It's a good day to be a Pioneer

NEBRASKA CITY – Billy Edwards of Nebraska City was seriously injured in 1922 when his car skidded south of Nebraska City and overturned. He was pinned beneath the crushing metal, but was described as a bone-crusher himself when he won the light heavyweight wrestling title of the world in Portland, Ore., in 1924.

 

The Nebraska City boy’s mother, Mrs. AV Edwards, reacted to his championship by telling the Portland Daily Journal that she never encouraged him to take up the fighting game, but, as he had made a success of it, she was more than proud.

John Barton said there is still a lot to be proud of among Nebraska City athletes. He coached the 1985 state track champions.

Barton: “I told (hall of famer) Bret Clark one time. He said, ‘coach you don’t look very good this year’ and I said Bret, the bigger the meet the better we’re going to be.”

It turned out to be a pretty good forecast as Tony Jordan, Brad Martin, Harald and Frank Graham, Lance Dixon and Corey Friesen won medals to fuel the Pioneer championship.

The Grahams were hall inductees Friday, as was Clark, who distinguished himself as a 1984  All-American playing football at the University of Nebraska  and led the Atlanta Falcons in interceptions in 1986 and 1988.

Inductee Mitch Krenk, who played for the Huskers and Chicago Bears, was the Pioneers’ athlete of the year in 1978.

Krenk: “I think this is just the start obviously. We’re lucky enough to be the first ones, but there are so many great athletes that come from Nebraska City and come through here. I can’t wait to see how it grows.”

Julie Hermann, a state track champion in 1980 and three-year starter for the University of Nebraska volleyball team, said Krenk was deserving of the school’s athlete of the year title.

Audio: Krenk objects “this gal, you have to remember.…

Hermann: “He blew the field away. We were all following Mitch. We all followed him to Nebraska. We followed him everywhere.
 Krenk: “What’s big at Nebraska now? We all know the Huskers, but who wins? Nebraska volleyball, there you go.

Audio: “Do you think you were a forerunner in women’s athletics?

Hermann: “There were a ton of forerunners. I mean I got to follow (coach)  Terry Pettit to Nebraska and he made a whole crew. Really fostering championship opportunities for women and so a lot of women have gotten to go down that portal because of him.”

 

Coach Ron Schaulis said he was surprised the school did not have a hall of fame to this point and took on the duty to get one started.

He said the selection committee started with a list of 50 and considered championships and what they had given back to the community.

Cross country icons Harald and Frank Graham were represented by their parents, Richard and Helga, who credited their success to playing soccer and their mindset.

Helga: “They were very responsible. They were very reliable and that helped them in their career.”

Hermann  was the first woman hired in the modern BCS era to a Power 5 athletic department and lead Rutgers to join the Big 10.
She offered her insight for success.

Hermann: “It’s my experience being in college sports for 30 years, the team doesn’t improve as a team. The team improves as individuals improve, so I, as an athlete, as a student, can make an individual effort to raise my game and help raise my teammate’s game, because I know watching Mitch and watching Bret and watching my brother Jody, that’s what raised my game.”

Cheri Becerra-Madsen, a 10-time Paralympic medalist, agreed it’s a great day to be a Pioneer.

Madsen: “I trained in this community. I’m from this community. I graduated from the high school. It’s just a great honor.”

 

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