The 2026 Peru State College Athletic Hall of Fame class has been announced, with five individuals and one team slated for induction.
Former three-sport athlete Bev Harris and football standouts Alex Malcom, Cornelius Riley, and Jim Rosenquist (posthumously), along with former football player and extraordinarily successful coach Del Stoltenberg (posthumously), will all be inducted during ceremonies September 18-19.
The Hall of Fame Banquet will be held on Friday evening, September 18. It is open to the public. Registration can be completed at https://bit.ly/PSCHOF and is due Tuesday, September 8.
The individuals and teams will also be recognized at halftime of Peru State’s football game on Saturday, September 19, against Westgate Christian University. Game time is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
The Bobcat 2000-2001 women’s basketball team will also join the Hall of Fame that weekend.
The Peru State Hall of Fame was established 40 years ago in 1986. Selection is made by a volunteer committee of alumni and former student-athletes, coaches, and athletics administrators, noted Ted L. Harshbarger, coordinator of the PSC Foundation.
Harshbarger stated, “The Hall of Fame serves to honor individuals and teams who have made significant and lasting contributions to Peru State College while preserving their legacies and inspiring future generations.”
“The current members represent the pinnacle of excellence and dedication, while new inductees reflect the ongoing evolution and achievement within the Bobcat athletic community,” he said.
Del Stoltenberg, Class of 1957
(Posthumously)
Football/Meritorious Service
Nebraska City native Del Stoltenberg was both the quarterback and the punter for the Bobcats for several outstanding seasons in the 1950s.
He received the Swenson Award as the top PSC Male Athlete in 1957 and was inducted into the PSC Hall of Fame as a member of the unbeaten 1953 football team. He was named All-Conference first team and played in an all-state game in 1957. In his junior season, he was listed as the second-best punter in the state.
After his football playing days, he was a highly decorated coach for Scribner High, Grand Island High, Wayne State College, Tarkio College, and Rock Port High School.
Stoltenberg won five Cornhusker Conference titles in seven seasons at Scribner. He won 62 games at Wayne State which was the record at the time, and he won two conference championships. He was named coach of the year twice at Wayne State and was inducted into the Wayne State Hall of Fame in 2004.
At Rock Port High School, he won seven conference championships, had nine playoff appearances, and eleven winning seasons in his 15 years of head coaching. He also won seven state championships, three state runner-up finishes, and two third-place trophies at state as the track and field coach at Rock Port.
Stoltenberg was inducted into the Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame and into the KMA Sports Hall of Fame. He passed away in 2017.
Other individuals to be inducted include:
Bev Harris, Class of 1987
Softball/Track & Field/
Basketball
Bev Harris stood out in all three sports in which she participated. She was a big part of leading the Bobcat softball team with the then-record for most wins in a season with 20.
Harris, from Table Rock, Nebraska, broke or tied multiple school records for softball.
In track, Bev broke the record for the longest shotput throw in an indoor meet at 40’2 1/2”.
Harris also participated on the basketball team that broke the record for most team wins in a single season in Bobcat history, a record which has since been eclipsed.
Alex Malcom, Class of 1994
Football
Alex Malcom earned many recognitions for his record-setting play on the football team.
Currently a native and current resident of Tabor, Iowa, Malcom was selected to play in the Coaches’ National All-Star Football Classic. He had a remarkable season finishing with five interceptions, 13 pass breakups, 60 solo tackles, and six blocked kicks.
He is the Peru State, and NAIA national career leader for total blocked kicks with 21 swats.
Malcom is currently serving as a Fire Captain with the Omaha Fire Department.
Cornelius Riley, Class of 1991
Football
A tough, hard-nosed safety on some of Peru State’s greatest teams, Cornelius Riley was recognized multiple times for his play.
In 1989, Deerfield Beach, Florida, native Riley earned Tri-State Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Week accolade.
Riley finished his career as the second all-time leading tackler at Peru State with 418. He then went on to serve 25 years on the police department in Boca Raton, Florida, receiving numerous awards including life-saving awards, Office of the Month, and the most prestigious Officer of the Year. He is a resident of Coconut Creek, Florida.
Jim Rosenquist, Class of 1959
(Posthumously)
Football
A three-year starting guard for the Bobcat football team in 1956-1958, the late Jim Rosenquist proved to be one of the most rugged reliable blockers in Peru State history.
Rosenquist, Essex, Iowa, was a three-time football letter winner. He was on the 1957 team that won the Nebraska College Conference.
He was invited to try out for the NFL by the Baltimore Colts but ultimately decided to go a different direction to provide for his family. He was a resident of Ambler, Pennsylvania, when he passed away in 2025.
