Huron’s McCarty to receive ESD “Award of Merit”

HURON — Longtime Huron wrestling coach Dan McCarty, who retired at the end of the season, was unanimously selected by the athletic directors in the Eastern South Dakota Conference to receive the ESD “Award of Merit”.
McCarty, who just completed his 27th year of coaching wrestling in Huron, will be honored during the ESD track meet on May 11 in Mitchell.
After serving as an assistant wrestling coach for a year in Mayville, N.D. (1989-1990), McCarty moved to Huron. He served as a high school assistant wrestling coach for two years (1992-1994) and then spent two years as the head middle school and assistant high school wrestling coach (994-1996), before  beginning a 23-year run as the head wrestling coach for the Huron Tigers (1996-2019).

During his tenure, McCarty was named Region Coach of the Year three times (1999, 2008, 2009). He coached 107 state placewinners as a head coach, including 34 state finals of which 20 were state champions, in addition to two high school all-americans. As an assistant coach, he helped coach 27 state placewinners, including 10 finalists and six champions, along with two high school all-americans.
Under McCarty’s direction, the Tigers won two ESD titles (2008, 2011), were second twice (2009, 2012) and third five times (1999, 2004, 2010, 2013, 2016).
At the state level, Huron was second in 2012, third in 2009 and 2013, and fourth in 2008 and 2010. McCarty also guided the Tigers to a fifth-place finish in 2011, while finishing sixth in 2007, 2016 and 2018 and seventh in 2006.
McCarty also served as the sixth-grade football coach for Huron from 1991-1992, before starting an 18-year run (1993-2010) as an eighth-grade football coach.
Others receiving unanimous selections for the ESD “Award of Merit” on Tuesday were Travis Carpenter of Mitchell, Mark Stadem of Brandon Valley and Dawn Seiler of Aberdeen Central.