Longtime SD high school wrestling advocate Kevin Vellek has died

Apr. 9—TYNDALL, S.D. — A longtime South Dakota high school wrestling enthusiast who organized statewide rankings for the sport has died.

Kevin Vellek, 59, of Tyndall, died this week due to health issues including possible kidney failure, according to his friends.

No obituary or service information was immediately available.

A graduate of Bon Homme High School, Vellek was a farmer with his family, but he also found a strong passion for high school wrestling and was engaged in youth sports and coaching locally.

Earlier this year, the South Dakota Wrestling Coaches Association presented Vellek with a Lifetime Distinguished Service Award for his work of keeping ratings for nearly three decades.

"He just became a fan of competition," said Todd Dvoracek, principal at Yankton High School who, along with Bon Homme Business Manager Gary Kortan, helped Vellek assemble high school wrestling ratings. "He was looking for a hobby and it was something to do during the winter when there wasn't a lot to do on the farm."

Dvoracek said Vellek was "old school" with how he organized the high school wrestling ratings and was instrumental in helping grow the sport across South Dakota. It was always important for Vellek to find results statewide to share them with other wrestling fans in the age before online results were as easy as making a few clicks.

Kortan said Vellek started Class B high school wrestling rankings "because no one else was doing it" and that eventually evolved into doing Class A rankings and the "Dynamite Dozen," which was a look at the 12 best wrestlers regardless of class in South Dakota.

"Everybody just followed Kevin's ratings," Kortan said. "Not sure he got the credit for it."

Vellek and Kortan were members of Tabor's state championship Legion baseball team in 1985. Vellek played football and baseball while in high school. He helped Kortan coach youth baseball in Tabor for 10-plus years.

"He was always great to have around, great with the kids," he said. "He wanted to stay involved. He did it without getting a dime. He was a part-time farmer, but that allowed him to do it and we had a lot of good times together."

Robert Kokesh, who this year was inducted into the South Dakota High School Wrestling Hall of Fame, appreciated the pride and effort that Vellek put into the rankings.

"He will be missed being seen at high school tournaments on Saturdays throughout the wrestling season," Kokesh told the Mitchell Republic.