Rapid Central High School Activities Director Jordan Bauer is excited to announce the fourth class of the Rapid City Central Athletic Hall of Fame. 

“Central has great tradition with several outstanding former student-athletes, coaches, teams, and contributors. The Cobbler Athletic Hall of Fame is a great way to recognize these amazing Cobblers.”

Central High School will induct the Class of 2025 into the Athletic Hall of Fame before the Rapid City Central and Yankton boys’ basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025, scheduled to tip off at 2 pm. Prior to the girls’ game at 12 pm, there will be a social in the high school commons honoring the inductees and their families. Inductees will include Bill Gassen, David Ploof, Terry Shigg, and Melissa Stanton.

Bill Gassen graduated from Rapid City Central in 1999. Bill was a standout athlete in football, wrestling and track.

While at Central, Bill was an All-State and All-Conference football player and a Gatorade All-American in track and field. Bill was also a 2-time state champion in shot put, a state champion in the discus, a state champion wrestler, and the USA Powerlifting Teenage and Junior Men’s National Powerlifting champion. While at the University of South Dakota,

Bill also achieved great success. He was an All-American Nose Guard, set the single season record with 22.5 tackles for loss, was an All-North Central Conference player, he currently holds the school record for tackles for loss with 50.5, he was a Three-time NCC track and field champion in the shot put (indoor and outdoor), he was a Four-time Academic All-NCC honoree, a four-time NCAA Academic All American in track and field and was inducted into USD Coyote Sports Hall of Fame in the fall of 2012. Bill Gassen is president and CEO of Sanford Health, an $11.4 billion integrated health system serving 2.4 million patients and more than 425,000 health plan members across the upper Midwest. Bill and his wife, Jill, a physician’s assistant for the Veterans Administration, have five children and live in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

David Ploof taught business law and typing at Rapid City Central for 34 years. He was the head wrestling coach for 25 years and was the head coach for Rapid City Post 22 baseball for 46 years from 1965-2011. As the head wrestling coach at Rapid City Central, Coach Ploof’s team won the state championship in 1977, 1978, and 1985. He also coached 20 state individual champions and 70 other state place winners. As the head coach for Post 22 baseball, Coach Ploof had a record of 2,483-806. He won 34 SD State Championships and from 1970-1987 he won it 17 years in a row which is a National Record. He had 1975 eight American Legion World Series appearances and won the 1993 National American Legion World Series Championship. Coach Ploof has numerous accolades, with notable ones of 1985 USA Junior Olympic Team Coach, 1987 and 1993 USA Baseball SD Coach of the Year, 2006 SD Sports Hall of Fame and 2021 SD Wrestling Hall of Fame. 

Terry Shigg graduated from Rapid City Central in 1986. While at Rapid City Central High School, Terry was a standout athlete in football, basketball and track. He played college basketball at the University of Kentucky in 1986-1987 and football at the University of California Santa Barbara in 1989. While at Rapid City Central, he was the 300 M Hurdles State Champion in 1984 and 1985, the 100 M Hurdles Champion In 1984 ,1985 and 1986, he was on the District

4AA Championship Basketball team in 1986, he was a first team Class AA All State Basketball in 1986, he was the USA Today All-USA Athlete of the Year for South Dakota in 1986, he was the Gatorade Player of the year – Boys Basketball-South Dakota in 1986, and he was also a 3 year 3 sport letterman (Basketball, Football and Track) in 1984, 1985, and 1986.

Melissa Stanton graduated from Rapid City Central in 2000. Melissa was a standout 5 time letter winning gymnast while at Rapid City Central and continued her success into her collegiate career at Hamline University and Seattle Pacific. Melissa was 5 time individual state champion: All-Around (1997, 2000); Uneven Bars (1999, 2000); Vault (1999), and a member of 2 team state titles (1996, 2000). She was the first South Dakota High School gymnast to score a perfect 10 (Uneven Bars, 2000). Melissa currently holds 15 of the top 30 scores at Central with 10 individual scores and 5 team scores. Into her collegiate career Melissa was a 3 time National Champion in the Bars (2001, 2002) and All-Around (2001). Melissa was a 5 time All American in the Bars (2001, 2002), Beam (2001) and All-Around (2001, 2002),

Melissa was undefeated in the All-Around in the 2001 season and only lost twice in the 2002 season, she had the highest All-around season average in the nation in 2001 and she had the highest Uneven Bars season average in the nation in 2001 and 2002. Melissa was also the recipient of the Rapid City Sports Hall of Fame Female College Athlete of the Year in 2001 and 2002.