2002 Hall of Fame Inductees

• 1952 Baseball Team
• Carie Dann
• Jolleen Beadle Hunecke
• Norman Madson
  

1952 Baseball Team

The 1952 Waldorf College baseball team under the direction of Hall-of-Fame coach, Rolf Lund, excelled in all phases of the game on the way to achieving the only undefeated baseball season in Waldorf history.

The pitching duo of co-captain Sonny Polzin and Dick Evenson dominated opposing hitters. Polzin pitched consecutive no-hitters during the season, averaged 1.9 strikeouts per inning, and finished the year with an ERA of 0.77. Evenson averaged 1.1 strikeouts per inning, and led the staff with an ERA of 0.59. Opponents had a batting average of just .118 against Warrior pitching, as catcher Dale Mitchell kept the opposition off balance with his pitch calls.

Offensively, the Warriors averaged 12 runs per game and had a team batting average of .332. Allen Carlson led the way with a .500 average including a stretch with seven consecutive hits. Polzin and Leroy Knuths each hit over .400, while Larry Purcell, Donald Smith, Robert Dunbar, Carroll Egemo, and co-captain Paul Mork all topped the .300 mark. Egemo led the squad in stolen bases, Dunbar and Purcell were the RBI leaders, and Dunbar had the lone home run on the season—a towering shot over the left-field wall against Bethany in Mankato.

We welcome the undefeated 1952 baseball team to the Waldorf Athletic Hall of Fame. Squad members included:

Allen Carlson
Robert Dunbar
Carroll Egemo
Kenneth Elias
Alvern Ellwood
Richard Evenson
Marvin Folkestad
Dr. Karl Holte
Leroy Knuths
Rev. Dale Mitchell
Rev. Paul Mork
Lamoyne “Sonny” Polzin
Larry Purcell
Donald Smith
Rudolph Thorsheim

Carie Dann

After graduating first in her senior class of 471 at Mason City High School, Carie Dann brought her many talents to Waldorf College in the fall of 1979.

Carie participated in basketball and softball her freshman year. She led the Waldorf basketball team to an outstanding 27-7 record, culminating in a fourth-place finish at the 1980 NJCAA National Basketball Tournament.

Waldorf fielded its inaugural intercollegiate volleyball team in the fall of 1980 and Carie opted for volleyball instead of softball that year and was named Team MVP that season. She also had an outstanding sophomore season on the basketball court leading the Warriors to a 23-5 record, one game short of a return trip to the national tournament. She led the team in scoring that season and earned first-team All-Region and second-team NJCAA All-American honors. She was also selected to participate in the National NJCAA All-Star basketball game following the 1981 season. Her 706 total points rank 18th on Waldorf’s all-time scoring list.

Carie continued her studies at Wichita State University earning a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Journalism with a minor in religion.

She spent a year as a reporter for the Globe-Gazette newspaper in Mason City before landing a feature writer position with the Quad-City Times in Davenport. Following an eleven-year career in journalism, Carie looked for additional challenges and found them in the form of firefighting. She graduated first in her class at the Rocky Mountain Fire Academy in Denver, Colorado, in 1994 and has worked as a firefighter for the past eight years in Fort Collins, Colorado.

Carie has continued to stay very active athletically. In 1990, she set the women’s record for the Across Iowa Ride. She completed the 300-mile bike event in 20 hours.

She has also run a dozen 26.2-mile marathons including qualifying and running in the prestigious 100th annual Boston Marathon in 1996.

Now living in Fort Collins, Colorado—a three-sport varsity athlete at Waldorf, a second-team NJCAA basketball All-American—Hall of Famer 2002—Carie Dann.

Jolleen Beadle Hunecke

Jolleen Beadle put up some very impressive numbers coming out of Swea City in 1975. She graduated number one in her high school class, and she racked up 102 career pitching victories, earning her Second-Team All-State honors and a spot in the Iowa Girls’ High School Softball Hall of Fame.

She certainly didn’t disappoint on either front when she enrolled at Waldorf. Beadle began her college softball career by going undefeated on the mound and hitting .529 in her freshman fall season. She followed that up with a 6-1 mark on the mound that spring and hit a record-setting .610. Her play earned a spot on the 1976 All-Tournament Team.

Jolleen followed that up with a solid sophomore campaign, dropping just three games on the mound, and hitting a solid .444 with a team-high 17 RBI’s.

After graduating summa cum laude from Waldorf in 1977, Jolleen earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree from Buena Vista College, and a Master of Arts Degree in Secondary School Counseling from Mankato State University.

Jolleen coached girls’ basketball at Sentral High School for one year, and at Armstrong-Ringsted High School for 12 years, with an overall record of 166-109. She was selected to coach the Class 1A All-Stars in the Prep-Illustrated All-Star Game, and was a multiple honoree as Cornbelt Conference Basketball Coach of the Year.

Jolleen coached softball at North Kossuth High School for three seasons compiling an 81-28 mark including a Northwest Iowa District Softball Coach of the Year honor in 1985.

Jolleen spent seventeen years at Armstrong-Ringsted High School as a High School Counselor, before moving to Cherokee this summer. This is her first year as a Middle School Counselor at Marcus-Meriden-Cleghorn Community Schools. She has served on numerous educational advisory boards, and committees.

One of the finest pitching/hitting combinations ever to play softball at Waldorf—a very successful high school coach and educator—Hall of Famer 2002—Jolleen Beadle Hunecke.

Norman Madson

Norman Madson graduated from Stanhope Public High School in 1939. He enrolled at Waldorf College and quickly made an impact as one of Waldorf’s best all-around athletes of his time. He lettered in football, basketball, and baseball both years for the Warriors.

Norman continued his athletic career at Iowa State, lettering in both baseball and football. He was elected to Cardinal Key, the major men’s honorary on campus, and was president of the Lutheran Students Association. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Architectural Engineering in 1943.

After college athletics, Norman continued to play the game he loved. Following the end of World War II, there was a revival of interest in amateur baseball throughout the country. Many leagues were formed and while most of the players came from the local area, the league allowed them to pay a few players brought in from the outside. During these days, Norman hired out as a pitcher for several teams in northern Iowa and southern Minnesota, earning $85 to pitch a game on Sundays and $60 to pitch three innings on Wednesday.

He tells of when his first daughter, Judy, was born, he pitched on Sunday and cashed the check to pay the hospital. Then he pitched on Wednesday night and cashed the check to pay the doctor.

After service in the U.S. Navy, Norman spent 26 years as a partner in architectural firms, and two years as a partner in a construction company before becoming the Director of Physical Plant and Staff Architect at St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota. He retired from St. Olaf in 1993.

Norman has served on numerous boards and committees, including a term on Waldorf’s Board of Regents and as a member of the Executive Committee during the presidency of Dr. Sidney Rand. He was presented with the Waldorf College Alumni Distinguished Service Award in 1970.

Now living in Bloomington, Minnesota, a three-sport letterwinner at Waldorf—a two-sport letterwinner at Iowa State University—a successful architect for almost 50 years—Hall of Famer 2002—Norman Madson.