Q&A: Hendrikson to the Hall of Fame

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Dallas Hendrikson was named to the 2019 Booster Club Hall of Fame to a cheering crowd during halftime of last Friday’s football game, as the former St. Ansgar stand-out athlete was commemorated for his achievements as a Saint.

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The four-sport athlete graduated in 2009, racking up awards and accolades in baseball, football, track & field and wrestling.

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Some of his most notable achievements include the following: in football, Hendrikson was a four-year starter and was a 3x First Team All-State offensive lineman, was the class 1A State Player of the Year as a senior, and played in the Shrine Bowl All-Star game.

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In wresting, he placed 3rd at the state tournament at 285 lbs. In baseball, Hendrikson owns school records for career HR, career RBIs and season RBIs. he was also a 2nd team All-State first baseman his senior season.

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Hendrickson is the current school record holder for shot put, placing 4th in that event at state track his senior year.

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Hendrikson found success playing football after high school as well, earning All America Honors at Iowa Western Community College. He then went on to play at Rutgers University, where he earned the team’s David Bender Trophy in 2013, which is awarded to the team’s best offensive & defensive football lineman.

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Q&A: LOOKING BACK ON A LEGACY AS A ST. ANSGAR SAINT

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WHAT ARE SOME OF YOUR MOST MEMORABLE GAMES OR MATCHES AS A SAINT?

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Some of the best memories are playing in the football state semi finals in 2006, semi finals of wrestling in 2008, beating Newman in 2007 to advance to the district baseball final and winning the first baseball game at the state tournament in school history in 2008. We won a pile of games in a row in 2009 in baseball. I don’t remember the number, but we had a fun group of guys. The majority of us didn’t quite know the crazy numbers we were putting up statistically — we were just playing and having fun.

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ANY ADVICE FROM A COACH THAT HAS STUCK WITH YOU THROUGH THE YEARS?

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Being in four sports, I got to be around a lot of different people and coaches. All of them helped me in some way, shape or form. Some advice that stuck with me or pushed me to get better was: “If you continue to do what you’ve always done, you’ll continue to get what you’ve always gotten.” – Rich Sherman. “You’re never as good, or as bad, as you think you are.” – I don’t remember if this was from [Drew] Clevenger or not, but I think so.

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WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO ST.ANSGAR’S YOUNG STUDENT-ATHLETES TODAY?

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The memories I mentioned earlier are big time games and matches, which were to me and my teammates a big deal at the time. But a lot of memories are made side by side during two a days, during conditioning after a tough wrestling practice, or lifting weights at 6 a.m. Those are the memories that make you who you are. So I’d tell them to commit to something, listen to your coaches, and train hard.

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HOW DOES IT FEEL TO BE RECOGNIZED ALONG SIDE SOME OF ST. ANSGAR’S GREATEST ATHLETES?

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It’s an honor to be inducted… to be surrounded by some of the names that make up St. Ansgar’s Hall of Fame is definitely something to be proud of.

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WHAT WAS YOUR FAVORITE HIGH SCHOOL SPORT AND WHY?

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I can’t pick a favorite, I enjoyed every one of them just as much as the other. The change of scenery and coaching staff from one to the other was always something to look forward to, and I can’t say enough about the different coaches that impacted my athletic career and my personal life. The majority of those coaches are the people that have helped put both St. Ansgar’s athletics and St. Ansgar’s facilities on the map.

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