For the first time since 2018, the Fremont High School Sports Hall of Fame will be adding a new class of inductees.
The 2024 Class will be inducted during a ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the Nell McPherson Theatre at FHS. The Tigers’ booster club will honor the 1977 boys track team, the 2004 girls track team, two contributors, nine athletes and former boys basketball and golf coach Joel Parks, who passed away in April of 2023.
Todd Hansen, who is the volunteer chairman of the HOF committee, said the new class is overdue.
“I think like everything, you can blame it on Covid-19,” Hansen said. “In working with the booster club, we formed a committee and went through a process of nominations. It will all come to fruition on Saturday.
The class includes Ted Husar, who graduated in 1977 as a multi-sport athlete before going on to a successful career at FHS as a coach, including leading the wrestling program for many years.
Other athletes and their year of graduation include: Henry “Hank” Rohn, 1938; Rick Hollendieck, 1981; Rob Kellogg, 1987; Alex Lamme, 1993; Becky Beachler, 1997; Joslyn Dalton, 2004; Brian Parr, 2005; and Matt Donahue, 2007.
Former FPS educator Wanda Samson, who volunteered her time to various events of the Tigers through the years, and Melinda Wearden, a longtime assistant in the activities department, are being inducted as contributors.
“The class is a little bigger than normal because we need to get caught up,” Hansen said. “I think we’re going to look at possibly having one next year, too, and then we’ll be caught up. Then we’ll do one every other year after that.”
While all of the inductees have interesting stories, Rohn’s might be the most unique.
Rohn died in 2008, but family members from Wyoming and Colorado are expected to attend the ceremony. As a junior, he won the gold medal in the state shot put and was third in the discus. As a senior, he won golds in the shot and discus and placed third in the high jump.
Following his career at FHS, Rohn played football at the University of Nebraska and was the Huskers’ starting fullback in the 1941 Rose Bowl against Stanford. Rohn then joined the military in World War II and was a highly decorated airman, Hansen said. After he finished his military service, he played football at the University of Wyoming.
Hansen noted that putting the class together has required a lot of work, but it has been very enjoyable.
“I have to give special thanks to Sue Wilcoxson,” Hansen said. “She has been involved in every (ceremony) they have done in the past and Sue has helped me out a lot. Scott Anderson (FHS activities director) has been a big help as well.”
The inductees will also be recognized between the FHS vs. Lincoln East basketball games on Saturday night. A social event is scheduled afterward at the Fremont Golf Club.
“It will be a fun event and I encourage people to come,” Hansen said. “If they know anyone being inducted it would be nice to tell them congratulations in person.”
