Hardwood Hero Delmer Dau: Iowa Time Machine July 9, 2014

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On July 9, 2014, Delmer Dau, a dominant high school basketball player at Calumet, passed away. Dau helped the tiny O’Brien County school compete for state championships while setting the Class B career scoring record as a four-year starter at Calumet.

Born in Sutherland, Dau arrived at Calumet High School and quickly proved a dominant athletic force. A quarterback on the gridiron, Dau particularly shined on the hardwood where he led the small high school to four consecutive state tournament appearances. Playing for coach Ray Knauer, Dau contributed solid minutes to squads that finished second (1956-1957) and (1957-1958). During the 1958-1959 season, Dau and Calumet went on a nearly-perfect state title run. Finishing the season 29-1, the team’s only loss came at the hands of Class A foe Aurelia, a 56-54 overtime game. In the playoffs, Calumet downed defending champions Roland by a 75-67 score. After a 77-56 blowout victory over Lowden to claim the state title, Dau received first-team all-state recognition.

Expectations were sky high entering the 1959-1960 season, as Calumet returned the all-state guard and eleven of its twelve players. In the 1960 Class B State Championship game, Calumet sought to repeat as state champions. After falling down 16, Calumet stormed back. However, as the tight contest neared the final buzzer, Dau went down with a right ankle injury. Taken from the court on a stretcher with 51 seconds to play, Dau watched from the sidelines as Wheatland’s Art “Moose” Peterson knocked in a jumper with six seconds to go to dethrone the reigning champions. 

Dau passed up a full-ride scholarship offer following his legendary high school run, opting instead to get married in June following his senior year and start a successful construction company. #IowaOTD #IowaHistoryDaily #IowaHistoryCalendar