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Two of Hermantown’s most accomplished three-sport athletes, Darin Illikainen and Dale Mundle, will be inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in recognition of careers that spanned football, hockey, basketball and track and field. They will be introduced at halftime of Friday night's Hermantown homecoming football game against Cloquet.
Illikainen, a 1983 graduate who wore No. 22, distinguished himself as a halfback and free safety before continuing his hockey career at Minnesota Duluth and being selected by the New York Islanders in the NHL draft. He also became a state track and field champion and established two Hermantown hurdle records.
As a junior, Illikainen averaged 11.2 yards per carry and earned all-conference honors while helping the Hawks finish 11-2 and advance to the 1981 state championship game. That team previously was inducted into the Hermantown Hall of Fame.
Illikainen delivered one of the signature performances in Hermantown football history during the state quarterfinals against Breckenridge, rushing for 246 yards as the Hawks completed a dramatic comeback victory. A serious injury later cut short his senior season, when he served as a team captain, but his place among the program’s leading players already had been secured.
His athletic success extended well beyond the football field. Illikainen captained Hermantown’s hockey team and went on to play NCAA Division I hockey for Minnesota Duluth. The New York Islanders selected him in the sixth round of the NHL draft following his senior year.
Illikainen was equally dominant in track and field. As a senior, he finished second at the state meet in the 110-meter high hurdles and won the state championship in the 300-meter intermediate hurdles. He continues to hold Hermantown records in both events.
His success across three sports earned him the 1982-83 WDIO-WIRT American Family Insurance Prep Athlete of the Year award.
Mundle, a 1986 graduate who wore No. 76, was recognized for an accomplished playing career and more than three decades of service to Hermantown athletics. Nominated by former Hawks coach Gary Bowen, Mundle has coached football at Hermantown for 33 years and track and field for 34 years.
Mundle competed in football, basketball and track and field, earning all-conference and all-area recognition in all three sports during his junior and senior years.
As a junior defensive lineman, he helped the 1984 Hawks finish 11-1. That team also has been inducted into the Hermantown Hall of Fame. During his senior season, Mundle played offensive and defensive tackle for an 8-3 team that captured the conference championship for the second consecutive year.
Mundle also played a leading role in one of the rivalry’s most memorable games, helping Hermantown defeat Proctor 27-24 in overtime in the “Split the Rails” contest.
On the basketball court, Mundle became a varsity starter as a sophomore and remained in the lineup through his senior season. As a senior captain, he led the Lake Superior Conference in rebounding and blocked shots while ranking among the area’s leading scorers.
Mundle captained the track and field team during his senior year and qualified for the state meet in the shot put and discus. His classmates voted him the school’s most athletic senior.
He continued his football and track and field career at St. Cloud State before transferring to Wisconsin-Superior. Mundle played three seasons of football for the Yellowjackets, earning all-conference recognition each year and academic all-conference honors as a senior.
The induction celebrated not only the athletic achievements of Illikainen and Mundle but also the leadership and competitive toughness that defined their careers. Both remain closely connected to a defining period in Hermantown sports history, when the Hawks established themselves as championship contenders across multiple sports.
