Nine men will be inducted into the South Dakota Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame this weekend. 

Tim Steffensen of Watertown, Gene Brownell of Aberdeen, Greg Lanners of Clear Lake, former Redfield standout Eugene Hoffart, former Doland standout Jon Madsen, Tim McMahon of Miller, Jeff Heumiller of Salem, Bob Graff of Onida and former Freeman standout Greg Sayler are among the inductees. 

The group will be honored on Saturday afternoon prior to the championship matches in the State High School Individual Wrestling Championships in the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center.

Here's the biographies for the inductees:

Tim Steffensen, Watertown

The Arlington native placed fifth in both the 1978 and 1980 state Class B tournaments before wrestling in college at Dakota State and Northern State.

After graduation, he coached for Aberdeen Roncalli, Lyman and Deuel and also spent 10 years coaching youth wrestling. Steffensen also officiated for 28 years and earned the National Federation of High Schools Wrestling Official of the Year Award in 2011-12. He officiated the All-Star Wrestling Match in Aberdeen in 2011, 19 state tournaments as well as many district, regional and state youth tournaments.

Steffensen is still involved today in wrestling, serving as the Northeast Conference and Region 1B wrestling chairman and also has served as the official scorekeeper for the South Dakota State wrestling team since 2012.

Eugene Hoffart, Redfield

Hoffart, now of Mankato, Minnesota, was a two-time state Class B champion at 105 pounds for Redfield in 1981 and 1982 and also finished third in another state tourney.

He went 29-0 in 1980-81, scored the most points in the state and recorded the fastest pin (46 seconds). In April of 1981, Hoffart competed on the AAU Cultural Exchange Central All-State Team that wrestled a squad from Hesson, West Germany. He won his match at 114 pounds 7-0.

Gene Brownell, Aberdeen

Brownell is a graduate of Henry High School and Northern State University and spent 49 years in public school education as a teacher, coach and athletic administrator.

During his tenure as the athletic director of the Aberdeen Public Schools, he managed 14 state and numerous region wrestling tournaments. He started the Lee Wolf Tournament, which has become a popular single-day event for both South and North Dakota teams.

Greg Lanners, Clear Lake

Lanners was a four-time State B place winner with two championships (1979 and ‘80) and two third-place finishes for Clear Lake. He was named the school's outstanding wrestler in 1979 and made the National Interscholastic Honor Roll and Scholastic All-American Wrestling Team in 1980. Lanners coached at Hamlin High School for five years (1982-86) and Deuel High School for another five years in the early 2000s, earning Region Coach of the Year honors in 2004.

Jon Madsen, Doland

The 1998 Doland High School graduate was a five-time state qualifier and four-time state B place winner as a heavyweight (1994-1998), winning state titles in 1997 and ‘98. He also finished third in 1995 and second in ‘96.

After his senior season, he dropped down to 215 pounds and competed in the National High School Coaches Association Senior Nationals at Pittsburgh, Pa. in 1998 and advanced to the finals before losing in overtime.

Madsen continued his wrestling career at South Dakota, becoming a three-time NCAA Division II All-American, winning a national title as a freshman. He also added second and seventh-place finishes.

He later competed on television on season 10 of UFC's Ultimate Fighter where he was part of 11 episodes and later secured a contract with UFC. Madsen's exhibition and professional Mixed Martial Arts Record was 9-3.

Tim McMahon, Miller

McMahon was a three-time state qualifier in high school, coached in Highmore and Miller for 33 years, where he coached many state champions. His team won the 1985 State B championship and another one of his team’s placed third in 1992. He passed away in 2023.

Bob Graff, Onida

Graff attended school in Grand Rapids, Minn. He later wrestled for Itasaca State Junior College and also at Drake University. He coached wrestling at Sully Buttes High School and later became an official. He officiated for 38 years and worked eight state tournaments.

Greg Sayler, Minnesota

Sayler wrestled for Freeman High School. During his team, he was a three-time place winner. He placed fourth as a sophomore, second as a junior and was a state champion as a senior. He was a member of the 1987 and ‘88 state wrestling championship teams, and a runner-up in 1986. His overall high school record was 121-20-1 and he was honored to wrestle for legendary Gary “Smokey” Wallman. He attended SDSU and was a two-time NCAA Division II All-American. 

Jeff Heumiller, Salem

Heumiller attended McCoo Central High School. While he attended high school, he became a three-time state champion and a two-time runner-up. He earned the state take-down record and still holds the McCook Central School record for this. He was a part of the first McCook Central team to place at state as a team. After high school, he attended and wrestled at Minnesota West for one year. When the head coach at McCook Central was deployed, he stepped in as an assistant coach for one year. Heumiller volunteers at numerous wrestling events for the MCM wrestling program as a scorekeeper and a referee.