Two legendary Parker coaches were honored Saturday afternoon in the Parker gym, during a double header basketball game against Alcester-Hudson. Former boys’ basketball coach Gayle Hoover and volleyball coach Jill Christensen are known as renowned coaches and teachers and will now be forever remembered as the gym floor has been named in their honor.

Hoover, who retired after the 1992-93 season won 577 career games and was the all-time winningest in boys’ basketball at the time of his retirement. Volleyball coach Jill Christensen retired after the 2018-19 season and posted 837 career victories, a record among coaches that still stands to this day.

The feat is unprecedented, as having two coaches in two different sports retire with the most victories out of one school is a record in and of itself not seen anywhere else in South Dakota let alone the country.

The Parker school board voted last spring to move forward with the plan to honor the two coaches after community outpouring, a working committee was formed and tasked with coming up with the design. The new logo will be officially painted on the court this summer, when a new gym floor is laid. The first step was hanging an illuminated sign under the scoreboard for all to see during home events.

The gym was packed Saturday afternoon as former players, coaches and spectators filled the stands to honor the duo who taught together at Parker High for several years. A seven-minute video led up to the unveiling of the new logo, with community member Jason Schulte leading the event. Former players and rival coaches spoke during the video, honoring both coaches as leaders and legends of their respective sports.

“I have wanted this for a longtime for coach Hoover, he was already a legend when I got here,” said coach Christensen. “To be a part of it is very special. We were blessed with great athletes and a great tradition. It’s all a part of the players and their history, there were so many good memories, I just wanted them to have a fun experience,” concluded Christensen.

“Parker has always been so good to us, it’s where we lived for over 50 years and raised our family,” said Hoover. “We had some great teams and it meant so much to our town, this is really an honor.” He continued, “When I think of the accomplishments I think of all the kids that I coached, it’s really special.”

The afternoon was capped off with a boys’ basketball victory followed by a reception with many memories shared. Together, the two coaches posted over 70 years combined pacing the Parker sidelines and over 1400 career victories with generations of Pheasant athletes impacted.