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Edina Athletic Booster Club

Hall of Fame Class of 2002

Tom Kelly, Class of '56

A four-sport letterman at Edina-Morningside High, Tom was a member of one of the most famous classes in Hornet history. His teammates included Tom Moe and Larry Johnson, who were previously inducted into the Edina Athletic Hall of Fame. In Kelly's senior year, the Hornets won the Lake Conference football championship and were ranked second in the final state poll. Tom was named Lake Conference Back of the Year. When he wasn't starring on the football field, Tom was showing his talents in basketball, baseball and track. Although he was recruited by several NCAA Division I football programs, Tom followed his Edina coach Warren Beson to Carleton College, where he played football and baseball. As a manufacturer's representative for the past 28 years, Tom and his wife Joni live in Waukesha, Wisconsin.


Nicki Nordstrom Reuterfeldt, Class of '63

Nicki's sports career at Edina-Morningside High began before Title IX legislation took effect in 1972. Therefore, there were no official women's varsity sports at the time. That didn't stop Nicki from establishing herself as one of the best athletes in the suburbs. She played a variety of sports, including badminton, archery, basketball, volleyball and bowling in the Girls' Athletic Association (GAA). Outside of school, her primary sport was golf. She helped Arizona State University win the national women's collegiate championship in 1965. Recently, Nicki had an incredible streak of seven consecutive state Senior Publinks golf titles. In her best year (1999) she won the Publinks "grand slam" in Minnesota with championships in four-ball, the state tourney, and the state senior tournament. Nicki lives in Hopkins and is director of underwriting for ING ReliaStar.


Bill Lord, Class of '64

One of the greatest all-around athletes in the early years of Edina-Morningside High, Bill grew up idolizing his neighbor, Tom Kelly, who is also entering the Edina Athletic Hall of Fame this year. While he was a key player for the Hornets in football and baseball, Bill's first love was hockey. He played in the state hockey tournament in his sophomore year and was named All-State as a senior. A highly recruited player coming out of high school, he accepted a hockey scholarship at the University of Michigan. Bill played three years of varsity hockey at Michigan and was captaining his senior year. He was named to the Michigan Hockey Hall of Fame. He has been active in the community and was a member of the Edina Park Board for 14 years. Bill and his wife Carol live in Edina. In his business life, Bill co-owns Merit Supply Co. with another Edina resident, Allen Agustsson.


Bob Zender, Class of '68

The 6-foot-8-inch basketball center was the cornerstone of one of the most famous dynasties in Minnesota prep sports. In a three-year span, Edina's boys basketball team won 69 consecutive games, which is still a state record. The Hornets also captured three state titles. Bob won as many games with his defense as with his offense, leading the Lake Conference in blocked shots in his junior and senior seasons. In the spring, Bob quietly continued to excel. He placed second in the high jump at the state track meet in his senior year. After graduating from Edina High, Bob played NCAA Division I basketball at Kansas State. He was named Big Eight Conference Sophomore of the Year and made first-team All-Big Eight. Bob is now vice-president of the Bogdon Candy Co. and lives in Kansas City with his wife Patty.


Kelly Leinfelder Helgren, Class of '84

An All-Lake Conference athlete in volleyball, basketball and softball, Kelly was a leader in all three sports. She led the Hornets to a third-place regional finish in volleyball in her senior year. In basketball, she scored 10 points a game and led the Hornets in rebounding. On the softball field, Kelly was known for her power hitting. She batted .360 as the Hornets won the Lake Conference title in her senior season. Following her Edina career, Kelly accepted a basketball scholarship at Montana State University. She transferred to the University of Wisconsin, where she finished her college career. Kelly is married to former Edina High athlete Mark Helgren. The Helgrens live in Edina with their three children, Bennett, Bailey and Brady.


Ginger Helgeson Nielson, Class of '86

Ginger was the first female to reach the singles finals of the State Class AA Tennis Tournament four years in a row. She was state champion in her sophomore, junior and senior years, while leading the Hornets to state team championships. Ginger helped the Hornets build a string of 168 consecutive dual-meet victories. After high school, Ginger accepted a scholarship to play tennis at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California. She was a four-year varsity player and an All-American. The former Edina star played on the Women's Pro Tennis Tour from 1987-1998. She made quarterfinal appearances in either singles or doubles at the U.S. Open, Wimbledon and the French Open. Ginger, her husband Todd, and their sons Garret, 2 years-old and Trent one month, live in Alpine, California, where Ginger is a tennis professional. She continues to teach and play in Pro/Am celebrity tournaments.


Ted Greer, Coach

Coach Greer was Edina-Morningside High's first boys' hockey coach. In addition to getting the team organized, he flooded the rink, helped put up the boards and drove the boys to the away games.Hockey is now one of the premier sports in Edina, but it wasn't that way when Ted started the program. He had to hold his tryouts after the basketball team made final cuts, so that he might pick up a few extra boys. Greer built the program from the ground up and the rewards were apparent by the mid-1950s, as the Hornets went to state for the first time. Later, coaching in the Edina-East High girls' tennis program, Greer achieved his greatest success. He started a string of state championships that reached 16. Although he was not in command for the entire streak, he laid the groundwork for its success. Now retired from teaching and coaching, Greer lives with his wife Donie in Brainerd.


John Sherman, Sportswriter

Since his graduation from Augsburg College in 1972, Edina Sun-Current sports editor John Sherman has had only one job. On Oct. 3, he celebrates his 30th anniversary with the suburban newspaper company. John's work time and leisure time both revolve around his interest in sports. He coached two state championship Babe Ruth Baseball teams in Apple Valley and was the coach of the St. Louis Park American Legion team that won a state championship in 1987.John has coached traveling basketball for 23 years and helped found the AAU basketball program in Minnesota in 1988. He was named Minnesota AAU Volunteer of the Year in 1990 and has served on the AAU Boys' basketball national board of directors. He was Minnesota AAU Boys' Basketball chairman from 1988 through 1993 and is the founder of Minnesota Magic, the largest AAU basketball club in Minnesota. John coached college baseball for 10 years at Concordia University in St. Paul and Augsburg College in Minneapolis.

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