PIERRE, SD (PRESS RELEASE) – The five newest members to be inducted into the South Dakota Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association Hall of Fame are Gene Brownell of Aberdeen, Chris Lund (deceased) of Arlington, Randy Marso of Brandon, Darren Paulson of Rapid City, and Vern Smith (deceased) of Gettysburg.

The induction ceremony will be held later this year. To be chosen for this honor, a person must have been an athletic director for ten years and an active member of the SDIAAA. Candidates are considered through three criteria: national, state, and local involvement. Individuals chosen have volunteered time to promote the belief and purpose of the SDIAAA and who have promoted the importance of education-based athletics and sportsmanship within their school and community.

Class of 2024

 Gene Brownell

Gene Brownell is a graduate of Henry High School (1964) and Northern State University (BS 1968, MS 1977). He served in the US Army from 1969-1971. He spent the next forty-nine years in public education: twenty-six as a teacher and coach and twenty-three as Athletic Director at Aberdeen Central High School.

Brownell was named South Dakota Athletic Director of the Year twice and was an NHSACA national finalist for Athletic Director of the Year. He also received the NIAAA State Award of Merit and was chosen multiple times as the Region 1 Athletic Director of the Year.

Brownell served on the South Dakota High School Activities Association Board of Directors, the SDHSAA Track & Field and Cross Country Advisory Committee, and the Gymnastics Advisory Committee. He also served on the committee that initiated soccer as a sanctioned SDHSAA sport.

Brownell was twice named Track & Field Coach of the Year by the SD High School Coaches Association and received the SDHSAA Distinguished Service Award. He is a member of the National High School Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame, South Dakota High School Coaches Hall of Fame, South Dakota High School Track & Field and Cross Country Hall of Fame, South Dakota High School Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame, and Aberdeen Central High School Hall of Fame.

Chris Lund

Chris Lund graduated from Grant-Deuel High School in 1979. He earned a bachelor’s degree in 1983 and his Master’s in 1989 from Northern State College. He was inducted into the Northern State Athletics Hall of Fame. Lund served at Doland from 1980-1997 as an industrial arts and physical education teacher, football and wrestling coach, and eventually as the principal and athletic director. After earning his Specialist’s Degree, Lund was superintendent and athletic director at Arlington from 2001-2016.

Lund was diagnosed with cancer three months before his retirement and passed away in March 2017. During Lund’s 25-plus years as athletic director, he served on several SDHSAA Advisory Committees and the SDIAAA Scholarship Committee. He was honored as the SDIAAA Region III Athletic Director of the Year during the 2004-2005 and 2015-2016 school years.

Randy Marso

Randy Marso has left an indelible mark on the landscape of high school athletics in South Dakota. Throughout his distinguished career, which spanned over two decades, Marso has distinguished himself in various leadership roles within the South Dakota Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (SDIAAA) and the South Dakota High School Activities Association (SDHSAA). He served as President of the SDIAAA from 2006 to 2007.

As a certified Athletic Administrator (CAA) since 2004, Marso has played a pivotal role in shaping the professional development standards for athletic administrators across the state. He served as a member of the National Certification Committee for the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA), overseeing the CAA exam responsibilities. He is a State Leadership Training Institute (LTI) Faculty member.

Marso was involved in various SDHSAA committees, including the Girls Sports Study Committee, Sportsmanship Committee,  State Event Site Selection Committee, Athletic/Fine Arts Calendar Review/Revision Committee, and Cheer and Tennis Advisory Committees. He also managed numerous district/regional basketball, football, soccer, volleyball, and wrestling championships. He served as the state event manager for competitive cheer, dance, golf, tennis, and track and field.

Marso was selected as the SDHSCA Athletic Director of the Year in 2019. He was also recognized with the NIAAA State Award of Merit and the SDIAAA Steve Berseth Professional Development Award 2019. On the national level, he was the state nominee for the NFHS Citation Award. He received numerous other awards. He and his wife, Lisa, sponsored the NIAAA Essay Scholarship Winners for South Dakota.

Darren Paulson

Darren Paulson graduated from Harrisburg High School and Augustana College. He received a master’s degree from SDSU and his Certified Athletic Administrators (CAA) certification. He began his career as a teacher/coach at Todd County High School. After serving as Assistant Principal and Activities Director at Lead-Deadwood High School for 11 years, he transitioned to Activities Director at Rapid City Central, where he dedicated 14 years in that position.

Paulson received the NFHS National Citation Award in 2008, the NIAAA State Award of Merit in 2009, and was named South Dakota Athletic Director of the Year in 2010. He served as SDIAAA President in 2004- 2005 and was named Region AD of the Year in 2001 and 2014. Paulson served on the SDHSAA Board of Directors from 2009-2014 and was the Board Chairman in 2013-2014. He was the recipient of the SDHSAA Distinguished Service Award in 2015. He is a member of the Augustana University Athletic Hall of Fame, the Lead-Deadwood High School Hall of Fame, and the Rapid City Sports Hall of Fame.

Vern Smith

Vern Smith graduated from Deubrook High School in 1981.  He earned his business ed and accounting degrees at Dakota State College, graduating in 1986.  Following a year of substitute teaching in the Brookings area, Vern moved to Gettysburg, where he taught business, computers, and PE and coached for 37 years.  He coached football, JH boys’ basketball, and track throughout his years at Gettysburg.  He became head track & field coach in 1993 and head football coach in 2002.  Throughout his tenure as head football coach, he guided the Battlers to the State Football Championships, securing the title in 2013 and clinching runner-up positions on five occasions.

Smith was named activities director in 2001 and continued in that capacity until 2023. He was an active member of the SDIAAA. He has been inducted into the SD Football Coaches Hall of Fame and selected as the  2013-14 SDHSCA Football Coach of the Year, the 2006 SDFBCA Region 3 Football Coach of the Year, and the 2006-07 SDIAAA Region 4 Activities Director of the Year. He has also been chosen as the SDCCTFA Area Head Coach of the Year 11 times.