Olsen, Most set for 8-man HOF

Two former Hamilton County football stars are set for induction into the 2026 Nebraska Eight-Man Football Hall of Fame Class. 
Hampton’s Mark Olsen and Giltner’s Nate Most are two of the 15 total inductees of this year’s class. There was no more dominant player in 8-Man Football during the early 1970’s than Mark Olsen of Hampton. From 1970 to 1973, he became a dual-threat quarterback for Hall of Fame coach Jim Connick and the Hawks. He was an elite multi-sport athlete, but Olsen was best known for his exploits on the gridiron as a 3-year varsity stand-out. During his prolific junior and senior campaigns, he led the team to back-to-back undefeated seasons and the 1973 Eight-Man State Title. Along the way, Olsen compiled 4,232 career yards and scored 95 total touchdowns (37 rushing/58 passing). He was named 1st Team All-Crossroads Conference, 1st Team All-Area, and 1st Team All-State on multiple occasions and was also selected to play in the 1974 Nebraska Shrine Bowl (an extremely rare honor for 8-Man players in that era and a true reflection of the level of his talents). Olsen finished his athletic career playing basketball at Wayne State College, but he is most proud of playing for coach Connick and with superb teammates throughout his high school career at Hampton. The NEMFCA is honored to now welcome him into the Eight Man Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
In his 2009 senior season, Nate Most quarterbacked the Hornets back to the state finals for the first time since 1984. In the process, he established one of the most epic passing careers in the history of Nebraska Eight-Man Football and rewrote the state’s history books along the way. He and his teammates helped elevate the struggling Giltner program to the 2007, 2008, and 2009 playoffs, where they would eventually finish as the Class D-1 State Runner-Up team. In that span, he claimed nine state passing records, including career marks in completions (536), passing yards (7,835), passing touchdowns (108), and total offensive yards (9,390). Most also received multiple 1st Team honors as an All-District, All-Area (Heartland), D1 All-State, and All-Class/All-Nebraska selection (a rare honor for any 8-Man player). He was also named the Honorary Captain of the All-State team, the D1 Offensive Player of the Year, and was selected to play in both the Nebraska vs. Kansas All-Star Game (where he was selected as the game’s Most Valuable Offensive Player) and the 2010 Nebraska Shrine Bowl. 
Most later finished his prolific career at Wayne State College from 2010 to 2013, where he passed for an additional 2,970 yards and 22 touchdowns. The NEMFCA is honored to now welcome him into the Eight-Man Football Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
They will be inducted during ceremonies held on Saturday, June 20 at The Osborne Family Sports Complex during the Sertoma 8-Man All-Star Game. Other inductees include Adam Broders (Bloomfield) Ben Ideus (Lewiston), Brett Kaczor (Ewing), Clint Belina (Howells), Justin Swedburg (Axtell), Kole Ficken (Bruning-Davenport), Lance Thorell (Loomis), Shannon Messersmith (Hayes Center), Taylor Dixon (Wauneta-Palisade) Family Legacy- Jerry and Rich Mlinar (Greeley), Coaches- Steve Colfack (Butte/Bertrand), and Mike Speirs (Howells/Howells-Dodge).