HILLESON NAMED TO DAISY HALL OF FAME

By Rose Kraft
Contributing Writer
    The Marshall County 4-H Sharpshooters celebrated an impressive third-place finish at the Daisy Nationals Championship recently but another major achievement made the event especially memorable: former longtime coach Harlan Hilleson of Veblen was inducted into the exclusive Daisy Hall of Fame for his extraordinary dedication to youth shooting sports and firearm safety.
    The honor recognizes more than 40 years of Hilleson’s service to the sport, during which he mentored hundreds of youth shooters and played a pivotal role in developing the county’s nationally recognized program.
    Hilleson was born and raised on a farm outside of Veblen and became a charter member and the first president of the Veblen Area Jaycees in 1971. In 1982, he agreed to coach the organization’s newly formed Jaycees Shooters Education Program. He integrated the Daisy Shooter Education curriculum into the program and became deeply invested in firearm safety.
    “There is nothing more satisfying than the excitement of an eight-year-old wanting to learn gun safety and how to properly use a gun,” he said. “The competitive part is nice, but the most important part is safety.”
    From that point forward, Hilleson committed thousands of hours to working with area youth. His first invitational match was in 1987, and by 1991, he had led the Veblen team to its first International Daisy Match in Kentucky. That year, the team won the South Dakota Jaycee match and placed seventh nationally out of 53 teams—tying for first on the written safety and knowledge test.
    Hilleson coached the Veblen team until 1999, when the Veblen and Britton programs merged to form what is now known as the Marshall County 4-H Sharpshooters. Since the team’s formation, Hilleson has coached 12 squads to the Daisy National BB Gun Tournament, achieving national placements ranging from first to eighth.
    In the early years, teams would compete in just one or two events a year, but under Hilleson’s leadership, the program grew significantly. In more recent years, teams often competed in eight or more events annually, including state, national, and invitational tournaments.
    Hilleson also played a national role in the evolution of the sport. In 2004, when Daisy Manufacturing planned to make changes to the Model 499 BB gun, Hilleson was selected as one of only three individuals to receive and inspect a prototype for evaluation.
    In 2009, Hilleson coached the Marshall County team to a national championship, and in 2010, helped guide an all-girls team to another first-place finish—marking back-to-back national titles. Despite the focus on competition, Hilleson always prioritized safety, sportsmanship, and personal growth.
    “The real reward for me is that none of the shooters I have ever taught have had a firearm accident,” he said. “But the competitive part is the reason the kids come back.”
    Hilleson’s teams were consistently top scorers in the written safety tests at national competitions. In 2021, one of his athletes earned a perfect score of 100 on the Rushmore National Tournament’s safety test.
    Beyond Daisy competitions, Hilleson also helped coach 4-H youth to national success and was inducted into the South Dakota 4-H Shooting Sports Hall of Fame in 2018 for his contributions.
    Even health setbacks couldn’t keep him away. In 2019, while undergoing chemotherapy for cancer, Hilleson still attended some practices. A stroke in the winter of 2023 has since limited the use of his left arm and leg, effectively ending his time with the Marshall County program. However, his memory, coaching instincts, and passion for the sport remain intact.
    In recent years, he’s assisted his daughter Darci in coaching the Brookings Bullbusters team, offering guidance and sharing decades of experience with a new generation of shooters.
    “Because of the influence I’ve had on young people’s lives, I have always felt that I got more out of the program than I ever put into it,” Hilleson said during his Hall of Fame acceptance speech.
“This honor may have my name on it, but it belongs to all of us who believe in the power of mentorship, sportsmanship, and community.”
    “I am honored and humbled to be inducted into the Daisy National Hall of Fame,” Hilleson emphasized. “This recognition means a lot to me, because it represents more than just years of coaching — it reflects a lifetime of commitment to young people and shooting sports.”