Tom Osterberg to Receive Ralph Ginn Award for Coaching Excellence from SDSU

Longtime Madison coach and educator Tom Osterberg has been named the 2024 recipient of the Ralph Ginn Award for Coaching Excellence at South Dakota State University.

Osterberg will be honored in conjunction with Jackrabbit Sports Hall of Fame induction ceremonies Sept. 14 in Brookings. For information regarding tickets to the event, contact the SDSU Athletic Development Office at [email protected].

In a career spanning 36 years in the classroom and 40 years on the sidelines, Osterberg coached numerous sports at a variety of levels. He served as an assistant football coach for 36 years, coached basketball at the junior high and high school levels for 19 years, including two seasons as varsity head coach, was an assistant wrestling coach for years and assisted with the varsity track and field programs for 17 years, specializing in coaching the long jump and triple jump. Madison claimed three consecutive boys’ state Class A track and field titles from 1993-95 and added six more top-three team finishes during his tenure.

Osterberg was honored by his coaching peers as the Assistant Football Coach of the Year in 1994 and the All-Sports Assistant Coach of the Year in 2007. He also was recognized by the South Dakota High School Activities Association for his longevity with its 25-, 30- and 40-year coaching awards.

In addition, Osterberg was inducted into the Madison High School Hall of Fame in 2014 and was selected as the Honorary Referee for the 2003 Dan Barker Relays.

A Brookings native, Osterberg went on to letter in both football (1970-72) and baseball (1971-73) at South Dakota State and was a member of the Jackrabbits’ 1973 North Central Conference championship baseball team. He was inducted into the Brookings High School Hall of Fame in 2016 and also was selected to the South Dakota Softball Hall of Fame as a player in 2007.

Osterberg will be the 48th recipient of the Ralph Ginn Award for Coaching Excellence since it was first awarded in 1972. Recipients of the award must be graduates of SDSU and have distinguished themselves in the field of coaching and education.

The award’s namesake coached football at South Dakota State from 1947-68, compiling a 113-89-9 record with nine North Central Conference titles in 22 seasons. Ginn’s victory total stood as the most in program history until being passed by recently retired SDSU head coach John Stiegelmeier in 2014.