Former SDABA president Dale Weber dead at 86

Sioux Falls, S.D. — Dale Weber, the man affectionately dubbed “Mr. Amateur Baseball” across South Dakota, died unexpectedly Friday at his Sioux Falls home, according to Kinzley Funeral Home in Salem. He was 86.

A 2019 inductee into the South Dakota Sports Hall of Fame, Weber spent nearly five decades shaping the state’s sports landscape. After graduating from Delmont High School in 1957 and Yankton College in 1961, he starred in multiple sports before embarking on a 20-year amateur-baseball career with Delmont, Colton, Mount Vernon and Stickney from 1955-75.

Weber’s influence extended well beyond the batter’s box. He taught, coached and served as an administrator in Colton, Mount Vernon and Salem, while also officiating more than 2,000 high-school basketball games—34 of them state tournaments—over 30 seasons. On the gridiron, he whistled 44 seasons of football, including five state-title contests.

Yet it was the South Dakota Amateur Baseball Association that defined his legacy. Weber served as SDABA president for 37 seasons and as an officer for 47, capping his tenure at the organization’s annual meeting on Feb. 15.

Visitation begins at 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 4, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Salem, followed by a 7 p.m. prayer service. A funeral mass is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. Thursday, March 5, at the same church.