The 2024 Class for the Ottumwa Schools Hall of Fame
The Ottumwa High School Athletics Hall of Fame Committee will honor past Bulldogs with an Induction Class and a Recognition Class. The Recognition Class is designed to honor those already selected as automatic qualifiers for the Hall of Fame, over 100 individuals already in the past 50-plus years. "The committee wanted to find a way to recognize the accomplishments of arguably the greatest athletes Ottumwa has seen over the last 50-plus years. We feel having two classes every year will help give recognition to those individuals as well," said Ottumwa Activities Director Brandon Brooks.
For the 2024 Induction Class, Coach Doug Techel will be honored. Techel began his coaching career in 1999 at the start of the high school bowling program. During Techel’s coaching career, his teams have made the state tournament for 24 straight years. Over this time, Coach Techel’s Girls teams have won ten state titles. In addition to being named Iowa Coach of the Year ten times, he has been awarded the IGHSAU Golden Plaque of Distinction Award, the highest honor a girls coach can receive. Coach Techel has been nominated for National Coach of the Year twice. With the early support of the district, the Ottumwa High School bowling team is a premier program in the state of Iowa.
In addition to Coach Techel’s induction, Mindy Farnsworth and Tanner Varner will enter as the 2024 Recognition Class. This class is being recognized for the second time, marked for individuals who hold accomplishments worthy of automatically being selected for the Ottumwa High School Athletics Hall of Fame. These individuals were 1st or 2nd in the State Tournament, or selected as 1st Team All State.
The original Hall of Fame was established in 1965 and inducted 68 individuals. From that time until 2021, the honor left untouched. In 2021, a committee was formed and the Hall of Fame was given a second chance. The committee chose to keep the same criteria from 1965, thus retro-inducting 111 members. Those members, along with the 68 Bulldog greats from the original, can be found on the digital Athletics Hall of Fame.
Nominations are being accepted for the 2025 Induction Class. Nominations will be accepted until January 1, 2025. Anyone wanting to nominate an athlete can use this link.
The Ottumwa Schools' Alumni Hall of Fame award honors those who have distinguished themselves through their achievements, service, and contributions that reflect positively on the educational foundation received while attending Ottumwa Schools. This award is separate from the Athletic Hall of Fame award.
The 2024 recipients of the Alumni Hall of Fame award are Helen and Charles E Fahrney. Both Helen and Charles E Fahrney were graduates of Ottumwa High School in the early 1900s. Charles was employed by the Railway and Light Company and during that time the Fahrney’s established a community trust to which continues to have a tremendous impact on our students and community.
Helen Fahrney was the first donor to the YWCA pool, later donating to the YMCA for various projects. Additional entities impacted by the Fahrney’s were the Ottumwa Regional Health Center, the Boy Scouts, and was a long-time member of the Wilderness Society, to name a few. Ottumwans continue to be the beneficiaries of her kindness and generosity through beautification projects and the Charles Fahrney Foundation Trust Scholarship.
Ottumwa Schools' Alumni Hall of Fame nominations will be open in early 2025 with a July deadline for submissions.