It was an historic moment in southeast South Dakota…
On Thursday night, Wakonda high school renamed their gymnasium after its late girls' basketball coach Ron Flynn, who passed away of lung disease in early November of this year at the age of 69.
Throughout the late 80’s and early 90’s, Flynn went on a legendary run with the Wakonda Warriors – winning 101 straight games. This streak included three straight state titles in Class B hoops, which also held victories over teams in ‘A’ and ‘AA' in their regular season campaigns.
Family, friends, and former players met in Wakonda Thursday when now co-op Irene-Wakonda hosted Vermillion.
In a recent interview with KELOLAND, Flynn’s daughter Becky Jensen (Flynn) said despite the population of Wakonda, her dad got the most out of what they had.
“You know I think people get caught up sometimes with class sizes – bigger is better and I remember growing up with him, he always said ‘I’ll take quality over quantity any day,’” said Jensen.
Flynn’s legacy as a coach and person, while it’s over, will never be forgotten. He's considered one of the greatest basketball minds in South Dakota high school history.
