This talented coach was born in Columbus, Montana from immigrant parents from Friesland, Netherlands. In 1929 the family moved to Nampa, Idaho where Ed completed his schooling, competing in football and track.
In 1938, Ed enrolled at Sterling, Kansas, College and had an outstanding athletic record. He won 15 varsity awards in football, basketball, baseball and track.In football, Ed established a still-standing record of playing in every minute of every football game in four years of varsity competition. He was selected to play for a Kansas all-star football team and his performance brought him a contract to play for the New York Giants in 1942. In 1943 he joined the Army Air Force and served until 1946.During this time he was able to direct physical education programs for the Air Force and coach the Troop-Carrier football team in 1945. 1947 was the year he started his career in coaching in Idaho at Nampa High School where he was football and track coach.
The next year he moved to Kellogg, where he became athletic director and coached football. He also started his fabulous career in basketball in 1947. During his tenure at Kellogg.which covered 16 years, he had a basketball record of 265 wins, 112 losses for a 70% mark. He won five district titles, three regional titles and state titles in '55, '56, and '59. Ed and his wife, Marylee, moved to West Linn, Oregon and served as head basket ball coach until his retirement in 1965, serving 39 years as a teach-coach and community-minded citizen.
Ed always found time to work within the areas of community service, no matter what the project or program was to be completed. The family also includes daughter Patricia, elementary teacher in Richland, Wn., and her three talented children; Becky, Seattle Univ. grad., who captained the basketball team; Wendy.basketball star at Richland High School, and now a Senior at EWU, a senior in TV Communications; and Scott, talented track star at Richland and graduate of CWU and now a C141 Cargo Pilot flying from the USA to the mid-east.
Hiemstra is another of the fine citizens who has made our State of Idaho a better place and we welcome Ed to the Idaho Hall of Fame.