On September 14, 2025, the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame inducted 23 remarkable athletes and leaders into its 2025 class. Among those honored were brothers Hobart and Edgar Lone Hill, both accomplished boxers whose careers left a lasting mark on South Dakota athletics.
Hobart Lone Hill, a long-time employee of Pete Lien & Sons, competed alongside his brother Edgar during the late 1940s and 1950s. Known for their grit, talent, and ability to capture the excitement of the sport, the Lone Hill brothers rose to prominence in Golden Gloves tournaments and regional competitions. Though both men have since passed away, their legacies as athletes and role models live on through this recognition.
The South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame exists to preserve and celebrate the stories of athletes like the Lone Hill brothers, whose impact goes far beyond wins and titles. For Pete Lien & Sons, Hobart’s induction is not only a recognition of his sporting achievements but also a proud reminder of the caliber of people who have been part of our organization.
Below are the biographies of Hobart & Edgar:
Hobart Lone Hill is a 1956 Rapid City Central graduate who attended South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. Born in Calico and raised in Rapid City, Hobart started boxing with his brother at a young age when one of their dad’s friends, a former boxer, gave his friend’s children his boxing gloves. Hobart was hooked from the start and started organizing boxing in 1948. He seldom lost and won numerous titles. Many considered him and his brother (nominee Edgar Lone Hill) as two of the best early amateur boxers in the Upper Midwest.
The Lone Hill brothers made many headlines in Black Hills newspapers for their boxing successes. Also in 1952, the successful brothers were recruited to fight each other. They agreed to merely put on a show for fans and not go for a knockout. In the second round, Hobart saw an opening and couldn’t help himself, reportedly landing a powerful blow to Edgar’s head that staggered him. It started a brotherly brawl, and soon after, the fight was stopped and called off, with both brothers bleeding and fuming. The fight was quickly forgotten and forgiven.
Hobart won South Dakota state titles in 1951 (bantamweight), 1952 (featherweight), 1954 (welterweight), 1956 (welterweight), and 1958 (middleweight). Hobart earned trips to Golden Gloves national tournaments in Chicago by winning regional titles in 1952 (featherweight), 1953 (lightweight), 1955 (welterweight), and 1957 (welterweight). In 1958, Hobart first became a middleweight champion by hiding quarters during his weigh-in at a tourney to help a friend who hoped to win the class Hobart was supposed to be in.
Hobart was known for his speed and finesse, and when he broke his dominant right hand a few weeks before an upcoming tournament, he taught himself to use his left hand and came away with a wicked left hook. Hobart was at his prime in 1958 and was ready to turn pro when doctors found a heart murmur that ended his career. Hobart loved boxing and continued to help young boxers after he retired. He started the Boys Club boxing team in 1967. He continued until he founded the Indian Men’s Boxing Club in 1969.
His program caught the attention of world champion boxer Archie Moore. Archie did come out and give a clinic to the Men’s Club boxing team, and became friends with Lone Hill, his club, and its athletes. Also, Hobart was a state champion horseshoe pitcher. Hobart is a member of the 2002 Rapid City and 1977 SD AAU Halls of Fame.
Edgar Lone Hill is a 1952 Rapid City Central graduate who attended Black Hills State before leaving for the military. Born in Pine Ridge and moved to Rapid City at age 6 when his father worked at the Airbase during World War 2. He lived in Rapid City until he died. Edgar was a West Point nominee and a veteran of the Korean War. He lettered in football and basketball. He was the punter, place-kicker, and a back on the Cobblers’ undefeated 1950 (state champions) and 1951 football teams that won 15 straight games. (Edgar kicked the game-winning field goal for the championship game.). However, his best sport was boxing. Many considered him and his brother (Hobart Lone Hill) as two of the best, earliest amateur boxers in the Upper Midwest.
The Lone Hill brothers made many headlines in Black Hills newspapers for their boxing successes. Edgar is said to have gone on a winning streak that lasted almost two years at one point during a time when amateur boxers had lots of fights. In 1952, the Lone Hill brothers were state champions who went on to win Regional Golden Gloves titles on Feb. 14 in Sioux City to earn a trip to the National Golden Gloves in Chicago. Hobart won the 126-pound regional division, and Edgar “The Cat” was the 147-pound champion. Edgar was a southpaw known for his knockouts and crippling body shots. He first learned by boxing his three brothers until dark on the Pine Ridge Reservation and then in an organized fashion at the Cactus Patch Boxing Club in 1947. Hobart said that Edgar had so many interests and talents, but boxing wasn’t his older brother’s greatest passion even if it was his greatest talent.
In 1955, MGM Studios came to the Black Hills to shoot its $2 million-plus budget buffalo movie, “The Last Hunt.” They needed Native Americans, Edgar tried out as an extra and was so good that he ended up earning a role (“Spotted Hand” — he is killed in a gun duel with movie star Robert Taylor) in the 1956 movie directed by Oscar-winning Richard Brooks that starred Stewart Granger, Taylor and Debra Paget (who replaced Oscar-winner Anne Bancroft, who was injured three weeks into the shoot). MGM offered Edgar a contract, but he would eventually settle back into his main role as a family man.
Edgar is a Member of both the Rapid City and SD AAU Hall of Fame.