The Bison Athletics
Hall of Fame Class of 2018
1967 Football Team
One of only three undefeated football teams in Hot Springs High School history (1963 and 1974), this Black Hills Conference championship team placed 16 players on the All-Conference First Team, Second Team and Honorable Mention, including Ken McClung, Steve Sieg, Bill Case, Mark Stiver, John Theisen, Chuck March, Larry Varick, Casey Dunsmore, George VanDeWater, Gary Pierce, Craig Walgren, Bill Himmelwright, Lyndall Hulit, Charles Brown, Dennis Mehlhaff and Gary Piper.
Despite having a total of 13 seniors on the roster, many critics picked the team to finish at the bottom of Black Hills Conference standings at the beginning of the season, but the Bison proved many people wrong as they instead topped the standings by year's end.
With their 9-0 season record, they finished the year ranked in a tie for 10th place in the statewide Sioux Falls Argus Leader Football Poll, amongst South Dakota's largest schools with Sioux Falls Washington and Sioux Falls O'Gorman ranked ahead of them as the top two teams, each with 8-1 records.
Offensive Guard Bill Case and End Ken McClung were each named to the Class “A” All State Team.
Jacqueline (DeMent) Melcher
A dominant force in South Dakota track and field, Dement was a multi-event state champion for the Bison. As a junior in 1996, she captured state titles in the 200-meter dash and 300-meter hurdles while adding a runner-up finish in the triple jump. She elevated her performance even further in 1997, winning three state championships—triple jump, 300-meter hurdles, and the 200-meter dash. Dement still holds two Hot Springs High School records: the 300-meter hurdles (45.51) and the triple jump (36'0").
Rick Wass
A key leader of the 1974 Hot Springs Bison state championship football team, Rick Wass was a standout multi-sport athlete throughout his four years in blue and white. An All-State running back, Wass continued his football career at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, where he became one of the program’s all-time greats. His exceptional collegiate career ultimately earned him induction into the Hardrocker Athletics Hall of Fame.
Ralph Sieg
A four-sport standout in the mid-1950s, Ralph Sieg excelled in football, basketball, track, and summer baseball, earning a reputation as one of the greatest all-around athletes to ever wear a Bison uniform. A talented receiver on the football field and a state-qualifying shot-putter in track, Sieg’s most dominant performances came in basketball, where he led the team in multiple statistical categories during both his junior and senior seasons. His success earned him the opportunity to continue his basketball career at Chadron State College.
Long after his playing days, Sieg has remained a devoted supporter of Bison athletics. He raised a family of athletes in Hot Springs and has spent decades giving back—serving as a timekeeper, attending games, and cheering on every generation of Bison competitors.
Harry R. Woodward
The namesake of Hot Springs High School's football field – Woodward Field – Harry R. Woodward, originally from Hurley, S.D., was employed by the school for a total of 39 years. First hired as a coach and science teacher by the Hot Springs School District in 1916, he was promoted to Superintendent in 1922 while continuing to teach biology.
Active in many statewide and local organizations, the beloved Woodward was known widely as an advocate for his staff who at one time during the depression took a voluntary paycut to help with the school's financial troubles and save teachers. He was the S.D. Education Association President (1950-51), Chairman of the South Dakota High School Activities Association boards of control (1935-1940), as well as Vice President of the Chamber of Commerce and President of the local Kiwanis Club.
On March 8, 1954, he was given a four-year contract in order that he could be secure and employed to 1958 when he could take his retirement at the age of 65. He however passed away on November 14, 1955.