The Bison Athletics
Hall of Fame Class of 2024
2024 Hall of Fame Inductee
Carl “Teenie” Andre
Athlete & Coach (posthumous)
Carl Andre, a 1945 graduate, was a three-sport athlete for the Bison from 1942 to 1945. He was quarterback on the football team and a starter on the 1945 basketball team, the only HSHS team to qualify for the state tournament until 2019.
He would later become a quarterback at the University of Wyoming. After graduation and a stint in the military, he returned to Hot Springs in 1953 and coached from 1954–1958. During the time he was the head track and field coach and assisted in football and basketball.
In his nomination, a former student-athlete said of Carl, “In addition to his coaching skills, he had a unique ability to connect with his athletes on a personal and emotional level that afforded him the opportunity to become both a mentor and a role model. For this connection, he is fondly respected and revered by all the athletes who toiled under his guidance.”
In 1960, he moved to Riverton, Wyoming, where he taught, coached and officiated for over 30 years. He was awarded a Distinguished Service award from the Wyoming Coaches Association and was inducted into both the Wyoming Sports Officials Association Hall of Fame and the Fremont County School District Hall of Fame. He was the official starter at the Wyoming High School Track Meet for decades until just a few years before his death in 2011.
2024 Hall of Fame Inductee
Todd Malott
Multi-sport Athlete
Todd Malott, a 1982 graduate, was not only a speedster on the track but on the football field as well for the Bison before a knee injury during his senior season in football ended his athletic career. He would finish with three state titles – one individually and two on relays.
In the 1981 state track meet as a junior, Todd finished first in the 100-meter dash in 10.9 seconds and was also third in the 200. The year before at state, he also finished fifth in the 100. As a freshman, he was part of two state winning relay teams – the medley relay and the 1,600-meter relay.
Also in his career, he won three regional 100 titles and a pair of 200 titles.
On the football field, he averaged over 4.0 yards a carry. In his senior season, he scored five touchdowns in the first three games – plus before his knee injury in the fourth game of the season ended his season.
2024 Hall of Fame Inductee
Ted Niemann
Athlete (Basketball Standout)
A 1984 graduate, Ted Niemann scored over 1,000 points in his career for the Bison and in college at Chadron State.
After moving to Hot Springs with his family in the summer of 1981, the 6-foot-4-inch Niemann earned his way into the Bison lineup as a sophomore, and in three seasons he would score 1,150 points, earning Black Hills Conference honors.
Ted would go on to star at Chadron State College, graduating in 1988. He finished with 1,490 points, which moved him into ninth place all-time for the Eagles. In his senior season, he averaged 24.8 points a game, which that season was the top average for Nebraska college players.
He was a NAIA District 11 first-team selection in both the 1986-87 and 1987-88 seasons. He was inducted into the Chadron State College Athletics Hall of Fame in 2006.
2024 Hall of Fame Inductee
1990 Girls Track & Field Team
The First Bison Girls State Championship Team
The 1990 Hot Springs Lady Bison became the school's first-ever girls' track team to win a state championship and they did it by the closest of margins on the final event of the meet.
The Lady Bison won the 34-team title at Lyle Hare Stadium in Spearfish, out-distancing Madison 54-47. Hot Springs edged Madison in the 1,600-meter relay in 4 minutes, 08.71 seconds, just ahead of the Bulldogs' 4:08.93. Relay team members were Steph Blakely, Emily Sims, Kris Hertel and Nikki Kriz.
Other team members at the state meet were Lori Simunek, Kelly Cuny, Tanya Varick, Leslie Norris, Kristi Gutsche, Michelle Marsh and Nicki Gillian.
The team was led by head coach Dave Scott and assistants Cheryl Huddleston and Jim Tays. It was the first state title for Scott.
Other individual place-winners saw Blakely capture the 800-meter run in a still school record of 2:18.83. She was also second in the 1,600-meter run in 5:23.65. Hertel was second in the 400 in 59.63, with Kriz fourth in the same event in 59.82.
Also for the Lady Bison, Marsh was third in the discus at 116-feet, 3 inches and Varick was seventh at 110-7. The 800-meter relay placed fifth in 1:49.54.
