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Donors Hall of Fame


2018 Awards

JAN WALL (PLAYER) - LINCOLN

From infancy, Jan loved baseball. He saw his first game when he was three years old and when he got home that day, he practiced sliding on the linoleum for hours! At Lincoln Northeast he lettered three years and lead the Rockets to the state tourney. During his career he struck out 121 batters and had an ERA of 0.88. Summers found him pitching for the Lincoln Optimists. He pitched a no hitter against Hastings, the #1 team in the state and then was selected for his baseball and basketball talents as the Nebraska Athlete of the Year. He turned down professional offers and chose to pitch for Nebraska. As a highlight he won three games in two days against Oklahoma. Everyone wanted him to pitch for them in the summer. Wahoo, Genoa, Weston, Ogallala, and North Platte were teams who sought him. He starred for Sturgis in the Basin League. He went on and pitched in the national semi pro tourney in Wichita. A serious accident slowed him down but major league scouts still wanted him. He signed with the New York Mets but could not play due to medical reasons. The “Stroker” certainly belongs in the Nebraska Baseball Hall of Fame!


LARRY O'BRIEN (DISTINGUISHED SERVICE) - OMAHA

This Omaha Rummel graduate excelled both as a player and a coach. Attending Indian Hills Community College he played for Pat Dougherty, the HOF coach. Dougherty recognized his strong arm and Larry became a pitcher, throwing over 100 mph fastballs. He was drafted #2 overall by the White Sox in the winter draft, #30 by the Expo's in the summer draft and #39 by the Reds. He signed with the Reds and played with Pete Rose, Joe Morgan and Johnny Bench. Quite a crew! After his playing career, he scouted for the White Sox, Braves, Reds, and Astros. His love of baseball led him to coach at Iowa Western for several years. From 1990-2000, Larry coached Roncalli's Legion program and led them to five state tourney appearances, winning two state championships. What a great promoter of baseball in our state!


STEVE RUSSELL (PLAYER) - OMAHA

An Omaha Westside and Wayne State graduate, he led the Wayne State squad in home runs and on the mound. He could hit and he could throw. He could blow the ball past hitters and once hit four home runs in a row! After hurting his arm, he played 1st base in the All-American league and for 20 years was considered the league's best power hitter. Prior to the injury, he was predicted as a pitcher who would make a living on the mound. Playing for many Dodge county teams as well as MINK teams, he travelled all over Nebraska and Iowa. He retired at age 40 and over the years he coached at Millard South, Omaha Central, Bellevue College and the Nebraska Sluggers. Steve truly lived for baseball and truly loved the game. There is no doubt that Russell's picture needs to be hanging in the “Hall.”


ALBERT “PRICKY” PARR (PLAYER) - SCRIBNER (Deceased 1977)

One of the great old timers in Nebraska baseball history was Albert “Pricky” Parr. At the age of 18, he was the starting pitcher for Dodge. At age 19 he pitched an entire 18 inning game against Rock Creek, striking out 17. The game started at 3:00. After many innings, some in the crowd left to do chores but then returned to see the game's end! He pitched in two different leagues: the Dodge Co. League and the Pioneer Night League. Needless to say, he was one gifted pitcher. He played with many semi pro teams including Dodge, Fremont, Norfolk, Oakland, Pender, Scribner, West Point and others. In 1949 he pitched his Dodge squad to another league championship, giving him a season record of 20-2. After such a successful playing career, “Pricky” managed and umpired and then continued coaching in Scribner through 1967. We do not know how he got his nickname. Welcome to the Nebraska Baseball Hall of Fame!


FLOYD THIEROLF (PLAYER) - FREMONT (Deceased, 1987)

Even though he came from the small town of Cedar Creek, Floyd Thierolf made a big name for himself as a fireballing right hander. He often would pitch more than one game a day for different teams. The Fremont Nighthawks was his home team and people would drive from miles around to see him pitch. One evening a St. Louis scout asked this 17 year old if he wanted to pitch in Daytona Beach. Away he went to Daytona where he pitched for the next couple of years for the Cardinal's farm team. Guess who got Stan Musial to pop up in Houston in a AAA/ Major league all star game? After a stint in the Army, he rejoined the Cards and pitched for several years for Rochester in AAA ball.

In '47 he returned to Nebraska and pitched for teams around Omaha and in the Pioneer Night League, again with the Nighthawks. Floyd struck out lots of semi pro hitters and rubbed shoulders will numerous major leaguers but in looking back he stated, “As much as I wanted to be in the majors, I never made it.” Floyd, you are a major leaguer to us!


BILL COTTON (PLAYER) - McCOOK (Deceased, 2008)

Bill was an exceptional athlete from his early years. Born in 1947, he excelled in football and baseball. At age 12 he made the Legion team but because of his youth he was not allowed to play. Later he played for the North Platte squad and was selected as the all star catcher. His play with numerous semi pro teams in the state, including the Gulf Oilers, made him a well known entity; he was selected as the all state catcher numerous times. Selected in the 4th round of the major league draft, Bill elected to attend Arizona State after being offered scholarships from many schools. He made the most of it and guided the squad to the national championship in Omaha and was selected to the all tourney team. He played for the Valentine Hearts in the Basin League and the Boulder Collegians. He then signed professionally and spent 6 years in the minor leagues. He could hit with power and average, throw runners out from his knees and outrun most sprinters. Congratulations Bill, you are a true Hall of Famer.


TERRELL DREAMER (PLAYER) - ELMWOOD

“Tree” seemed to grow up with a ball in his hand, having played ball with his dad and older brother. He was big and strong and could blow the ball by any hitter. After Terrell graduated from high school, Bob Gates, the Pershing College coach, convinced the big guy to play at the Beatrice college and he was an overwhelming success. Gates stated, “Terrell is one of the hardest workers I have coached in 21 years.” It wasn't long and he was signed by the Washington Senators. After a short stay in professional ball he came back to Nebraska where he dominated the semi pro ranks with numerous teams, including teams in Kansas as well as Hickman, Beatrice, and Omaha. The 6'5” fireballer was a mainstay on Garland's state championship teams and followed that stint with the Lincoln Runza and Schlitz squads. He was a fierce competitor and was not afraid to keep hitters loose at the plate. For the record, he compiled 115 wins during his career with a .782 winning percentage and strike out ratio of more than one per inning. It's high time that we recognize the “Tree” as a Hall of Fame member!


JOHN SVEHLA (PLAYER) – YORK (Deceased 2017)

John Svehla in today's bingo lingo, is “The Dude.” He was the 1975 MVP for the state champion York Legion team. At Nebraska Wesleyan he earned All-Conference and All-District honors three times and was an All-American as a senior. From 1979-1997 John played for many semi-pro squads, including York, Lincoln/Waverly, Osceola, Lincoln Runza, Seward and numerous Omaha squads. He was an all state selection nine times at three different positions and was a finalist for the State Player of the Year three times. Twice he won this award which was presented by the Nebraska Baseball Digest. The honors continued as he was selected on the All-Decade team for the 80's and was the Nebraska League player of the year. He could do it all! Congratulations, John Svehla, for your deserved place on the wall in the “Hall.”