ABERDEEN, S.D. – Historically, the collegiate sporting world is relatively small. Roughly ten percent of high school athletes have an opportunity to continue their play at the next level. The same is true of teachers, coaches and administrators. Quality professionals in any industry make a name for themselves and bump into each other and spend time at similar institutions during the course of a long career.

Such is the case with a former Minot State University (MSU) athletic director.

Fran Hummel was the MSU athletic director from July 1991 to June 2001 when he moved onward. Hummel resigned to take a similar job in Nebraska. Hummel became the athletics director and head of physical education at Hastings College, in Hastings, Nebraska in July of 2001.

Hummel will be honored in October of this fall as the head wrestling coach for the Northern State University team that will be inducted into the Wolves Hall of Fame.

After a losing season in 1983-84 to go 10-3 in dual competition. They finished as the South Dakota Intercollegiate Conference runner-up and won the District 12 Championship under the direction of head coach Fran Hummel. The Wolves qualified ten for the NAIA National Tournament and finished third as a team in large part to four All-American performances by Dave Harvey, Doyle Everson, Blaine McCance, and Jim Fryer.

Hummel was honored by multiple outlets as the South Dakota Sportswriters Coach of the Year, NIC Coach of the Year, District 12 Coach of the Year, and NAIA National Coach of the Year. Hummel, Harvey, and Everson were inducted into the Northern State Athletics Hall of Fame as individual honorees in 2001, 2006, and 2022.

Hummel received his master’s degree from Northern in 1972. He returned to Northern in 1978 as an educator and coached tennis, football and had a historic career as head wrestling coach. He received many honors while at Northern including the 1985 Kappa Delta Phi Teacher of the Year, 1985 SD Sportswriters Coach of the Year, 1985 NAIA National Wrestling Coach of the Year, 1986 NAIA District (12) Coach of the Year and in 1991 was the President of the NAIA Wrestling Coaches Association.

After his work at Northern State, Hummel became the athletic director for the Beavers. During his time at MSU, several examples of his leadership are evident in various team successes during hit ten year tenure.

The MSU Football teams in the mid 1990s were coached by Dave Hendrickson. The team twice posted 4-1 records in the North Dakota College Athletic Conference (NDCAC) with a 9-3 overall record in 1992 and an 8-3 record in 1994 for a 304-175-30 overall historical record for the Beavers.

The men’s basketball program was coached by Dick Limke at that time. After a 5-5 conference record and 15-11 overall mark in 1990-1991, the Beavers would post an 8-2 conference record and improve the historical mark to 817-542 after the 1991-1992 season.

The women’s basketball program had their best seasons during Hummel’s time from 1997 to 1999. Head coach Sheila Green led the team to a 9-4 NDCAC mark with a 21-8 overall record in the 1997-1998 season and followed that up with a 10-2 NDCAC mark and 18-9 overall record in 1998-1999 to bring the historical mark closer to an overall winning mark at 317-345 for MSU.

History will surely repeat itself as the small world of collegiate sports will continue to see former MSU athletes, coaches and administrators honored across the country for their efforts across the spectrum. Congratulations to Hummel and the excitement builds for the next name to rise.