SPORTS

Dakota Relays meet honors: Lionel McPhaull, Rich Hanson

By Bruce Conley
Rich Hanson

At age seven, Lionel McPhaull put in motion a track and field career that would place him among the top competitors in the nation.

As a young runner with the Midwest Striders, McPhaull chose the 400 meters as his specialty. Between the ages of 10 and 18 he qualified and participated at the USA Junior Nationals. At the 1992 competition in North Carolina, he forged a third-place finish in the 400.

As a sophomore at Omaha North High School he ran with the state championship 400 relay team. In 1992 he qualified for the 200, 400, 400 and 1600 relay and finished first in each race. In addition, he earned four grand champion medals for the best times regardless of class. He became just the second athlete in Nebraska history to achieve the feat.

At the Metro Conference meet his senior year, McPhaull set a 400 meter state record with a time of 47.93 seconds. He was the first Nebraskan prep athlete to finish in under 48 seconds.

He concluded his high school career with seven gold medals and seven all-class gold medals.

McPhaull was a 13-time conference champion at the University of South Dakota, a 10-time All-America, and was chosen National NCAA Division II Athlete of the Year in 1996. He was a four-time North Central Conference outdoor 400-meter champion and was the national indoor 400 runner-up in 1997 with a time of 47.07 seconds.

In 2001, he was inducted into the USD Athletic Hall of Fame.

McPhaull works as a claims representative for State Farm in Omaha, and also serves as the sprint coach at Brownell Talbot High School. He and his wife, Lakesha, are the parents of five children.

Honorary referee: Rich Hanson

For 50 years, Rich Hanson has been active in the promotion and operation of the Howard Wood Dakota Relays.

His tenure with one of the Midwest's most prestigious track and field meets began in 1964 as a volunteer. Hanson served three terms as president of the board of directors (1991-1993) and he has been a gold medal ticket-seller for many years. His service as a starter for running events began in 1994 and continues today.

He has started countless high school conference, region, and state track and field meets. On the collegiate level, he has started North Central Conference indoor and outdoor meets, and most recently moved up to NCAA Division I as starter for Summit League competition.

Hanson has served as assistant starter for Division II national meets at the Dakota Dome in Vermillion, and worked across the state as a track rules clinician for the South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA).

He graduated from Aberdeen Central High School in 1954, and received bachelors and masters degrees from Northern State University. He began officiating sports events in 1959, a pursuit that has continued for 55 consecutive years.

For 20 years he called boys' and girls' regular-season and tournament basketball games in addition to working college contests. On the administrative side he served as coordinator of the SDHSAA basketball official's observation program from its inception in 2002 through 2010.

He stepped onto the football field as an official for the first time in 1963 and worked high school and college games until 1984. He was part of the crew that officiated the first game played in the Dakota Dome in 1979. Off the field he was supervisor of officials for the Sioux Interstate Conference (1984-1998), the Greater Dakota Conference (1998-2013), the Metro Conference (2013-present), and was commissioner of the South Dakota-Iowa Conference (1998-2000).

From 1970 to the present, Hanson has been a member of the Sioux Empire Area Chamber of Commerce Sports and Rec Committee, and was a member of the South Dakota American Legion Boy's State staff for 40 years.

Hanson's long list of honors include the 1991 National Federation Officials Association (NFA) active Track and Field Officials Award for South Dakota, the NFA National Distinguished Contributor Award (1995), the B'Nai B'Rith Sioux Falls Sportsman of the Year (1995) and the SDHSAA Distinguished Service Award (2001).

In addition to the Wood Relays Board of Directors, Hanson also serves on the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame Advisory Committee.

– Compiled by Bruce Conley,

Dakota Relays committee