T-R PHOTO BY TREVOR BABCOCK Athletes of Marshalltown High School’s past were invited to see the new posters showcasing the achievements of Bobcat sports from 1906 to 1964. From left to right: Athletics and Activities Director Ryan Isgrig, local Bobcat historian Brad Braga, Willie Andrews state long jump champion 1964, Dick Tomhave state golf third place medalist 1964, Jerry Gazaway fifth team all state basketball guard 1962, John Readout cross country state champion 1961 and Dave Day 100 yard dash state track field fourth place medalist 1955 and Superintendent Theron Schutte.

Athletic achievements dating back to over a hundred years ago are now recognized at Marshalltown High School’s historic roundhouse.

Past Bobcat athletes were invited to MHS to see newly installed graphic signs representing sports triumphs from 1906 to 1964.

“Because of the success that you folks had, we were rev’d up to do the best that we could,” Superintendent and MHS 1981 graduate Theron Schutte said.

Jerry Gazaway, fifth team All-State Basketball guard in 1962, said that it feels good to finally have representation.

“I was not happy we weren’t showing older folks,” Gazaway said. “People need to know who they were and what they did.”

The Bobcat Wall of Honor, located in the MHS roundhouse, has recognized first team through third team All State athletic performers, state individual competition champions and runner-ups, and the 34 state championship sports teams.

However, the wall has only represented history from 1965 when the roundhouse originally completed construction, up to the present. Now, All State performers and state medalist finishers from 1906 to 1964 have their own spot on the Wall of Honor.

As a former student-athlete at MHS, Schutte said the lack of recognition of Bobcat sports history prior to the roundhouses’ construction has always bugged him and he wanted to make a change.

“I always felt bad that when the roundhouse was built, they did nothing to recognize what had happened before 1965,” Schutte said.

He collaborated with local Bobcat athletics historian Brad Braga to research and document the past achievements.

Braga used his personal archives of Bobcat sports history to validate past achievements, making it possible to capture all known past high school athletic accomplishments warranting a spot on the honor wall. He said the project was a large undertaking, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic when newspaper archives were harder to access.

Athletics and Activities Director Ryan Isgrig said the Bobcat Wall of Honor provides inspiration for current and future generations of students.

“It’s very beneficial for our current students and our current athletes, the past of great athletes at our school,” Isgrig said. “It gives them something to strive for and something to recognize the great tradition that’s her and the great future that’s ahead.”

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Contact Trevor Babcock at 641-753-6611 or tbabcock@timesrepublican.com.