GRAND FORKS — Former East Grand Forks Senior High coach Jay Frydenlund and Fertile-Beltrami coach Neil Steffes are among five who will be inducted into the Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Oct. 26.
The ceremony will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Minneapolis.
Other 2024 inductees are Kris Fadness of Austin and Caledonia, Wade Grinde of Spring Grove and Tom McDonald of Ely.
“It was a wow moment,” Frydenlund said of receiving the news of the induction. “It completely caught me off guard. It got me thinking, I guess I was around a long time.”
Frydenlund, a Jamestown, N.D., native, credits his East Grand Forks athletic directors for setting him up for success: Larry Selk, Gary Berg, Jim Scanlan and Scott Koberinski.
Frydenlund spent the first seven years of his 37-year coaching career as the head basketball coach in Leeds, N.D., where he led Leeds to three Class B state tournament appearances including a runner-up finish.
Frydenlund also pointed out the boost he received from his three long-time assistants — Roger Hanson, Bryan Perkins and his wife, Durene Frydenlund.
In 1992, Frydenlund came to East Grand Forks to serve as head boys basketball coach for the next 20 years.
After three years off the bench, he returned to lead the Green Wave girls basketball program before retiring after the 2020 season.
Frydenlund was able to coach his two sons (Grant and Bryce) during his tenure. He also coached nephews Brandon and Jamison Brekke.
Frydenlund’s coaching career includes four Northwest Conference championships, six runner-up finishes in Section 8 tournament play and more than 500 wins.
Frydenlund, also a Green Wave golf coach, has an overall record of 552-272.
“What I’m proudest of was year in, year out how hard our guys and gals worked,” Frydenlund said. “That team with (Nick) Mertens in 2004-05, they just won a state football championship but when they came in the gym … they worked their butt off.”
Steffes became the head boys basketball coach at Fertile-Beltrami in 1993 and the 2024-25 season will be his 32nd season.
Contributed
During his 31 years, the Falcons have won six conference titles and section titles in 1995, 1996, 2001 and 2024.
The 2024 Falcons finished runner-up at state.
Steffes is 526-313 as head coach. He was named conference coach of the year six times and Section 8A Coach of the Year four times.
Steffes has also serves as a football and track and field coach for more than 30 years.
