# South Dakota Hall of Fame

The South Dakota Hall of Fame is an American award for excellence among South Dakotans. Established in 1974, the South Dakota State Legislature named the organization the state's official hall of fame in 1996. The hall is a museum detailing "acts of excellence", the host of an annual honors ceremony, a statewide K-12 South Dakota History Program, and a Visitor and Education Center in Chamberlain that opened in June 2000. More than 700 South Dakotans have been inducted into the Hall of Fame, and their stories of excellence with supporting media are available online.

## Programs

The South Dakota Hall of Fame's main program is the hall of fame itself, called the Legacies of Achievement. About 50 to 70 South Dakotans are nominated every year, and 10 are inducted.
The center also runs the Acts of Excellence program, by which organizations and individuals are recognized for "building a culture of excellence in South Dakota, one act at a time". This focuses on acts that focus on the betterment of society, culture, and quality of life in the state, and is sponsored by Sanford Health. A list of recipients is kept on the South Dakota Hall of Fame website.

## History

In 1996, the South Dakota State Hall of Fame was named the state's official hall of fame by the South Dakota State Legislature. In June 2000, the South Dakota Hall of Fame opened their Visitor & Education Center in Chamberlain.

## Inductees

As of 2023, over 700 people have been inducted into the South Dakota Hall of Fame across seven categories: agriculture, arts and entertainment, general notability, historical figures, political, professional, and sports.
| Category | Inductees |
| Agriculture | 9 |
| Arts and Entertainment | 110 |
| General | 326 |
| Historical | 50 |
| Political | 6 |
| Professional | 215 |
| Sports | 40 |

### Notable inductees

| Name | Birth–Death | Hometown | Year | Category |
| Cleveland Abbott | 1894–1955 | Watertown, South Dakota | 2018 | Professional |
| James W. Abbott | b. 1948 | Vermillion, South Dakota | 2017 | Professional |
| Gene G. Abdallah | 1936–2019 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | 2011 | General |
| James Abdnor | 1923–2012 | Kennebec, South Dakota | 1995 | General |
| James Abourezk | 1931–2023 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | 2012 | General |
| Stan Adelstein | b. 1931 | Rapid City, South Dakota | 2006 | General |
| Lewis Akeley | 1861–1961 | Clarendon, New York | 1978 | General |
| Arthur Amiotte | b. 1942 | Pine Ridge, South Dakota | 1997 | Arts and Entertainment |
| Emma E. Amiotte | 1913–1997 | Manderson, South Dakota | 1987 | Historical |
| George "Sparky" Anderson | 1934–2010 | Bridgewater, South Dakota | 2007 | Sports |
| Vernon Ashley | 1916–2015 | Buffalo County, South Dakota | 1991 | Historical |
| Bob Barker | 1923–2023 | Mission, South Dakota | 1980 | Arts and Entertainment |
| L. Frank Baum | 1856–1919 | Chittenango, New York | 2002 | Arts and Entertainment |
| William Henry Harrison Beadle | 1838–1915 | Madison, South Dakota | 1979 | General |
| Tom Berry | 1879–1951 | Belvidere, South Dakota | 1978 | General |
| Black Elk | 1863–1950 | Manderson, South Dakota | 2018 | Historical |
| Andrew Wendell Bogue | 1919–2009 | Parker, South Dakota | 2017 | Professional |
| Gutzon Borglum | 1867–1941 | Bear Lake County, Idaho | 1978 | Arts and Entertainment |
| Ordell Braase | 1932–2019 | Mitchell, South Dakota | 2005 | Sports |
| Hilton Briggs | 1913–2001 | Cairo, Iowa | 1980 | Professional |
| Jeff Broin | b. 1965 | Dell Rapids, South Dakota | 2017 | Professional |
| Tom Brokaw | b. 1940 | Webster, South Dakota | 1991 | Arts and Entertainment |
| Eugene Buechel | 1874–1954 | Fulda, Germany | 1978 | General |
| Charles H. Burke | 1861–1944 | Pierre, South Dakota | 1981 | General |
| John Cacavas | 1930–2014 | Aberdeen, South Dakota | 1994 | Arts and Entertainment |
| Gary Cammack | b. 1953 | Union Center, South Dakota | 2021 | Agriculture |
| William L. Carberry | 1885–1973 | | 1978 | Sports |
| Francis Case | 1896–1962 | Everly, Iowa | 1978 | General |
| Charles Badger Clark | 1883–1957 | Deadwood, South Dakota | 1978 | Arts and Entertainment |
| Jan and Herb Conn | 1924–2023 (Jan) 1920–2012 (Herb) | White Mountains, New Hampshire | 2011 | Historical |
| Harvey Dunn | 1884–1952 | Manchester, South Dakota | 1978 | Arts and Entertainment |
| Crazy Horse | c. 1843–1877 | near Rapid Creek, South Dakota | 1978 | Historical |
| Dennis Daugaard | b. 1953 | Dell Rapids, South Dakota | 2022 | Political |
| Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve | b. 1933 | Rosebud, South Dakota | 1984 | Arts and Entertainment |
| Eagle Woman | 1820–1888 | | 2010 | Historical |
| Charles Eastman | 1858–1939 | Manitoba, Canada | 1978 | Professional |
| Newton Edmunds | 1819–1908 | Yankton, South Dakota | 1978 | General |
| Joe Foss | 1915–2003 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | 1978 | General |
| Chief Gall | 1832–1896 | Standing Rock Reservation, North Dakota | 1978 | Historical |
| Harry Gamage | 1900–1994 | Macomb, Illinois | 1978 | Sports |
| Tim Giago | 1934–2022 | Pine Ridge, South Dakota | 1994 | Arts and Entertainment |
| Delta David Gier | b. 1960 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | 2020 | Arts and Entertainment |
| Hugh Glass | c. 1783–1833 | Pennsylvania | 1982 | Historical |
| Alice Gossage | 1861–1929 | Vermillion, South Dakota | 1978 | Arts and Entertainment |
| John Grass | 1837–1918 | Standing Rock Reservation, North Dakota | 1978 | Historical |
| Bill Groethe | 1923–2020 | Rapid City, South Dakota | 2019 | Arts and Entertainment |
| Alvin Hansen | 1887–1975 | Viborg, South Dakota | 1978 | General |
| Carroll Hardy | 1933–2020 | Sturgis, South Dakota | 1992 | Sports |
| Mary Hart | b. 1950 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | 1992 | Arts and Entertainment |
| Garney Henley | b. 1935 | Hayti, South Dakota | 1979 | Sports |
| Stephanie Herseth Sandlin | b. 1970 | Groton, South Dakota | 2017 | General |
| Carole Hillard | 1936–2007 | Rapid City, South Dakota | 2007 | General |
| Oscar Howe | 1915–1983 | Crow Creek Reservation, South Dakota | 1979 | Arts and Entertainment |
| Laura Ingalls Wilder | 1867–1957 | Pepin, Wisconsin | 1978 | Arts and Entertainment |
| Iron Nation | 1815–1894 | Lower Brule Reservation, South Dakota | 2006 | Historical |
| Bill Janklow | 1939–2012 | Chicago, Illinois | 2013 | General |
| Harold Jones | 1909–2002 | Santee, Nebraska | 1978 | General |
| Tim Johnson | b. 1946 | Vermillion, South Dakota | 2019 | Political |
| Robert Karolevitz | 1922–2011 | Yankton, South Dakota | 1978 | Arts and Entertainment |
| Herbert Krause | 1905–1976 | Fergus Falls, Minnesota | 1978 | General |
| Shantel Krebs | b. 1973 | Canton, South Dakota | 2022 | Political |
| Alice Kundert | 1920–2013 | Mobridge, South Dakota | 1990 | General |
| Ernest Lawrence | 1901–1958 | Canton, South Dakota | 1978 | Professional |
| Emil Loriks | 1895–1985 | Kingsbury County, South Dakota | 1979 | General |
| Stanley Marshall | 1927–1980 | Centerville, South Dakota | 1980 | Sports |
| George McGovern | 1922–2012 | Mitchell, South Dakota | 1994 | General |
| Vern McKee | 1930–2004 | Huron, South Dakota | 2004 | Sports |
| James McLaughlin | 1842–1923 | Ontario, Canada | 1978 | Professional |
| Donald E. Messer | b. 1941 | Kimball, South Dakota | 2008 | General |
| Don Meyer | 1944–2014 | Wayne, Nebraska | 2012 | Sports |
| Oscar Micheaux | 1884–1951 | Metropolis, Illinois | 2001 | Arts and Entertainment |
| George S. Mickelson | 1941–1993 | Selby, South Dakota | 2002 | General |
| George T. Mickelson | 1903–1965 | Selby, South Dakota | 1987 | General |
| Billy Mills | b. 1938 | Pine Ridge, South Dakota | 1980 | Sports |
| Al Neuharth | 1924–2013 | Alpena, South Dakota | 1980 | Arts and Entertainment |
| Judy Olson Duhamel | b. 1939 | Rapid City, South Dakota | 2014 | General |
| Watson Parker | 1924–2013 | Hill City, South Dakota | 2011 | Historical |
| Lyndell Petersen | b. 1931 | Quinn, South Dakota | 2019 | Agriculture |
| Richard F. Pettigrew | 1848–1926 | Ludlow, Vermont | 1978 | General |
| Larry Pressler | b. 1942 | Humboldt, South Dakota | 2020 | Political |
| Wayne Rasmussen | b. 1942 | Howard, South Dakota | 1981 | Sports |
| Red Cloud | 1822–1909 | Platte River, Nebraska | 1978 | Historical |
| Gabriel Renville | 1825–1892 | Big Stone Lake, South Dakota | 1978 | Historical |
| Pete Retzlaff | 1931–2020 | Ellendale, North Dakota | 1978 | Sports |
| Joe Robbie | 1916–1990 | Sisseton, South Dakota | 1985 | Sports |
| T. Denny Sanford | b. 1935 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | 2007 | Professional |
| Sitting Bull | 1834–1890 | Bullhead, South Dakota | 1978 | Historical |
| Spotted Tail | c. 1823–1881 | | 1978 | Historical |
| Struck by the Ree | c. 1804–1888 | Yankton, South Dakota | 1978 | Historical |
| Clark Swisher | 1916–2005 | Vermillion, South Dakota | 1978 | Sports |
| Tasunka Kokipapi | c. 1836–1893 | Pine Ridge Reservation, South Dakota | 1978 | Historical |
| Casey Tibbs | 1929–1990 | Fort Pierre, South Dakota | 1978 | Historical |
| Norm Van Brocklin | 1926–1983 | Walnut Creek, California | 1991 | Sports |
| Eugene Luther Vidal | 1895–1969 | Madison, South Dakota | 1978 | Sports |
| Adam Vinatieri | b. 1972 | Rapid City, South Dakota | 2023 | Sports |
| Sox Walseth | 1926–2004 | Pierre, South Dakota | 1978 | Sports |
| Lee Warne | 1922–2002 | Pierre, South Dakota | 1988 | General |
| Howard Wood | 1883–1949 | Sioux Falls, South Dakota | 2010 | Sports |
| Korczak Ziolkowski | 1908–1982 | Boston, Massachusetts | 1988 | Arts and Entertainment |
| Ruth Ziolkowski | 1926–2014 | West Hartford, Connecticut | 1988 | Arts and Entertainment |