MIKE KERBY

Class of 1974
​Inducted in 2026

Mike was inducted into SHSAA Hall of Fame in 2026.

Mike graduated from South in 1974.  Under the tutelage of Coach Rich Beran and with the encouragement and support of an exceptionally talented group of SHS gymnasts, Mike lettered as a member of the boy’s gymnastics team. He was active in the “O” Club where he served as a member and as Secretary/Treasurer. He was also involved in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes organization.
 
In 1973, Mike was nominated by SHS staff to attend the American Legion’s Jr. Law Cadet program sponsored and instructed by the Nebraska State Patrol. This one-week exposure solidified a career path in law enforcement which would come to fruition in just a few short years.
 
In 1978, Mike applied for and was accepted into the Nebraska State Patrol Recruit Training Class #26. On November 3rd, he was sworn in as a Nebraska State Trooper and assigned to Troop “A” with his first duty station being Fremont. Over the next 35+ years, he would serve in different capacities and ranks within the Patrol to include duty station transfers to Omaha, Lincoln and finally, Grand Island where he and his wife, Lucy (Kadlec, class of 1973), now live. Mike retired from the Nebraska State Patrol at the rank of Captain, Director of Training in December of 2013.
 
Several of his law enforcement career accomplishments include, starting the Patrol’s Police Service Dog program in 1988, handled the Patrol’s first dedicated Tactical Deployment Dog, became one of a handful of internationally recognized Police Dog  Teaching Judges in the United States, served as an Apprehension Judge at the 1998 International Police Dog Championships in Lubeck, Germany, United States Police Service Dog liaison for the 2000 International Trade Fair held in Hanover, Germany, and as an internationally recognized expert in police arrest and control tactics, he has travelled extensively sharing these skills with members of police, military, corrections and security forces worldwide.
 
Mike earned an A.A.S. from Western Iowa Technical Community College, is a graduate of Northwestern University’s School of Police Staff and Command and the International Association of Chief’s of Police Leadership in Police Organizations program. He was a recipient of the Governor’s Excellence in Leadership Award in 2022 and was inducted into the Nebraska Law Enforcement Hall of Fame in 2023.
 
In his free time, he is a nationally certified referee in three different Powerlifting federations and enjoys refereeing events of which the Special Olympics is the most rewarding.