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Kretchman to enter COC Sports HOF
Published 9:45am Monday, June 25, 2012Fergus Falls fans remember Len Kretchman, a 1984 Fergus High grad, as an explosive running back for the Otters. NDSU Bison fans recall Kretchman as an outstanding receiver for NDSU when the former Otter helped the Bison win three NCAA Division II national championships during the late 1980s.
Kretchman will join Jon Pontius, Carleen Rose and Mike Hilley for induction into the Fergus Falls Area Chamber of Commerce Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, June 30, at the American Legion.
Today, Kretchman is proud of the Bison moving to Division I and winning last year’s FCS National Championship.
He was a three-sport high school athlete for the FFHS Otters in football as tailback, a guard in basketball, and sprinter and hurdler in track and field. Kretchman took part in state competition in all three sports. He was an all-state high school football player and played in the high school all-star football game.
The defining moment for Kretchman, which vaulted him to Bison glory, took place in 1988, when, during a game against the University of Northern Colorado, the former Otter caught five passes for 232 yards to establish an NDSU single-game yardage record.
He was named an All-American by the Associated Press and the Football Gazette in 1988. The Fergus High grad was a four-year starter and four-year letterman for the Bison from 1985 to 1988. He led NDSU in receiving as a sophomore and junior and finished with 84 career catches for 1,915 yards and 24 touchdowns.
Kretchman also is a member of the NDSU Bison Hall of Fame.
He and his wife, Emily, who also is a Fergus Falls native, currently reside in Florida. They are proud of the accomplishments of their three daughters who also have excelled as student athletes.
