The Associated Press

Kropp, now the men's basketball coach at the University of Nebraska at Kearney, was a four-sport standout at Aurora High School, 1967-71. He was two-time all-state in football, and he averaged 33 points and 23 rebounds as a senior in basketball.

He was the winning pitcher in Aurora's state baseball championship and threw a no-hitter in the tournament's semifinals. In track, Kropp was undefeated in the shot put and discus in his senior season.

Kropp was named one of Nebraska's 10 greatest athletes by the World-Herald, and he was Prep Athlete of the Decade for the 1970s as chosen by the Lincoln Journal Star.

For the past 17 years, Kropp has been head men's basketball coach at the University of Nebraska, Kearney, his alma mater. Kropp is the first Nebraskan to be inducted into National High School Hall of Fame.

Also chosen for enshrinement were Jackie Brummer, four-time state gymnastics all-around champion from Amherst (New York) Sweet Home High School in the early 1980s; Natasha Kaiser-Brown, nine-time state champion (1982-85) in track and field from Des Moines (Iowa) Theodore Roosevelt High School; and Karen Smith, two-time California state basketball player of the year in the late 1970s from Sacramento (California) Rio Americano High School, were chosen in the Athlete category.

These former high school standouts are among 12 individuals who will be inducted in the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) National High School Hall of Fame July 7 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, D.C. The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will be the closing event of the 89th NFHS Annual Summer Meeting.

"This is a tremendous honor and we are extremely excited to have Tom Kropp become Nebraska's first inductee into the National High School Hall of Fame," said Dr. Jim Tenopir, Executive Director of the Nebraska School Activities Association. "Tom was a tremendous all-around athlete. He is one of those athletes that people remember and still talk about to this day. Tom's accomplishments and athletic ability are evident and we are proud that he will go into the National High School Hall of Fame in July."

The National High School Hall of Fame was started in 1982 by the NFHS to honor high school athletes, coaches, contest officials, administrators, fine arts coaches/directors and others for their extraordinary achievements and accomplishments in high school sports and activity programs. This year's class increases the number in the Hall of Fame to 350, and this year's event will be the 26th induction ceremony.

The 12 individuals were chosen after a two-level selection process involving a screening committee composed of active high school state association administrators, coaches and officials, and a final selection committee composed of coaches, former athletes, state association officials, media representatives and educational leaders.

Nominations were made through NFHS member associations.