THE EARLY LEAD: Introducing the inaugural, and not exactly real, Jefferson Herald hall of fame class

Ten well-known athletes and coaches make the cut for 2019

By Brandon Hurley 

Sports Editor

sports@beeherald.com

@BrandonJHurley

 

---

Everybody enjoys a nice list. It often incites drama and debate. And in the business we are in, that’s a mighty fine plan. 

So, let’s have a little fun with this Greene County Hall of Fame announcement, shall we? Since it’s what we do best in this business, I will go ahead make my own list, offering MY opinion. I’ll take the fictional - and first-ever - Jefferson Herald Hall of Fame class and even expand it to the entire area, encompassing all of Greene County, just to make it a little more exciting. 

There’s quite a bit of athletic history here within the cozy confines of west-central Iowa, a history that even stretches as far east as Beaver to the northern borders of Churdan and of course, out to the western edges of Scranton. If you take a moment to really study the numbers, think back on the remarkable athletic feats of days gone by and truly analyze the greats, the task of selecting an initial hall of fame class becomes much more daunting. 

The 2019 hall of fame class is bit larger than your usual grouping, as we have well over 100 years of tremendous feats to comb through, which has created many athletes deserving of a hall of fame induction. This list will also include some notable coaches, the authority figures who helped guide some of the area’s most successful teams to the promised land. 

Now that all the red tape is taken care of, let’s get down to the fun stuff. We’ve decided to split the inaugural Jefferson Herald Hall of Fame Class into a trio of categories. The first group is composed of athletes who we believe would most likely garner a unanimous selection. A handful of men and women who voters wouldn’t even hesitate placing into the hall of fame make up the Gold Level. These are your surefire greats, the names that forever resonate throughout Greene County. When they are mentioned in conversation, ears perk up and memories spill out. 

Then we have the Silver Level and the honorable mentions. It’s a smorgasboard of greatness. 

We begin with the absolute, hands down legends. This year, there are three stone cold locks, and they are as follows:

 

GOLD LEVEL (Unanimous selections) 

 

• Bryce Paup (Scranton, 1980s) 

Bryce Paup is the most successful professional athlete this area has produced in the nation’s most popular sport, in the modern era, of course. Jim Doran won a few NFL championships, but that was before the Super Bowl era. Paup excelled in the heyday of the National Football League. The Scranton High graduate was the 1995 NFL Defensive MVP and was named first team all Pro after leading the league in sacks with 17.5. He was a four-time pro-bowler enjoying stints with the Green Bay Packers, Buffalo Bills and the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

Paup attended college at the University of Northern Iowa, later getting drafted in the sixth round of the 1990 NFL draft by the Packers. He played in 148 career games, recording 444 tackles and 75 sacks to go with 15 forced fumbles. He epitomized the blue collar mantra of Greene County. 

 

• Jim Doran (Beaver High School, 1940s) 

One of the most obscure success stories originated from the small Greene County town of Beaver. Jim Doran was the initial flag bearer for the county’s professional football success. The former first team All American with the Iowa State Cyclones set all kinds of wide receiving records both collegiately and in the NFL. Doran played for 11 years in the NFL with the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys. He played in four championship games with the Lions and even hauled in the championship-sealing 33-yard touchdown pass in the 1953 title game, a win over the Cleveland Browns. Doran also scored the very first touchdown in Dallas Cowboys history in 1960, later becoming the franchise’s first pro bowl selection. Doran was a charter member of Iowa State’s 1997 Hall of Fame class. That’s one heck of a career for a guy who never played high school football. Doran passed away in 1994 from a heart attack. 

 

• Kristi Kinne (Jefferson-Scranton, 1988-91)

Any discussion of Jefferson girls’ basketball has to include the sweet-shooting Kristi Kinne and her iconic crossover.  The legendary six-on-six forward scored more than 3,000-career points and played one of the most pivotal roles in school history. She was a freshman on Jefferson-Scranton’s first-ever state tournament appearance in 1988, then went on to average 52.2 points per game during her senior year, which also resulted in another state tournament trip. Those two state tournament berths remain, to this day, the only such distinctions in the school’s history. Kinne, who is now married to former NFL tight end Johnathan Hayes, who played at Iowa, went on to star at Drake University. She would excel at the five-on-five game, earning Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year honors. 

 

SILVER LEVEL

This level is for the athletes who absolutely deserve a spot in the Jefferson Herald hall of fame but may not be as unanimous and obvious as the top three. These former athletes - and coaches - are still insanely talented and remarkable. And here we go: 

 

• Nate Teut, (Paton-Churdan, 1990s) 

Looking back on it, Nate Teut is easily a shoo-in for this first class. He’s the only local athlete to ever play in a Major League Baseball game. 

The former Paton-Churdan Rocket pitcher was drafted by the Chicago Cubs in the fourth round of the 1997 MLB draft. He played and starred at ISU and was easily the greatest baseball player in P-C history. Teut graduated from a senior class of 19 and made it to the pros, one of the most remarkable underdog stories in this county’s history. He once struck out 17 guys in a high school game. He was nearly unhittable during his senior year in Churdan, striking out 130 batters in 64 innings during his senior season, allowing just 27 hits to go with a 0.64 ERA. Teut made his Major League debut in the spring of 2002 with the Florida Marlins. 

 

• Rosemary Holden (Scranton High School, 1972-75) 

Rosemary Holden was an absolute monster during the 1970s, setting the state ablaze. She was nearly unbeatable in the distance events and became a beacon of light in Greene County. 

The Scranton High graduate secured a national title and four individual state titles during her four year career.  She was the three-time defending 880-yard state champion which also included her national title in 1974. Holden was also a two-time national All-American. 

She alone won three state championships at the 1973 Iowa state meet, capturing the 880-yard crown with a meet record time of 2:14.7, the mile and was also a member of the distance medley relay-winning squad, which also set a state meet record with a time of 4:08.3. Holden was joined by Barb Skalla, Rosemary Spencer and Julie Harris. The Trojans finished fourth as a team with 16 points. 

Holden broke the state record in the half mile that year as a sophomore, but shattered it a year later in 1974, successfully defending her title with a time of 2:13.6. That’s the definition of consistent success. 

 

• Kris Curnyn (Jefferson-Scranton, 1991-94) 

There seems to be a common theme here, Greene County athletes have really excelled in track and field. Kris Curnyn was the definitive Jefferson-Scranton field event superstar during the 90s. She also was one of those athletes who rarely ever lost. The former Iowa State Cyclone was a three-time individual state champion and was also a member of the 1994 Jefferson-Scranton team state champion. She won the 1993 Drake Relays discus title and helped the Rams secure four straight Raccoon River Conference titles in addition to four consecutive district championships.  Curnyn remains the school record-holder in the discus with a throw of 146-05. She won 37 of a possible 45 career discus events (a winning percentage of 82 percent). At Iowa State, she became an NCAA All-American in the hammer throw in 1998. She still holds the second best discus throw in ISU history with a toss of 174-10 

 

• Brent MacLagan (Jefferson-Scranton, 1992-95) 

Brent MacLagan was one of those rare multi-sport superstars, though track is where the former Ram and Iowa High School Athletic Association Hall of Famer really shined. He was a four-time individual state champion in the 90s and set a mark that had never been achieved in the state. MacLagan remains the only athlete ever to win the 400 meter hurdles and the 1,600-meter run state titles in the same year (1994). He won state titles in three consecutive years (93-95), which included three straight 400-meter hurdles state titles, a feat that is fairly difficult to achieve. MacLagan was named the 1995 Male Track Athlete of the Year and was also a two time, first team all-state running back. He scored 22 total touchdowns and averaged 8.1 yards per carry (16 rushing TDs, two receiving and four return TDs). MacLagan went on to have quite a successful track career at the University of Northern Iowa, winning a handful of Missouri Valley Conference championships. 

 

• Doreen Wilber (Graduated from Jefferson High in 1948) 

The late Doreen Wilber is the only Olympic gold medalist in the history of Greene County athletics. She won gold in women’s archery at the 1972 Munich Games, which was the first modern women’s competition. She was also a two-time silver medalist at the 1969 and 1971 Outdoor World Championships. She was a late bloomer in the archery world, not picking up the sport until later in life. Sadly, Wilber passed away in 2008 at the age of 78 . A bronze statue of Wilber is erected on the northeast side of the Jefferson Community Center. She’s an easy pick for the hall of fame, you can’t explain the county’s sporting history without its only gold medalist. 

 

The Coaches

Of course, we’d be remiss if we didn’t acknowledge the leaders and authority figures who inspired these great athletes. Without the coaches, Greene County’s most historic teams may have never reached the great heights they did so many years ago. This initial class includes a pair of coaches. These names I’m sure are quite familiar to many of you. So without further adieu, here we go: 

 

• Bill Kibby (J-S/P-C Football)

If you mention Jefferson football to anyone over the age of 30, they are more than likely going to bring up Bill Kibby. The legendary coach gave life to the Jefferson-Scranton/Paton-Churdan football program and really put the Rams on the map. The IHSAA Hall of Famer won 117 games in 23 years at the helm, leading J-S/P-C to a pair of trips to the state semifinals in the UNI Dome. He led the Rams to an undefeated regular season record in 2006, which eventually became 11 straight victories before losing in the state semifinals. The 1999 state semifinal-qualifying squad upset top-ranked and two-time defending champion Harlan in the playoff quarterfinals to secure Kibby’s first trip to the Dome in Cedar Falls. Kibby also coached for 20 years at Fort Dodge St. Edmond, producing 110 wins. He finished his coaching career with 240 wins and is well-regarded as one of the greatest coaches in Iowa history.  

 

• Jim Cox (Paton-Churdan) 

There can’t be a discussion about the area’s coaching legends without mentioning Jim Cox. The legend produced a tremendous run of success that remains unmatched to this day. Cox guided the Paton-Churdan football team to back-to-back state championships in 1985 and 86, producing a remarkable 29-game winning streak. 

Cox was also one hell of a track and field coach, guiding the Rockets to the 1986 state title and a runner-up finish in 1987. He coached five individual state champions and never lost a playoff game at P-C, going 8-0. Prior to Cox’s arrival in 1979, the Rockets had only won four games total in the past four years. Seven years later and they were back-to-back football state champions. Cox’s tenure is definitely of the most underrated runs in this county’s history. 

 

Hall of Fame worthy teams

We’ve compiled a list of some of the county’s most successful teams that certainly deserve hall of fame recognition. 

 

• 1994 Jefferson-Scranton girls track and field 

The first and only team state title in Jefferson history. Three event state titles helped the Rams to the elusive team championship. Kris Curnyn won the discus title while Allison Drewry was the 100-meter champion. Drewry was also on the state title-winning 4-by-100-meter relay of Missy Wolterman, Brandy Meinecke and Deisha Goshon. The Rams scored 56 team points, the most since 1980. They outlasted second place Davis County High School by 24 points. 

 

• 1952 Jefferson football 

The 1952 squad produced a rare undefeated and unscored upon season, the only team in the nation that year to complete such a feat. Rose as high as No. 4 in the state. The Ramblers hold the longest shutout streak in state history at 13 games, dating back to the 1951 season. Jefferson forced 49 total turnovers, aided by 28 interceptions and 21 fumble recoveries. 

 

• 2006 J-S/P-C football 

The Jefferson-Scranton/Paton-Churdan football team produced their own undefeated regular season as well. The Rams won 11 games in a row, culminating in the school’s second-ever trip to the state semifinals. They finished the year with a J-S record 11 wins and just one loss after falling 27-7 to Central-Lyon/George-Little Rock in the state semifinals. The Rams went from a 2-7 record in 2005 to 11-1 the following year, a nine-win improvement. 

 

• Paton-Churdan football (1985-86)

The greatest football team in county history, hands down. The Rockets secured back-to-back state championships, achieving a 29-game winning streak along the way. Jim and Lant Doran were both all-state products from the P-C championship teams, later going on to play at ISU.

 

 

 

 

Contact Us

Jefferson Bee & Herald
Address: 200 N. Wilson St.
Jefferson, IA 50129

Phone:(515) 386-4161