Super Siblings
Across time and sports, brothers and sisters (and more) have shined as Mavericks
By John Fey
Whenever the Sayers boys — Roger, Gale and Ron — hit the North Omaha sandlot for a game of football in the 1950s, those who played with and against them had a good idea they’d go on to big things on the gridiron.
Sure enough, all three were standouts in college. Gale had the most glamourous career of the trio, first at Kansas and later in a Hall-of-Fame NFL career with the Chicago Bears.
Roger and Ron stayed closer to home, though, becoming arguably the best brother combination in the history of UNO athletics.
Ron, the youngest of the Sayers triumvirate, remembers tagging along for those pickup football games.
“I was always picked last,” Ron recalls. “I was always challenging Roger. He was extremely fast. He’d give me head starts, but I still couldn’t keep up. That was discouraging, but it was also encouraging, because it was my brother, and eventually I was going to be able to beat him.”
Roger and Ron competed for UNO in the 1960s when it was known as Omaha U. They are part of a fraternity of sorts of siblings who have competed for Maverick teams throughout the university’s history.
The earliest known instance of such is 1928 when Mildred and Merle Grace were hooping for the University of Omaha’s women’s basketball team. A decade later, Howard and Norman Sorenson both competed in football and track for OU.
More recently — and perhaps more impressively — is the Renshaw family with four siblings competing as Mavericks in three sports: Ashley and Natalie (swimming), Hayley (soccer) and Ben (football).
In some cases, it’s clear that sibling rivalry stoked the competitive fires that fueled greatness. And hints of that remain today.
Dani Suponchick made a name for herself at UNO as the Mid-America Athletic Association individual golf champion in 2011. She was followed to the university by baseball-playing brothers Beau (2011-12) and Grant (2016-19).
She says she tried not to influence her brothers on choosing a college.
“I wanted them to chase their own dream,” she says. “I knew it was the school for me as soon as I stepped foot onto campus. Fortunately, it became the school for them, too.”
That said, a spark flickers when she’s asked who is the top golfer in the family today.
“I’d like to say I can still take home the crown,” she says, “but that’s because I know their weaknesses.”
As is evident in the following looks at UNO sport siblings, however, cooperation between brothers and sisters also spurred greatness.
SPEEDY SAYERS SIBLINGS
Roger Sayers, like his two younger brothers, was a star in football and track at Omaha Central High School. He originally planned to attend Kansas, but a potential scholarship offer there fell through so he accepted an OU offer to play for Al Caniglia and baseball for Virgil Yelkin.
He never did play baseball, but he did plenty otherwise. In football, Roger rushed for 2,033 career yards, doing so at school-record clip of 8.6 yards per carry. He also scored on a school-record 99-yard touchdown catch, the longest play from scrimmage in program history and an NAIA record.
On the track, he captured NAIA titles in the 100 meters in 1962 and the 100 and 200 the following year. His 10.2 time in the 100 in 1962 was tied for second-fastest in the world. That same year, he beat future Olympic gold medalist “Bullet” Bob Hayes twice. Sayers also made the U.S. track team.
“(Beating Hayes) was huge,” Roger says, “but what was really huge for me was making the United States track team in 1962, which has always been considered the greatest U.S. team ever assembled.”
His performances left big shoes for Ron to fill when he arrived at Omaha U. in 1965. He followed his oldest brother there, but only after checking other options.
“Roger was a good older brother,” Ron says. “I wanted to go to Coffeyville, Kansas. I did take a trip out there. It was a little scary, because it seemed like a ghost town.”
Roger said he had little influence on Ron’s decision to follow him to OU.
“He was looking for a place to play football,” Roger says. “It just seemed natural that he would follow me, because he knew of the success that I had had there, and he knew how I felt about Omaha U.”
Ron led the team in rushing in 1967 (464 yards) and 1968 (681). After his career, the San Diego Chargers selected him with the 44th overall pick in the second round of the NFL draft, making him the highest-drafted player in program history.
He played only one season with San Diego but remains there and today is retired. Roger Sayers retired in 2000 after a long career with Union Pacific and lives in Omaha.
THE THOMPSON TRIO
Two decades after the Sayers brothers brought fans to their feet, the Thompson boys starred on the hardcourt — but only after their father had done so first.
Dean Thompson Sr. scored 883 points playing for Omaha University from 1953 to 1957. He later married and welcomed three daughters to the family. Then came sons Dean Jr. (left) and Tommy. Dean starred at Omaha Westside, but it wasn’t a certainty he would follow his father to UNO.
“He was recruited by Creighton, but then they had a lot of guards returning,” Dean Sr. recalls. “He was kind of recruited by Nebraska, also.”
But he wound up as a Maverick — perhaps the best to ever play for UNO. Dean Jr. finished with 1,816 career points, still tops on UNO’s all-time scoring chart. He added 447 career assists and, like his father, can boast of a victory over Creighton — Dean Sr.’s team beat the Hilltoppers 95-86 in 1955; Dean Jr.’s team won 56-45 in 1982; Tom’s lost at the buzzer 61-60 in 1987.
That thrill, and numerous others, made Dean Jr. happy to be
a Mav.
“It was always a family thing,” Dean Jr., says, “Certainly because of my dad’s legacy there. But we’d go to football and basketball games regularly, and my aunts and uncles and cousins had gone to UNO.”
As his final season approached, Dean welcomed “little” brother Tom into the Maverick fold. The older brother “did some of the recruiting” of 6-foot-7 Tom, and the two spent the 1983-84 seasons as teammates.
Says Dean: “He fit in really well. Then, all of a sudden, he started growing where we could do things on the floor. We started having challenges, because he was so long. He continued to get better.”
Tom finished with 1,056 points and 226 assists and as the all-time field goal percentage shooter.
All three Thompsons still live in Omaha. Dean Sr. is retired; Dean Jr. works for a capital management firm; Tom is a fundraiser for the University of Nebraska Foundation.
A RUN OF RENSHAWS
No family with Maverick athletes likely can match the diversity of the Renshaws, a sibling quartet that includes sisters Ashley and Natalie in swimming; Hayley in soccer; and Ben in football.
Ashely, the oldest, said the children owe their athletic prowess to their parents.
“My parents are both pretty athletic in their own right,” she says. “My dad played high school sports and remained active in rec basketball when we were kids. My mom was and still is in the personal fitness industry.”
Natalie, the youngest, said her sisters had to lend support from afar as they lived far from Omaha but attended her events when they could.
“I can confidently say at least one of my parents, usually both, were at every one of my college swim meets,” says Natalie, who holds the school freshman record in the 100 freestyle and 200 breaststroke. “A fun experience came in my senior year’s championship meet when two of my sisters, Jess and Hayley, and my parents supported me in Indianapolis to compete for the last time.”
ALBERS ALLIANCE
Dean Thompson’s UNO scoring record was nearly surpassed in 2012 by Mitch Albers, a former Papillion-La Vista standout and also one of the university’s “super siblings.”
Albers arrived at UNO in 2007 just as older brother Tyler was transferring from Fort Hays State.
“Since the crux of the team at UNO was comprised of Nebraska guys, it made the transfer that much easier as I already knew the majority of the team,” Tyler says. “Being able to play with Mitch again was icing on the cake.”
Mitch finished with 1,790 career points and 230 assists. Had he not transferred to Nebraska for one semester – costing him a half season at UNO before coming back to the Mavericks — it’s likely he would have topped Thompson’s record (which was accomplished before the 3-point line).
“Being able to chase Dean’s scoring record shed some light on my final year at UNO,” Mitch says, “given the circumstances we were in as a program (transitioning to D-I) at the time.”
Mitch today is an assistant basketball coach at Papillion-La Vista; Tyler lives in Omaha and is a vice president of commercial banking at Cornhusker Bank.
Family Connections
Following is a list of other notable family connections from throughout UNO Athletics history. Who else should we add? Email names to Editor Anthony Flott at aflott@unoalumni.org.
Baseball
Caleb, Sam and Ben Palensky
Jeff and Casey (nephew) Hunter
Evan and Dawson Porter
Mike and Dave Kros
Men’s Basketball
Calvin and Dennis Forrest
Women’s Basketball
Michaela and Moriah Dapprich
Football
Gerald (father) and Terrell Allen
Taiwo and Kenny Onatolu
Hockey
Christian and David Graham
Jayson and Jaycob Megna
Softball
Margaret, Micky and Therese Gehringer
Amanda and Michala Lehotak
Swimming and Diving
Martina and Lucy Zamecnik
Sydney and Jamie Dhabalt
Veronica and Ashley Barna
Jamie and Jodie Haferbier
Katie and Kylie Hubbell
Women’s Tennis
Heather, Jessica and Tiffany Hottman
Volleyball
Christina and Angie Reicks
Wrestling
Mel and Roy Washington
Combo sports
Pete (football; father) and Mark (wrestling) Rigatuso
Dani Suponchick (WGO); Beau and Grant Suponchick (BSB)
Patrick (BSB) and Denny Johnston (MBB)
Gus (HKY) and Chelsie Groslie (WBB)
Cindy Rudloff (VB, SB, WBB) and Kylie Lebeda (VB; daughter); Lindy Rudloff (VB)
From our readers
A few more connections as provided by our readers.
The Allens
You may consider adding brother Arthur and David Allen. Both were great basketball players. Arthur was Omaha U’s all-time leading scorer and both Arthur and David became Omaha police officers.
— Tim Cavanaugh ’78 and ‘88
Chief Deputy, Douglas County Treasurer
The Mingos
My sister Julie Mingo Anderson played basketball from '78-'80 (before transferring);, my brother Greg track & field (83-84) and me track & field ('84) before the men's track & field was cut and we transferred out.
— Mike L. Mingo
The Gehringers
SOFTBALL - Margaret, Micky, and Terese
VOLLEYBALL - Margaret, Micky and Terese
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL - Micky and Terese
Our brother, Bob Gehringer, was also a UNO athlete. He ran Cross Country, Indoor Track and Outdoor Track.
— Terese Gehringer Johnson
The Novaks
Sheri and Toni Novak played softball probably in the 90's.
— Lynn Conner
The Fowlers
I am an alumnus and played basketball for Bob Hanson in the mid 80s.I have great memories and proud to be a "Mav for Life." Currently, my son Cam, is a senior pitcher for Evan Porter's squad. He will graduate in December and play in the spring as a grad student. Go Mavs!
— Dave Fowler