MITCHELL — Gene Danielson, a regular at the South Dakota amateur baseball tournament, was pleasantly surprised during Tuesday’s trip to Cadwell Park. 

A Salem resident, Danielson received a lifetime pass during the Cubs’ 8-6 loss against Dimock-Emery in second round action. He received the lifetime pass from South Dakota Amateur Baseball President Dale Weber midway through the game and public address announcer, Joe Van Goor, listed off Danielson’s contributions to amateur baseball. 

“I like to see the boys be able to compete and I like baseball,” Danielson, 75, said. “So it’s great for me and the community of Salem. We’ve got a great facility in Salem. It’s really nice. The people of Salem have really been good to baseball.” 

But carrying on with tradition, Weber gave no prior indication of the honor and Danielson was surprised by the recognition. 

“It’s quite a deal,” Danielson said. “I’ve been working with baseball for quite a few years umpiring and now I am an announcer in Salem. So it’s a lot of fun.” 

Danielson wasn’t even a baseball player growing up in Viborg and instead played softball. A 1964 Viborg High School graduate, Danielson attended General Beadle College (now Dakota State University) and started his teaching/coaching career in 1968.

Danielson settled in Salem and that’s where he made his mark on the baseball community. He never played or managed in Salem, and instead, umpired for many years.

But umpiring was a little different at the time. 

“Those days you were the regular umpire and you just followed them everywhere they went,” Danielson said. “So I umpired for the Salem amateur team for a number of years. … I rode with the scorekeeper, Bob McCormick. He and I rode together. He’d keep the scorebook and I’d do the umpiring.”

Danielson no longer umpires, however, he’s still involved as Salem’s public address announcer at baseball games. It gives him an opportunity to stay involved and be exposed to top-notch amateur baseball. 

“I am associated with the Cornbelt (League) and they’ve been pretty strong all these years,” Danielson said. “So watching from a Cornbelt standpoint it’s really been pretty good yet.”

As of Wednesday, the Cornbelt League had three teams still playing at Cadwell Park, which Danielson said is the perfect home for state amateur baseball. 

“This is the place to be,” Danielson said. “There’s no doubt about it. Mitchell puts on a great tournament and I like it. This is the place to be.” 

Danielson spent the next 33 years on the Salem High School staff, coaching track and field, as well as cross-country. Danielson’s boys teams won 38 conference championships in his coaching years and had another 20 second-place finishes. 

He received a host of coaching awards during his tenure. McCook Central/Montrose named its annual track and field meet the “Gene Danielson Relays”, and, on his retirement in 2004, renamed its athletic field “Gene Danielson Field”.