Submitted photo: Dan O'Hern scored 1,544 points for the Buena Vista men’s basketball program.

STORM LAKE — Dan O’Hern left Barnum for the “big city” of Storm Lake and Buena Vista University decades ago.

Now, O’Hern will return to the school where he made a name for himself on the basketball court as he is enshrined in the Buena Vista University Athletics Hall of Fame.

O’Hern is part of the Class of 2025 that will be honored on Friday with a formal banquet. Joining him will be Jennifer (Einck) Irvine, Jestin Hulegaard, Luke Probasco, and the 2011 Beaver baseball team.

“It’s a great honor for myself and my family,” O’Hern said. “Growing up in Barnum, I had some great teammates that attended Northwest Webster. We just had our 50th class reunion this past summer.

“I do wish this (Hall of Fame) hnor came a few years sooner so that my mother, Helen (O’Hern) Farrell could have attended. She passed away in 2016 at the age of 98. She taught at Barnum for nearly 30 years while raising eight kids.”

A member of the Buena Vista men’s basketball team from 1975-79, O’Hern earned all-conference honors three times. He was recognized as a first team selection after stellar junior and senior years.

O’Hern played on the 1976 conference championship squad and finished sixth on the school’s career scoring charts with 1,544 points. O’Hern’s senior year total of 654 points scored ranks second all-time at Buena Vista.

“I had to beat out five full scholarship players my freshman year,” O’Hern said. “It took me two months to beat out the ‘Fab Five.’ Everybody is a high school hero coming into college, but my mindset was to prove I was better than all of them.”

O’Hern and his wife, Diane, have a son, Ryan, who was an all-state basketball player at Eagle Grove. Ryan O’Hern went on to a successful career at Iowa Central, and was later a Triton men’s basketball coach. He’s now the athletic and activities director at Humboldt.

The O’Herns also have a daughter, Breann.

O’Hern was also a three-year baseball player for the Beavers.

O’Hern’s coaching run included many years in Eagle Grove. He was an assistant on the Eagles’ state runner-up squad in 2001 and championship team in 2002.

Members of the 2011 Beaver baseball team being inducted include Webster City natives Alex Davis and Kyle Hibbing; Emmetsburg grads Ryan Wuebker and Kyle Dupic; and Griffin Hatten from Bancroft.

The Class of 2025 will be recognized during halftime of Saturday’s football game between Buena Vista and Simpson inside J. Leslie Rollins Stadium.