 1993), and has served on the South Dakota Wrestling Coaches Association board since 1987 while continuing as an official.

Ken Koistinen logged 36 years in education and coaching, beginning in Erwin and spending 14 years at Wessington Springs before moving to Pierre in 1981. At Pierre High, he taught math and coached football and track for 19 years, leading football to three Central Conference championships and a No. 1 Class B ranking in 1979. He also served a decade on the South Dakota Football Coaches Association board and holds hall of fame honors from both that group and Pierre High.

Dan Mitchell spent more than three decades at Yankton High School, beginning in 1985, where he coached wrestling and football. He guided 39 wrestlers to the state tournament, earned conference titles, and captured a 1986 state championship. As a football assistant, his Bucks won six Class 11AA state titles. Mitchell also served as president of the National High School Athletic Coaches Association and contributed to strength‑and‑conditioning education across the state.

Spring Sports Coach Awards

Avon softball coach Paul Kuhlman was named South Dakota High School Coaches Association spring sports coach of the year. Under his guidance, the Pirates posted a 17‑9 record and returned to the Class B state tournament for the second consecutive year, a dramatic turnaround from just two wins in 2023. Kuhlman’s squad finished seventh, with Brielle Voigt and Rilyn Thury earning Class B all‑state honors.

Additional 2026 spring awards include Kim Zimmerman of Aberdeen Central for girls golf, Tim Hedblom of Huron for boys tennis, Jim Jarovski of Sioux Falls Lincoln for boys track and field, and Julie Preheim of Colman‑Egan for girls track and field. All honorees will be recognized at the SDHSCA awards ceremony set for 1:30 p.m. on the same Sunday at the Mitchell High School Performing Arts Center.