Don Larson

Larson, a 1971 MHS graduate, lettered and participated in football and basketball and was involved in student council and Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He was a class officer, an M-Club member, homecoming king and American Legion Boys State representative. On the gridiron in his senior year, Larson was selected to the Class A All-State Football Offensive Team. That year, he was also captain of-the basketball team, captain and most valuable athlete of the track team and, overall, MHS's most valuable athlete. However, it was on the area tracks where Larson really shined. He is the current record holder in three events at MHS — the 110-meter hurdles, 14.4 seconds; 300-meter hurdles, 39.2; and a member of the 1600-meter relay unit, 3:22.3 (which is still on the all-time S.D. Track Honor Roll). He also tied Jim Bakke's 1960 180-yard low hurdles' mark of 19.7 in 1971. Larson went on to enjoy an outstanding career as a trackster for South Dakota State University in Brookings. He was a two-time All-American in track. In 1998, he won the Ralph Ginn Award for excellence in coaching at SDSU. He is currently the head men's and women's track coach at NDSU in Fargo, N.D. In 1996, he was selected the NCAA Div. Il regional indoor track coach of the year. The following year, he was tabbed the NCAA Div. Il national track coach of the year, and in 1998 he was recognized by his peers as the Men's Track & Field Coach of The Year by the U.S. Track Coaches Association.