The Bison Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2017

The first woman to be inducted into the Hot Springs Bison Athletics Hall of Fame, Barb Donnell Highstreet was one of the early pioneers in girls’ athletics in Hot Springs.

A graduate of the Class of 1966, Donnell was very active in sports despite growing up during a time when there were very few options for girls to compete in athletically in high school. She was a Cheerleader for three years, on the Girls Athletic Association for three years, and also a member of the Tumbling Team for two years.

But where she excelled the most – and earned statewide recognition – was in Track & Field, where she at one time held the state record in both the high jump (4-09) and the running broad jump (16-6.5) which were both set in 1964. During her high school career (from 1964-1967), her state track meet accomplishments included two firsts and one third place finish in the high jump; three firsts and one third place finish in the running broad jump; and a fourth and a fifth place finish in the 100-yard dash.

One of only five South Dakota high school athletes to ever clear 7 foot in the high jump, Bud Hamilton was a three-sport athlete at Hot Spring High School, from 1988 – 1991.

In addition to track, Hamilton was also an All-State football player and a dominating center on the basketball team. After 26 years, he still holds the state record in the triple-jump (47-11) and is the only high jumper in the history of South Dakota high school athletics to clear seven-foot at a state meet, but finish in second place (Nick Johannsen of Miller jumped 7-1 that year to set a new state meet record).

He currently holds three Hot Springs High School records, including triple jump (47-11 in 1991), high jump (7-0 in 1991), and long jump (22-11 in 1990).

Following his successful high school career, Hamilton earned a Div. 1 scholarship to the University of Wyoming, where he continued to excel for the Cowboys and set a school collegiate record in the high jump of 7-3, which stood for more than 20 years.

A three-sport athlete for the Bison from 1928 to 1931, James “Duke” Kocer was one of only 11 players in the state named to the 1930 All State Football Team. In addition to playing halfback in football, he was also a decorated track athlete who once held the Black Hills Region meet records in both shot put and discus, while also excelling in high hurdles. On the hardwood, he was also once named second-team All State in basketball. Following his high school playing days, Kocer went on to play football collegiately for Creighton University in Nebraska.

In a Hot Springs Star Letter to the Editor from 1967, when an effort was underway to nominate Kocer into the South Dakota Athletic Hall of Fame, one of his teammates from high school, Don Howe, recalled the 6-foot, 180-pound Kocer earning at least 11 varsity letters during his time as a Bison.

“He was a long-striding, fast runner with a devastating stiff-arm and high knee action,” Howe said. “He could both kick and throw the ‘fatter-than-today’s’ football well over 50 yards, and he thoroughly enjoyed offensive blocking and defensive line backing.”

A graduate of the Class of 1981, Pat Weiss was the school’s first-ever wrestling state champion, competing at 98 pounds.

After finishing his freshman year without winning a single match (0-18), Weiss dedicated himself to improving over the off-season and went on to earn a 12-13 record his sophomore season. As a junior, he improved immensely to earn a 22-3 record overall and made it all the way to the championship match at the state tournament that season, but finished as the runner-up. Finally, as a senior, he won his state Class “A” championship, finishing with a 28-2 record overall.

Weiss went on to compete collegiately in wrestling at Chadron State College.