Activities

The Ottumwa High School Hall of Fame Committees are proud to announce the 2025 Class for the Ottumwa Schools Hall of Fame. This year, the committees will once again honor past Bulldogs with both an Induction Class and a Recognition Class, as well as an Alumnus.

Dave Clement will be honored in the 2025 Induction Class. Clement has been a leader both on and off the field, shaping Ottumwa athletics for nearly five decades. A multi-sport athlete at Newton High School, he went on to play football at the University of Iowa, where he was a three-year letterwinner. Clement set single-game (29) and single-season (145) tackle records for the Hawkeyes and was named team MVP his senior year in 1970. He came to Ottumwa in 1975 as a PE teacher and head football coach, later becoming the school’s athletic director in 1979. Clement served in that role for 29 years while also continuing his coaching career, spending nine more years as head football coach and an additional 30 years as defensive coordinator. He guided OHS athletics through major transitions, leading the Bulldogs from independent membership to the Southeast Conference and eventually into the CIML.

The Recognition Class was created to highlight individuals who have already been selected as automatic qualifiers over the last 50-plus years—more than 100 athletes whose outstanding contributions to Ottumwa High School athletics have earned a permanent place in history. The 2025 Recognition Class features four outstanding honorees: Karie Downing, Amber Doyle (Morrow), Rick Rozenboom, and Matthew Walker. 

Karie Downing was a four-sport standout in volleyball, basketball, track, and softball. At Ottumwa High School, she earned All-State honors in both softball and volleyball, helped lead her softball team to a third-place finish at the state tournament, and competed in the shot put at the State Track and Field Championships. She continued her career at Indian Hills Community College, where she was named an NJCAA Volleyball All-American and an All-Region softball honoree. Downing was later inducted into the Indian Hills Hall of Fame. She finished her collegiate career at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE), where she led the team in digs and ranked second in kills as a junior. As a senior, after transitioning to the libero position, she led SIUE in both digs and service aces.

Amber Doyle (Morrow) made her mark in both track and softball. She competed in multiple relays at the State Track Meet, including the 4x1, 4x2, Distance Medley, and 4x4, and helped qualify Ottumwa’s 4x1 team for the Drake Relays her junior year. She broke multiple track records and shared in a joint conference meet victory lap with the boys’ team. On the softball diamond, Doyle was a three-time All-Conference and three-time All-State honoree, later earning induction into the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Softball Hall of Fame. At the University of Iowa, she continued her softball career, finishing her time as the fifth all-time in career stolen bases. She was named to the All-Tournament Team, earned Big Ten Conference recognition, and was selected as Big Ten Player of the Week.

Rick Rozenboom was one of Ottumwa’s top athletes in the 1970s, excelling in football and wrestling. He was named First-Team All-State as a nose guard in 1976 and recognized as a High School All-American by Sports Media in 1976–77. On the mat, he placed sixth at the State Wrestling Tournament and was later named Ottumwa High School’s Outstanding Male Athlete in 1977. Rozenboom went on to play football at Drake University, where he was a four-year letterwinner and appeared in every quarter of every game during his career. He earned Missouri Valley All-Conference honors from both the Associated Press and United Press and served as President of the Drake Letterman’s Club for two years.

Matthew Walker distinguished himself in both basketball and golf. A four-time First-Team All-State and All-Conference honoree, he was also named to the Class 3A All-State Basketball Tournament Team as a sophomore, junior, and senior. In golf, Walker earned medalist honors at the 2012, 2013, and 2014 State Tournaments, including two state championships. He was a three-time CIML-Metro Conference Tournament medalist, a two-time Iowa Golf Association Junior Player of the Year, and the 2014 AJGA Midwest Junior Players Champion. Walker continued his golf career at the University of Iowa from 2015 to 2019 and currently plays professional golf, competing in Latin America during the spring of 2024.

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 2025 recipient of the Alumni Hall of Fame award is Dr. Jeff Hendred. Dr. Hendred dedicated 36 years of service to Ottumwa Schools, beginning his career in 1980 as a fourth-grade teacher at Horace Mann School. After returning to the district in 1987, he taught fifth grade at Wilson Elementary before moving into administration. In 1993, he became principal of Douma Elementary, where he served for 20 years. He later held principal roles at Horace Mann, Wilson, and Liberty schools before concluding his career as an assistant principal at Evans School. Throughout his career, Dr. Hendred valued the sense of family created within each school, where staff, parents, and students worked together to remove barriers to learning and increase student achievement. He reflects on his time in Ottumwa with gratitude, describing it not as work but as joy, rooted in faith, hope, and love. A servant leader, he credits his growth to the students, staff, and community he was privileged to serve, as well as to his faith in God’s work through him.

Community members are invited to join us on Friday, September 19, 2025, for a public recognition of the inductees before Ottumwa’s Homecoming football game against Des Moines Lincoln. Recognition will take place at 6:30 p.m., ahead of the 7:00 p.m. kickoff at Schafer Stadium.

The original Athletics Hall of Fame was established in 1965 and inducted 68 individuals. From that time until 2021, the honor was 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 Ottumwa Athletics Hall of Fame.

Nominations are being accepted for the 2026 Induction Class. Nominations will be accepted until January 1, 2026. Anyone wanting to nominate an athlete can use this link: Ottumwa Athletics Hall of Fame form.

Ottumwa Schools' Alumni Hall of Fame nominations will be open in early 2026 with a July deadline for submissions.