Twelve athletes, five coaches, an official and a contributor are part of the Nebraska High School Sports Foundation Hall of Fame Class of 2025 which will be inducted during ceremonies in September.
Among the 12 athletes who will be inducted are three Huskerland feature story subjects, including No. 46 Brooke Schwartz (Gering, 1996), No. 1702 Ron Coleman (Omaha North, 2010) and No. 1756 Jordan Hooper (Alliance, 2010).
Other athletes who will be inducted include Deverell Biggs, Omaha Central; Alan Closter, Creighton St. Ludger; Karen Criss, Omaha Marian; Chris Dishman, Cozad; Ashley Hagerman Ford, Elkhorn; Wilburn Hollis, Boys Town; Chad Meyers, Gross Catholic; and Darin Ruf, Omaha Westside.
Biggs, Meyers and Ruf were also Huskerland era athletes who I, like many of you, got to see play a lot during their high school careers. All three of them were professionals in their sport of choice, all of them go in on the first ballot, given the 15-year rule for consideration.
Dishman was a Huskerland guy in the early going, before we started publishing player profiles, but I did attend chruch with Chris and his family at Parkview Methodist in Cozad, so there is that.
Coaches who will be inducted include the late Paul Beranek, Ravenna; the late Brad Feeken, Gretna; Bob Greco, Omaha Westside; Jake Moore, Omaha Marian; and Sue Wewel, Fremont. It is a great touch to induct both Paul (who probably should have gone in sooner) and Brad simultaneously, while Jake I first came across while working at the Fairbury Journal-News, covering basketball teams coached by his hall of fame father, Charlie.
Also being inducted are longtime Malcolm AD Jack Tarr as a contributor and Gary Pence for his half a decade in h igh school officiating. Jack was a pro’s pro, serving at the national level while never losing his touch with the needs of the local media, and that would include Huskerland.
Here is a full rundown on the Class of 2025:
Athletes
Shaquil Barrett, Boys Town (2009)
Owner of two Super Bowl rings, with Denver and Tampa Bay, came to Boys Town as a junior and was a state champion wrestler and football standout. He played for UNO and Colorado State. Was a starter for 85 of his 132 games in the NFL over 10 seasons.
Deverell Biggs, Omaha Central (2010)
The state’s consensus boys athlete of the year as a senior started on three Class A basketball championship teams and won two golds in the high jump. Played for Nebraska and Texas Southern in Division I and has logged 10 seasons of pro basketball.
Alan Closter, Creighton St. Ludger (1961)
The ace pitcher for the Comets’ Class C state champion teams of 1959 and 1961 averaged 20 points on their 1961 state tourney basketball team. A member of the 1964 U.S. Olympic exhibition baseball team, he pitched in the majors for three teams.
Ron Coleman, Omaha North (2010)
A four-time state wrestling champion who was the state’s 2009 boys athlete of the year, he set Viking scoring records as a four-year starter in football and qualified for state in the shot put as a senior. He played football for Southeast Missouri ...
