Inaugural Bulldog Hall of Fame honored

The initial Bulldog Hall of Fame Class was recognized on Friday, Sept. 27 before the homecoming contest against Clear Lake.

Among those honored were:

• The 1926 Hampton Bulldog girls’ basketball team, which won the state championship with a 27-0 record. They out-scored their opponents 1,235-334 during the season.

• Bill Hand, coach, who re-started the girls’ basketball program in 1961-62 and was the first coach for the girls’ track, golf, boys’ cross country and girls’ cross country teams. His baseball teams also won three conference titles and finished second or third in the conference eight other times.

• Bill Weeks, athlete, who graduated from Hampton in 1947. A three-year starter for the Iowa State Cyclones, was voted an all-conference quarterback his junior and senior seasons at ISU. He played in two college all-star games and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. An Achilles injury suffered in an auto accident prevented him from pursuing a college career, however, he coached high school and college football in New Mexico.

• Jane Heilskov, athlete, who graduated from Hampton in 1976. After all-state honors in basketball, in which she is the school’s 6-on-6 scoring leader with 2,727 career points, the Bulldogs went to the state tourney twice during her career. She also golfed at the state meet three times from 1974-6. She went on to play basketball first at William Penn, then the University of Iowa, serving as the Hawkeye team captain her final season.

• Sondra (Shull) Potter, athlete, a 1976 Hampton graduate. She played on the same 6-on-6 basketball teams as Heilskov, earning all-state honors both her junior and senior seasons. She also was a state track and field runner-up in the then-440 race, holding the school record in that event. She also went on to play basketball and run track at William Penn before a knee injury ended her career.

• Dan DeVries, athlete, class of 1980. DeVries lettered in cross country during his high school career, but it is basketball where he made school history. He lettered four times and was an all-stater his junior and senior seasons. During his junior season, the Bulldogs qualified for the state tournament for the first time in school history as they finished state runner-up, and he was named captain that year. He went on to play basketball at Wartburg.

• Cole Honeck, athlete, class of 1989. Honeck lettered in five varsity sports, track, football, basketball, baseball and golf. He won two individual titles in the 1989 Class 3A state track meet, holding three state track meet records and five school records in track. Honeck went on to compete in track at the University of Northern Iowa, winning numerous individual and relay conference track championships.

• Jason Wedgbury, athlete, class of 1991. Wedgbury, a four-sport athlete, earned letters in football, wrestling, track and baseball. On the wrestling mat, he was a three-time state qualifier and state runner-up in 1989 and state champion in 1991. He went on to a wrestling career at UNI from 1991-96 and qualified for the NCAA tournament his junior and senior years. He is a college wrestling referee, recently working the national championships.

• Katherine (Hadley) Harr, athlete, class of 1992. Harr, a three-sport athlete who lettered 10 times for Hampton, was a first team all-conference performer in volleyball, softball and basketball, the last of which she was a four-year starter, leading the Bulldogs to two state appearances, the last of which she was voted to the all-tourney team. She continued her career at NIACC, leading the Trojans to the national tourney in 1994 and was a JUCO All-American.

• Jessica (Mennen) Rettig, athlete, class of 2000. Rettig is one of the school’s most decorated all-around athletes in school history. She earned 14 varsity letters in her four-sport career. In track, she was a four-time state qualifier, was a multiple all-conference performer in volleyball and in basketball was a first-team all-state twice and second team once, leading the Bulldogs to the state tourney twice and holds school 5-on-5 records in scoring and rebounding. She went on to Wartburg, where she won three conference titles and the Knights advance to the Elite Eight in the NCAA Division III tourney.

• Traci (Harms) Smith, athlete, class of 2007. Smith, a four-sport athlete, earned letters in all four with an outstanding track career. She won the North Central Conference shot put title all four years, won the state meet shot put championship in 2006 with a runner-up finish in 2005 and was the Drake Relays shot put runner-up in 2006. She went on to compete at UNI. When she graduated, she was No. 2 on the all-time UNI record list in the weight throw, the hammer throw and the indoor shot put.

• Ross Shafrath, athlete, class of 2008. Shafrath was a three-sport athlete who earned four letters in all three. In wrestling, he was a state qualifier twice and earned a fifth-place finish his senior year. In track, he competed all four years at the state meet. He also had a tremendous football career, setting numerous school records as a running back and linebacker, earning first team all-state. He went on to compete at South Dakota State University, earning first team all-MVC and was a third team All-American.