Five Athletes and Two Special Contributors Inducted into Coyote Sports Hall of Fame on Sept. 19

The 2009 Coyote Sports Hall of Fame class includes from left: Shane Murphy, Steve Gordon, Kurt Seibel, Elena (Swan) Davis, John Waltner, Mike Mahon, James Foster.

VERMILLION, S.D. -- The University of South Dakota has announced that five former student-athletes and special contributors John Waltner and Mike Mahon will be inducted into the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame at noon on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009 at the Muenster University Center.

Former athletes Elena (Swan) Davis of Fontana, Calif.; Kurt Seibel of Vermillion, S.D.; James Foster of Alexandria, Pa.; Steve Gordon of Omaha, Neb.; and Shane Murphy of Sioux Falls, S.D. will join Waltner of Sioux Falls, S.D. and Mahon of West Des Moines, Iowa, in the induction ceremony of the Class of 2009. The U will also recognize the 1992-93 and 1993-94 men’s basketball teams which earned back-to-back trips to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight as part of the Hall of Fame’s Special Achievements recognition.

The induction of the Class of 2009 grows the Coyotes Sports Hall of Fame membership to 258. The first Hall of Fame class was inducted in 1972.

"This is another special group of Coyotes being recognized by the Hall of Fame committee," said USD Director of Athletics Joel Nielsen. "Included in this group are National Champions along with others who have had a considerable impact on USD Athletics."

Elena (Swan) Davis
Elena (Swan) Davis, originally from St. Paul, Minn., ranks as one of the all-time greats in an illustrious women’s track and field program. A 15-time track and field All-American while at USD, she is one of only two athletes in USD history to win two individual track and field national championships. At the 1998 indoor national championships she won the long jump and the triple jump and led the Coyotes to a second-place team finish. She also earned two other All-American certificates in that meet with a fifth-place finish in the 55-meter hurdles and as a member of the fourth place 4x400 meter relay squad. During her career at USD she won 13 individual NCC titles and set four school records. In 1997, she was named the North Central Region Female Outdoor Athlete of the Year and was selected MVP of the NCC Outdoor Championship. Davis was also named the USTFCCA Division II National Female Outdoor Athlete of the Year in 1998. In 2008, Davis was inducted to the Division II Track and Field Athlete Hall of Fame. Davis earned a B.S. degree in elementary education at USD in 1998 and now lives with her husband and two children in Fontana, Calif. She is an Educational Consultant for San Bernardino County.

Kurt Seibel
Named All-NCC and All-American in 1983, Kurt Seibel, who now lives in Vermillion, S.D., ranks as one of the school’s greatest all-time kickers. Seibel previously held the NCAA record for field goals in a season, by making 15-of-17 for 88.2 percent in 1983 (minimum of 15 attempts). In fact, the only two misses were a blocked kick by Augustana and in the swirling winds at North Dakota. He ranks fourth in career scoring with 212 points, including 44 field goals and 80 extra points. Seibel also punted 286 times for 10,830 yards in 44 games or 37.87 yards. He still holds four school records including field goals attempted in a career with 62; field goals made in a career with 44; consecutive field goals made with 14 (1982-83) and extra points made with a percentage of .975 (80-of-82). When he left USD, he owned eight kicking records. He had a career-best field goal of 49 yards vs. Kansas State in 1980. A former national Punt, Pass and Kick winner at the age of 12, he had a career-best 78-yard punt vs. Eastern Illinois in 1980. He was a three-sport standout for Vermillion High School (football, basketball and track). Seibel, who resides in Vermillion. has one son (Kristopher) and one daughter. (Kourtney). He will receive his degree in physical education with a minor in history this December. Seibel’s father, Willie, a former football standout at USD from 1955-58, is a member of the Coyote Sports Hall of Fame as he was inducted in 1983.

James Foster
James Foster was one of the school’s outstanding quarterbacks. Originally of Lewistown, Pa., Foster was a prep star at Chief Logan H.S. in Lewistown. Foster was a key member of the 1968 USD squad that finished eighth in the final AP top 10 with a 9-1 record. As a junior in 1969, he completed 102-of-218 passes for 1,485 yards and 14 TDs. He also rushed for 182 yards and four TDs. He also caught one pass for 37 yards. As a senior, Foster completed 35-of-92 passes for five TDs and 405 yards. He rushed 32 times for 79 yards and two scores. Foster’s 80-yard TD pass to Bob Koch vs. Drake in 1968 was the longest pass play in USD history at that time. When he left USD, Foster owned 17 school records, including passing attempts in a season (218, 1968, 10 games); attempts in a career (475, 1967-69, 26 games); completions in a game (16, North Dakota State, 1968); completions in a season (102, 10 games, 1968); completions in a career (196, 26 games, 1967-69); yards in a game (265, Colorado State, 1968); yards in a season (1,485, 10 games, 1968); yards in a career (2,613, 16 games, 1967-69); TDs in a game (5, S.D. State, 1968); TDs in a season (14, 10 games, 1968); TDs in a career (24, 1967-69); longest passing TD (80 yards, Bob Koch, Drake, 1968); total offense- attempts in a career (688, 26 games, 1967-69); total offense - yards in a game (326, Colorado State, 1968); total offense - yards in a season (1,667, 10 games, 1968); total offense – yards in a career (2,982, 26 games, 1967-69). Foster played for the Washington Redskins (NFL) for one season under legendary Coach Vince Lombardi. Foster earned a B.S. degree in education in 1970 from USD and currently lives in Alexandria, Pa., where he is the Superintendent of the Juniata Valley School District.

Steve Gordon
Steve Gordon, won two individual NCAA DII national titles for the Coyotes in the triple jump. In 1997, he won the indoor triple jump at 53 feet seven inches (still a school record) and repeated in 1998 (52-8). The jump of 53-7 at the 1997 nationals set a national meet record. As a result of two All-American finishes at the 1997 outdoor nationals, the Coyotes finished third which was the best finish by a team in school history. He also placed second two consecutive years in the long jump at the Division II nationals. In addition, he was second at the outdoor nationals in the triple jump in 1998. A transfer from Nebraska, Gordon was a five-time All-American. Twice he won the triple jump at the Drake Relays and was the second-ranked triple jump performer in all NCAA divisions in 1998, just behind Olympian Robert Howard of Arkansas. After going undefeated in two years of regular season competition, the Omaha native, finished his junior year ranked third in the United States. Gordon was named the North Central Regional Male Outdoor Athlete of the Year and also named the DII National Male Indoor Athlete of the Year. Gordon was the NCC MVP at the 1998 Indoor Championships. He was inducted into the U.S. Track and Field/Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2006. Gordon owns triple jump records at USD and also was the runner-up in the triple jump for Nebraska at the Big Eight Championships. He earned a B.S. degree in 1999 from USD and is a now a freelance graphic designer. Gordon and his wife Tonya (formerly Kniefl), also a USD track and field athlete and 2001 graduate, reside in Omaha, Neb.

Shane Murphy
Shane Murphy, ranks as one of the greatest shooting forwards in school history. He was named All-NCC and Academic All-NCC in 1994. Murphy helped lead USD to a two-year mark of 49-11 (31-5 in the NCC). His Coyotes made back-to-back appearances in the NCAA DII Elite Eight Championships in 1992-94. He coached for six seasons as Dave Boots’ top assistant at USD. After leaving USD, Murphy was the head coach of the University of Sioux Falls men’s basketball program and became the school’s all-time winningest coach. He took the 2003-04 Cougars team to the NAIA Final Four before losing in the semifinals. Originally of Harlan, Iowa, he attended Drake before coming to USD for his final two years of school. He averaged 10.8 points and 3.9 rebounds as a junior and 14.6 points and 5.1 rebounds as a senior. He was named to the North Central Region All Tournament Team. Murphy graduated in 1994 with a degree in business administration and earned his MBA from USD in 1996. He currently works at Principal Financial Group in Sioux Falls, S.D. Murphy and his wife Jill, also a USD alum, resides in Sioux Falls, S.D. with their kids.

John Waltner
John Waltner, a former banker from Freeman, S.D., has been a supporter of Coyote athletics for years. He has been active with various fundraising efforts and has provided consistent support to USD Athletics. Waltner graduated from USD in 1961 with a degree in business administration and also earned his MBA from USD in 1989. Walter has been on the USD Foundation Board of Trustees since 1996 and was elected to the Board of Directors in 2007. He is also a trustee of the National Music Museum and has taught business classes part-time on the USD campus. Waltner and his family have contributed to several scholarships at USD, including establishing a Presidential Alumni Scholarship. Waltner’s daughters, Mary and Ann, also attended USD. John and his wife Loretta currently reside in Sioux Falls.

Mike Mahon
Mike Mahon served as Sports Information Director at USD from 1977-88. While at the U, he served as the media coordinator for the 1988 NCAA Division II Indoor Track Championship, promoted 10 football players to earn All-American honors, helped 15 student-athletes attain CoSIDA Academic All-American honors and was the coordinator for the USD Coyote Sports Hall of Fame. Since 1988, he has served as Sports Information Director at Drake University and has served as media coordinator for numerous Missouri Valley Conference championships. Mahon has also served as press officer for various football bowl games, as well as the press officer for the ’84, ’92, ’96 and ’04 Olympics. He was also the press officer for the 2005 NCAA Men’s Basketball Final Four Championship along with being the press officer for the 2006 and 2007 NCAA Men’s Basketball Midwest Regionals. Mahon was the youngest SID ever inducted into the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Hall of Fame as he was inducted in 1995 at the age of 40. Mahon was also a recipient of the 25-year distinguished service award at the 2003 CoSIDA workshop. Mahon earned a B.A degree in communications from USD in 1976. Mike currently lives in West Des Moines, Iowa.

The 1992-93 and 1993-94 men’s basketball teams
The 1992-93 and 1993-94 men’s basketball teams will also be recognized at the banquet. The men’s basketball teams from those two seasons, under the leadership of head coach Dave Boots, advanced to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight National Championships two consecutive years. The Coyotes had a record of 49-11 over those two campaigns, including 26-2 at the DakotaDome, and were two-time North Central Region Champions. USD also posted a 31-5 record in NCC play and won two NCC titles during that span. The 1992-93 team lost a first-round game to New Hampshire in a 100-96 triple overtime contest, while the 1993-94 team lost 98-77 to Southern Indiana in the Elite Eight. The 1992-93 team also boasted three All-NCC performers and led the NCC in three statistical categories, while in 1993-94 USD again had three All-NCC selections. Other accolades from that era included Boots being named NCC Coach of the Year, while Randy Rosenquist was the league’s MVP. The 1992-93 team set a then-school record for wins with 25.

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