“Smokey” Joe Mendel was a modest man — so modest, in fact, that later in life he rarely spoke about the remarkable feat he accomplished on May 21, 1926.

On that day 100 years ago, Mendel etched his name into South Dakota sports history, singlehandedly winning the 1926 boys state track and field championship. Representing tiny Onida High School, he captured four events and edged Sioux Falls Washington, 20-19, to claim the one-class state title on his own.

“We’ve had great athletes who have done remarkably well,” said Freeman’s Tim Waltner, who wrote Mendel’s biography in 1992. “But to literally single handedly win the state track meet — it’s a remarkable story. One of the things that I really appreciated about Joe is that he was very humble. He was confident. But he didn’t brag about it.”

At the South Dakota State Fairgrounds in Huron, Mendel delivered a historic performance, winning the long jump with a state-record leap of 22 feet, 9 1/2 inches — a mark that stood for 50 years. He also swept the sprints, capturing the 100-yard dash (:10.0), 220-yard dash (:22.1) and 440-yard dash (:51.2). Along the way, he tied the state record in the 100 and shaved a half-second off the existing 440 mark.

His four first-place finishes were worth five points each, giving him 20 total points — enough to outscore the entire 21-team field on his own. In addition to Sioux Falls Washington, Mendel outscored much larger schools like Aberdeen, Mitchell, Yankton, Vermillion, Brookings, Rapid City and Watertown. 

Mendel’s remarkable performance earned him statewide attention, with newspapers dubbing him the “Onida Flash.” Yet according to his son, Don Mendel, Joe was anything but flashy.

“He was very modest and he was just a pretty simple farm kid at heart,” Don Mendel said. “He loved sports and loved competition.”

Fans weren’t the only ones who witnessed history on May 21, 1926. Mendel’s parents, David and Katherina, were also in attendance — a rare occasion in itself. David was a pastor, and the family farmed seven miles east of Onida. 

That meant little time was spent away from work to watch sports, but they made the trip to Huron to witness Joe’s performance for the ages.

The day after Mendel’s historic performance, a newspaper headline read: ‘Pa and ‘Ma Mendel watch son run for first time at Huron.

“His folks were not supportive at all, and I remember asking him once did it bother him that they never came to any of his sporting events,” Don said. “He said ‘No, not really. I was just so happy that they let me compete.’ Because for many farm kids in that era, folks wouldn't even let them go to high school. They needed them on the farm. He said the fact that ‘My folks tolerated my time at practice and away at games, that made me so elated. I didn’t want or expect anything more.’ ”

As Waltner details in his book, the surprise trip by Mendel’s parents made the day even more meaningful for Joe. In fact, it was the only time they ever saw him compete in person.

Afterward, the Mendels offered their congratulations, while Katherina found herself especially grateful for one thing.

“The comment she made to him afterward was something like ‘I am glad you didn’t try jumping over those sticks,’ referring to the hurdles,” Waltner said. 

Soon after the 1926 historic performance, Mendel competed at the Amos Alonzo Stagg national high school track and field meet in Chicago. He again competed in four events, winning the 440-yard title at the meet.

Joe Mendel competes for Yankton College. (Courtesy photo)

Mendel later starred at Yankton College, where he continued to shine in track and field and was an all-conference football player. Mendel won the 100, 220 and long jump all four years at the conference meet. In 1929, he added another milestone by setting the state college record in the long jump at 24 feet, 1 inch — a mark that stood for 45 years.

College is also where Mendel earned the nickname “Smokey Joe.” After another standout track and field performance, the Sioux City Journal wrote that he left a cloud of smoke behind his competitors. The nickname quickly caught on and stayed with him for life — although Joe’s mother didn’t initially understand the analogy.

“A sportswriter referred to him on the track leaving a cloud of smoke behind, and then that appeared in print and his mother came to him, ‘Joe, are you smoking?’ ” Waltner said. “And he assured her that he was not.”

On May 23, 1931, Mendel equaled Eddie Tolan’s world record in the 100-yard dash, clocking in at :9.5 seconds. Mendel also won the long jump and 220-yard dash, helping the Greyhounds win the conference title. 

It also marked the close of Mendel’s collegiate career. With the 1932 Olympics approaching, he appeared to have a chance to continue competing, but instead chose to step away from athletics and move on to the next chapter of his life.

“If he would have chosen to try out for the 1932 Olympic team, he very likely would have made the team, and he said that himself,” Don said. “Why didn’t he? His reason was that when he graduated college the Depression of the 30s was really hitting the country, including his parents. His parents didn’t have any money. He went to Yankton College pretty much on a work study scholarship. He said he felt so comfortable and so satisfied with both the high school and college experience that he had, particularly in the realm of his sports achievements.”

“He concluded that he was better suited to be farming than coaching and teaching the rest of his life,” Waltner said. “He was very comfortable with that, and raising his family. Family was very important to him.” 

Mendel, who died in 1997 at the age of 91, was a charter member of the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame in 1968 as well as the following halls of fame: Howard Wood Dakota Relays (1959), South Dakota Hall of Fame (1978), Yankton College Greyhound Track (1979) and South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference (1980).

Joe Mendel was inducted into the Howard Wood Dakota Relays Hall of Fame in 1959. (Courtesy photo)