NEBRASKA /A.P. SPORTS
CON MARSHALL, PAUL MOHR NAMED TO HALL OF FAME
By John Axtell
Mar 28, 2008 - 5:04:19 PM

The Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2008 has been announced and it includes two Panhandle men.

Chosen in the "contributor" catagory was retired Chadron State College sports information director and Chadron Record sports editor Con Marshall.

Named as an athlete was 1950 Scottsbluff High School graduate Paul Mohr, who went on to become a second-team All-American baseball player at the University of Texas.

Marshall, Mohr, and the other 17 members of the 14th Hall of Fame class will be inducted during ceremonies at the Lied Center in Lincoln September 28th.

With their inclusion, there will be 323 members in the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame.

This year's list of inductees is:

--Charles Bryant, athlete, Omaha South (1950): An all-state selection in football and a letterman in wrestling, Bryant starred in college where he was All-Big Seven in football and a Big Seven wrestling champion at Nebraska.

--Tom Haase, athlete, Aurora (1987): The Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal-Star Athlete of the Year in 1987 was all-state in football and basketball and posted the third-best long jump in Nebraska history (24 feet, 6 ½ inches).

--Kurt Lauer, athlete, Gibbon (1964): Holds the state record with 956 points in the 1963-64 basketball season. He had 59 points in a single game, scored more than 50 points in five games that year and had six more games of 40 or more points. He played for Nebraska at Hastings College.

--Dave Lebsack, athlete, Lincoln Northeast (1962). The 1962 Athlete of the Year in both statewide papers earned nine letters in football, basketball and baseball at Lincoln Northeast. He was all-state in football and basketball. The Rockets were 9-0 and the state ratings champion in football in 1961 and won the Class A state basketball title in 1962.

--Paul Mohr, athlete, Scottsbluff (1950). A two-time All-Southwest Conference first baseman at the University of Texas, he was on the All-America second team as a senior on on the roster for the 1952 College World Series. He led the Scottsbluff American Legion team to a runner-up finish in 1949, played football for the Bearcats and was the leading scorer on the 1950 state basketball team when Scottsbluff was the Class A runner-up.

--Joe Scarpello, athlete, Omaha Central (1942). A three-time state high school wrestling champion helped the eagles win four consecutive team titles. He was never taken down in his career. In college, he was a four-time Big 10 champion at Iowa, winning the 1947 and 1950 NCAA championships. He wrestled professionally for 27 years.

--Cory Schlesinger, athlete, Columbus (1990): The Omaha World-Herald Boy Athlete of the Year in 1990 was all-state in football and a two-time state wrestling champion with a combined record of 64-3. At Nebraska, he started for two years, scoring two touchdowns in the Huskers' 27-17 win over Miami the sealed the 1995 national championship. He played in the NFL for the Detroit Lions for 12 years.

--Russ Snyder, athlete, (1952): A starting outfielder for the 1966 World Series Champion Baltimore Orioles, he played in the major leagues from 1959-1970. A three-sport standout at Nelson High School, he earned all-conference honors in football and basketball. In 1952 he qualified for the state track meet in five events, finishing third in the hurdles, fourth in the 100 and sixth in the "seletctive pentathlon."

--Teri Steer-Cantwell, athlete, Crete (1993): The 1993 Omaha World-Herald and Lincoln Journal Star Female Athlete of the Year, Steer was a bronze medalist at the 1999 World Championships. At Southern Methodist University, she set the Western Athletic Conference record in the discus and was a two-time national champion in the shot put. At Crete she was a three-time gold medalist in the shot put and swept the Class B shot put and discus titles in her four seasons. She was fourth in the Class B long jump as a junior. She earned Class B all-state honors in basketball all-conference honors in volleyball while earning 12 varsity sports letters.

--Nikki (Stricker) Best, athlete, Lincoln East (1990): Lincoln's second female to earn 12 letters, she was the World-Herald and Journal Star Athlete of the Year in 1990. She earned all-state honors in volleyball and basketball and Mizuno All-America honors in volleyball. At Nebraska, she was the Big Eight volleyball player of the year in 1993 and was two-time all-conference.

--Larry Vlasin, athlete, Madrid (1965): The first Class D athlete named the Lincoln Journal Star's Athlete of the Year, Vlasin earned all-state honors playing for Madrid's undefeated eight-man football teams of 1963 and '64. He holds the national eight-man rushing record averaging 338.9 yards per game. He also earned all-state honors in basketball his junior and senior years and qualified for the state track meet in four events.

--Harold "Mac" Maciejewski, coach, Wayne. In 31 years at Wayne, his teams compiled a 76-44-7 record in football and 245-81 record in basketball. His teams won Class B basketball title in 1956 and the state golf title in 1985. He also coached at Loup City and Manila, Ark.

--Jim Morrison, coach, Howells. In 41 years at Howells, he coached the Bobcats to five state championships in six finals appearances. He compiled a 594-326 record, including three years at Dodge.

--Gail Peterson, coach, Crofton: His cross country teams won 15 state championships - nine girls and six boys - and were runners-up eight times. He coached 40 years at Crofton and two years at Cortland.

--John Reta, coach, Lincoln Southeast: Led the Knights to eight consecutive boys state swimming championships from 1959-66. The Knights won 59 consecutive meets. His swimmers won 11 individual titles and set 18 state records. Reta became the Nebraska swimming and diving team from 1966 to 1977.

--Larry Ribble, coach, Millard South: His boys basketball teams won seven state titles, two in Class C at Pawnee City and five at Millard South, in eight finals appearances. He coached at Millard/Millard South from 1977 until 2004 to complete a 509-280 record. He also coached track for 22 years at Millard South, the last 12 as head coach.

--Con Marshall, contributor, Chadron. Marshall was the Sports Information Director at Chadron State College from 1969 until his recent retirement, Marshall compiled football records for the high school teams in the 11 Panhandle counties, and basketball and track records for the high schools in northwest Nebraska.

--Wally McNaught, contributor, Lincoln Southeast: The retired coach and athletic director from Lincoln Southeast was involved in high school sports for more than 45 years. He coached football, basketball and track while at Harvard, Crete, Omaha Bryan and Southeast. He's won several professional awards and honors and has been a member of the Hall of Fame Board of Directors since 1997, serving as president from 2005 to 2007.

--Rudy Stoehr, official, Lincoln: An outstanding basketball and baseball player at Lincoln Northeast and Nebraska Wesleyan, Stoehr played minor league baseball before becoming perhaps Nebraska's most-recognized basketball referee. He officiated Nebraska high school basketball from 1963-89, working more than 1,000 games. He officiated 16 state tournaments and worked in the Big Eight for six years.

In addition to the inductees, the Hall will honor people and teams for their contributions to high school sports. This year's honorees are:

--Great Moment in High School Sports: Alliance girls basketball team making 27 straight free throws in the title game at the 2007 state tournament.

--Great Moment in High School Sports: Randal Carter's 7-foot, 4-inch high jump at the 2007 state track meet.

--Golden Anniversary Team: Lincoln High boys basketball 1958-59.

--Golden Anniversary Team: McCook Red Willow football, basketball and track of 1958-59.

--Silver Anniversary Team: Crofton boys and girls cross country, 1983-84.

--Silver Anniversary Team: Henderson football and boys basketball, 1983-84.

--Silver Anniversary Team: Omaha Central girls basketball, 1983-84.

--Fischer Family Award: Victor and Ann Borer family of Albion.

--Ron Gustafson Inspiration Award: Former Omaha Northwest swimmer Staci Perrigo-Venneman. A 1991 graduate of Omaha Northwest, Venneman was born without a right arm below the elbow. A competitive swimmer from the age of 8, she set an amputee world record in the 50-meter freestyle and was named the 1991 U.S. Female Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Amputee Athletic Association. She swam on a state-meet qualifying relay for Omaha Northwest, played on the soccer team and was a cheerleader.