The South Dakota High School Coaches Association (SDHSCA) 54th annual awards ceremony was held in Mitchell on Sunday, July 20. Among those honored were Pat Ruml of Howard for Football Coach of the Year for 2024. SDHSCA Hall of Fame also inducted Coach Jeff VanLeur from Emery into the Class of 2025. 

VanLeur graduated from Woonsocket in 1976. He graduated from Sioux Falls College in 1980 before starting his coaching career at Emery and has been there since.  He has had a very successful coaching career at Emery/Ethan/Bridgewater. VanLeur was Football Coach of the Year 2007-2008, was named SDHSAA Distinguished Service Award winner in 2022, was a National High School Athletic Coaches Association Coach of the Year finalist in both 2019 and 2023, and was inducted into the South Dakota Football Coaches Association (SDFBCA) Hall of Fame in 2014. He is the son of the late Bill and Jeannette VanLeur of Woonsocket.

Pat Ruml graduated from Letcher in 1987. He started his coaching career in 1994 at Dakota Valley (old Jefferson), Waverly South Shore in 1995, McCook Central in 1998, was assistant in Mt. Vernon in 2005, and then went to Howard in 2008. He has a record of 140-41 in his years at Howard. Howard appeared in the state football tournament seven times and won four state titles. He also coached two SD All Star games. Ruml is a member of SDFBCA and is on the Football Advisory Board and on the Board of Directors of SDFBCA. He is the son of the late Dick “Fuzzy” Ruml of Letcher and Phyllis Emmett  Hendel of Sioux Falls.

…See a picture in this week’s issue of the Sanborn Weekly Journal!