A long-time voice of South Dakota sports has died. Howard “Hod” Nielsen passed away Wednesday morning at age 92. Nielsen had an extensive journalism career that included both print and radio. He was a sports editor and sports writer at the Yankton Press & Dakotan for more than 40 years. He was also known as a radio announcer at KYNT AM. Nielsen was the voice of the Yankton Bucks, and broadcast at many state high school basketball tournaments, as well as college sporting events including those at his alma mater, the University of South Dakota. Prior to his journalism career, Nielsen was a World War II veteran. James Cimburek is the P&D’s current sports editor. He says Nielsen had a special way of connecting with people.
“He was a great source of inspiration for me as a reporter and an editor. Besides being a great writer and storyteller, he was an individual who really connected with the young men and women that he covered, Hod was just a great individual in that way in terms of connecting with people. Historically, there was no one who really knew the history of Yankton and Yankton athletics the way Hod did,” Cimburek says.
Cimburek says Nielsen was one of his mentors when he started at the P&D in 1992 and says the state has lost one of the greats. Nielsen’s funeral services are Monday at 10:30 at Trinity Lutheran Church in Yankton.