St. Paul, Minn. - The Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) induction ceremony for its 2010 Hall of Fame will be held Wednesday, July 14, at the Best Western Kelly Inn/St. Cloud at the NSIC’s 11th annual Summer Kickoff event. A social hour will begin at 6:00 p.m. followed by the ceremony at 7:00 p.m.
The class of 2010 includes: Susan Alstrom, Bemidji State University; Denise (Holm) Olson, University of Minnesota Duluth; Manny Beckman, Minnesota State University, Mankato; Elise (Olsgaard) Erickson, Minnesota State University Moorhead; Stephanie (Hengel) Popelar, Northern State University; Dan Hagen, St. Cloud State University; Scott Dubbelde, Southwest Minnesota State University and Elisabeth (Morgan) Shannon, Winona State University.
Founded in 1986, the Northern Intercollegiate Conference (NIC), the former men’s conference, Hall of Fame was established to recognize and honor those who made significant contributions to the conference, to create favorable publicity and public relations for the league and to help preserve the history of the NIC, its member institutions, student-athletes, and other significant individuals affiliated with the league.
Manny Beckman was a three sport athlete at Minnesota State University, Mankato as he excelled in football, basketball and track for the Mavericks from 1950 to 1954. The eleven-time letterwinner was part of nine conference championships during his stint at MSU.
On the gridiron, Beckman earned all-conference honors as a sophomore and junior and was named the team’s Outstanding Athlete as a sophomore. He then earned the NIC’s Glen Galligan Award in 1952 as he set the school record for a total yardage in a single season (1,300) that stood for 15 years.
As a forward in basketball he was named all-conference honorable mention as a sophomore and all-conference as a junior. In track he competed in the hurdles and competed in the weight events for three seasons before student teaching in the spring of his senior season.
Beckman graduated with a B.S. Degree in U.S. History and Physical Education. Beckman then spent 1954 to 1992 (37 years) teaching and coaching at Waseca High School. He was head boys basketball 38 years and the head track coach for 35 years. Manny’s greatest coaching fame came in boy’s basketball where he won 487 games, 13 conference championships and appeared in the Minnesota State Basketball Tournament four times. Beckman was named the Minnesota Coach of the Year in 1975 and coached Minnesota’s first Mr. Basketball in Gene Glynn.
Manny was inducted into the MSU Hall of Fame in 1981. He was a member of the inaugural class of the Minnesota High School Hall of Fame in 1991 and the Waseca Hall of Fame in 2005. He was also inducted to the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1992. Manny retire from teaching and coaching in 1992 and he and his wife Pat reside in Waseca.
Besides Beckman, other MSU-affiliated people in the NSIC Hall of Fame include Rummy Macias (1986), Bud Myers (1986), Bob Otto (1990), Chuck Peterson (1990), Georgene Brock (2001) and Dean Bowyer (2010).
The Waseca County News featured Mr. Beckman in a story at the beginning of July, detailing his accomplishments an enshrinement into the NSIC Hall of Fame. The story is located here.
