Skutt Catholic’s Hall of Fame event began in 2018. The event is set for alternating years and honors individuals, teams, and groups who have contributed to our rich tradition of excellence. Seeking recipients from all areas of the school, members of this group have helped define and advance our institution and its mission. Recipients of the Hall of Fame award are exemplars of exceptional accomplishments and service and thereby set high standards for Skutt Catholic students.
The following definitions and criteria shall apply to the four individual inductee nominating categories. There are no quotas for any category.
Any Skutt Catholic High School student who participated in athletics or activities or excelled in academics during high school. Any such person may not be considered until 10 years after high school graduation.
A team or group, which excelled, served or performed at the highest level at least 10 years prior to the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.
Must be or have been an employee at Skutt Catholic High School who has coached a sanctioned activity/sport for at least five years. A coach would be eligible for the Hall of Fame induction if they have retired from coaching or reached the age of 55.
Those who have made contributions to Skutt Catholic High School in some capacity other than the aforementioned categories. This category would include benefactors, volunteers, community leaders, administrators or any individual who made a significant contribution to the betterment of Skutt Catholic High School.
Once a person has been nominated, the nomination remains in the Hall of Fame’s active file for five years. If a nominee is not selected within five years the nomination is removed from consideration.
Nominations are always welcome and will be considered for the next Hall of Fame Induction event. Click on the link below to fill out the nomination form. Contact Laura Larson (lauralarson@skuttcatholic.com) or Meghan Sullivan (meghansullivan@skuttcatholic.com) with any questions.
Skutt Catholic’s third Hall of Fame Induction was held on January 8, 2022. The honorees for the 2022 Hall of Fame Induction were:
JIM MANGIMELI
Following nine years at Duchesne Academy, Jim Mangimeli joined Skutt Catholic as one of the founding faculty members in 1993. He was the first, and for a time, the only theology teacher at the school and served as the Theology Department head for 20 years. In addition to developing the theology curriculum for the school, Jim also created the “Living the Gospel” service program and managed it for many years. The Archdiocese selected Jim as the Secondary Teacher of the Year for 2007-2008.
MARIE WILLIAMSON
Marie Williamson has been an integral part of Skutt Catholic since before the school even opened. She served as the first admissions director, enrolling 2,213 students during her 18 years at the school. Much of Skutt Catholic’s brand is due to her vision. She had a hand in selecting our school colors, determining the fight song, and naming the SkyHawk as the mascot. Marie helped craft long-standing school traditions, including Hawktober, Under the Lights Dance, HawkFest, and even our dominance in wrestling.
MAYME CONROY ’11
Mayme Conroy ’11 was a tremendous competitor at Skutt Catholic, earning school records in basketball and soccer. Her junior year, she was named Gatorade Player of the Year, and was the All-State Team Captain. Under Mayme’s leadership, the basketball team was a contender at state, while the soccer team won the state championship every year, with the exception of a runner-up finish her freshman year. She remains an active volunteer at Skutt Catholic, serving as an assistant soccer coach and occasionally helping with basketball.
KASEY KOHL ‘00
Kasey Kohl ’00 won Skutt Catholic’s first individual state championship title in wrestling his freshman year. He went on to become the first Class B, four-time state wrestling champion in Nebraska. Kasey set an impressive 139-1 high school record and still holds the record for the most consecutive wins. He was named a five-time Asics Junior Cadet Nationals All American and qualified for the 2000 Asics High School American First Team. Kasey was inducted into the Skutt Catholic Hall of Fame in 2018, as a member of the 1998 wrestling team.
2005 FOOTBALL TEAM
In 2002, Matt Turman took over as head football coach at Skutt Catholic with a freshmen group looking to create a tradition of excellence.
On November 19, 2005, history was made when the SkyHawks capped an undefeated season and won the Class B 2005 football title with a dramatic win over the McCook Bison, 6-0. The undefeated season in 2005 matched the 2002 undefeated freshman season by the members of the senior class and set the tone for the outstanding tradition of the Skutt Catholic football program.
All-State members of the 2005 team included Alex Anderson, Wayland Latham, Andy McNeil, and Ryan Patera. They were also the captains of the 2005 team.
On January 4, 2020 more than 150 guests attended Skutt Catholic’s second Hall of Fame Induction. The honorees for the 2020 Hall of Fame Induction were:
SUE DOBEL
Sue Dobel joined the Skutt Catholic family in the mid-’90s when she first served as a member of the board of directors. She became an active volunteer before her children, Andrew ‘99, Sarah ‘01, Susan ‘03, and Christine ‘06, were even enrolled at Skutt Catholic.
Sue helped with the first-ever Angel Flight in 1994 and has continued to play a key role in the event every year since. Sue and her husband, Mike, co-chaired the event in 1996 and 1997 and were honorary chairs in 2010. Sue’s current role as “Auctioneer Goddess” has been vital to making Angel Flight what it is today.
She says she has thought about stepping away many times but has been drawn back by the people involved and the warm and welcoming atmosphere of the school. “I always feel like part of the family when I’m in the building, and the Angel Flight room is basically my home office,” she said.
BRUCE HANEY 
Bruce Haney is one of the founders of Skutt Catholic, spearheading the effort that made the dream of a west Omaha Catholic high school a reality.
As a result of Bruce’s involvement with the board at Ryan High School and other archdiocesan boards, Bruce developed a strong relationship with Archbishop Sheehan. When Ryan High School was closed the archbishop asked Bruce what he should do and Bruce said: “Go west and build a new high school.” Archbishop Sheehan then asked Bruce to spearhead the committee to create the new high school in west Omaha that became Skutt Catholic as we know it today.
He served as the chairman of the entire project from start to finish. For seven years, Bruce was committed to building the new school: finding land, helping with the design and seeing the project through. He says that this school was the crowning jewel of his volunteer career and he feels blessed to be a part of the development of Skutt Catholic, making it possible for generations to receive a quality, Catholic education in west Omaha.
SARAH MENGHINI PERCIVAL ’00
Sarah Menghini Percival ‘00 was a standout track athlete at Skutt Catholic, where she was not only a state champion in the 100 and 200-meter dashes but also an All-Class Champion in the 100-meter dash in 2000. By winning the all-class gold in the 100-meter dash, she was the fastest woman in the state of Nebraska. Her performances led the girl’s track team to their highest state meet finish (7th) in school history. Sarah went on to compete at UNO where she was a four-time All American and co-captain of the team. She holds several meet and stadium records that are still standing today.
2002 GIRLS STATE CHAMPION TENNIS TEAM
The 2002 women’s tennis team was the first female team to win a state title at Skutt Catholic. Allison Wilkie was the #1 singles champion and the team title was the first of nine all-time girls tennis team titles. They catapulted future women’s tennis success at Skutt Catholic and initiated conversations about the building of our current tennis complex.
Coached by Jeanne Wilkie, the 2002 state team members are Allison Wilkie-Miller, Kelcey Hamilton, Angela Polodna-Kenney, Emily Strawhecker-Kauffman, Normandy Fox-Smith, Diana Arp. Other team members were Lauren Burns, Julie Dunning-Farmer, Elizabeth Gawley-Bullington, Michelle Koenig-Vu, Dani Latham Brink, Jenna Marchese-Anzalone, Sofia Parmes, Megan Roche, and Michelle Zych-Rhoden.
The first Hall of Fame Induction was held on March 24, 2018 and honored Msgr. James Gilg, Mike McMahon (posthumously), Brad Hildebrandt, and the 1998 State Champion Wrestling Team.
MONSIGNOR JAMES GILG
Monsignor James Gilg was a founder of V.J. and Angela Skutt Catholic High School and served as the school’s first president, from 1991 to 2006. Msgr. Gilg went on to serve as the superintendent of all Catholic schools in the Archdiocese of Omaha, from 2006 until his retirement in 2013.
Originally from Atkinson, Nebraska, Msgr. Gilg was ordained in 1966 and first taught at Cathedral High School in Omaha from 1966 to 1968. He also served as superintendent of the school from 1968 to 1970. In 1970, Msgr. Gilg moved to Elgin, Nebraska, where he taught religion and co-chaired the humanities department at Pope John XXIII High School. In 1972, he returned to Omaha and served a total of 19 years as director and principal of two high schools – Dominican High School and Father Flanagan High School.
MIKE McMAHON (1952-2014)
Mike McMahon joined the Skutt Catholic family as the girls basketball coach in 1998. The West Point, Nebraska native dedicated nearly 17 years to the Skutt Catholic Activities Program, serving as director for the last 13. During McMahon’s tenure, Skutt Catholic won 36 state championships, was state runner-up 18 times and won the World-Herald Class B All-Sports Championship 12 times.
Prior to joining the SkyHawks, McMahon served as the assistant coach in boys basketball, softball and football in North Platte for 13 years and spent four years coaching in Battle Creek. He guided the American Legion baseball programs in both communities.
COACH BRAD HILDEBRANDT
Few teams have enjoyed the dominance of Coach Brad Hildebrandt’s wrestling teams. During his tenure from 1993 to 2015, he led the SkyHawks to a total of 20 state wrestling championships – 17 team titles and three dual championships. The run included 13 straight Class B titles from 1998 to 2010. After a runner-up finish in 2011, the SkyHawks embarked on another string of state titles that carried on beyond his retirement. An Omaha firefighter whose passion was coaching wrestling, Hildebrandt strived to use wrestling to prepare his students for life. His teams produced 63 individual champions, six high school All-Americans, 101 state medalists and 154 state qualifiers.
1998 STATE CHAMPIONSHIP WRESTLING TEAM
The 1998 State Championship Wrestling Team defined the school’s wrestling culture and paved the way for Skutt Catholic’s success in every other activity. They set the bar through hard work, program buy-in, and selfless acts for the good of the team. There is much to be said about the six individuals, who scored the actual points to collect the first state wrestling championship, as well as the other dedicated team members. The efforts of the six that played out on that magical weekend are legendary, but behind the scenes, day-to-day, in the trenches, lies the real story. Everyone who showed up faithfully, suffered through Black Flag days, and believed in their coaches’ vision, made the dream a reality.
