By: Con Marshall
CHADRON, Neb. – Joe Planansky, a native of Hemingford, Nebraska who became an All-American tight end with Chadron State in the 1990s, will be inducted into the Nebraska Football Hall of Fame on September 4 in Lincoln by the Nebraska chapter of the National Football Foundation.
Now a long-time chiropractor in Fort Collins, Colorado, Planansky will be the ninth inductee with Chadron State ties going into that Hall of Fame. Planansky was previously the first former CSC athlete inducted into the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Hall of Fame in 2005 and entered the Chadron State Hall of Fame in 2009.
Planansky was a four-year starter, a three-time unanimous all-conference selection and was chosen by his teammates as the Eagles' most valuable player as both a junior and a senior. He was a second-team All-American as a junior and a first-team selection as a senior, and he also was placed on the college's All-Century team when it was chosen in 2014.
The 2026 National Football Foundation Nebraska Chapter Hall of Fame Induction Banquet will be held on Friday, September 4 at 6 p.m. at the University of Nebraska West Memorial Stadium Club in Lincoln. The rest of the 2026 Nebraska Football Hall of Fame class includes former University of Nebraska players Charles Fryar, Jim Scott, Cory Schlesinger, Cory Ross, Lavonte David and Sam Foltz. The second annual Nebraska Football Hall of Fame Legend Award will be presented to former Husker coach Frank Solich while Kent Pavelka, a member of the Husker Football radio crew for two decades, will receive the Lyell Bremser Special Merit Award.
The previous Chadron State inductees include longtime coaches Ross Armstrong and Brad Smith along with players LaVerne McKelvey, who wrapped up his playing career as the star of the undefeated 1925 team, along with Milford "Dub" Miller from the 1930s, Lonny Wickard from the 1950s, Brad Fults from the 1970s, Casey Beran from the late 1990s and Danny Woodhead, who left Chadron State in 2007 as college football's all-time leading rusher. With Planansky as part of the 2026 class, CSC earns its first Nebraska Football Hall of Fame inductee since Beran in the class of 2019.
What made Planansky such a standout? In short, he combined exceptional blocking with his ability to catch and run with the football and desire to succeed. Brad Smith, Planansky's former coach and a fellow Nebraska Football Hall of Fame inductee, referred to Planansky as "probably the best blocker I've ever coached."
Planansky caught 154 passes, a school record at the time of his graduation and still within the top 10 on CSC's all-time list, and finished his career with 1,877 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns. He averaged 12.2 yards per catch during his career.
After concluding his eligibility, Planansky became the first Chadron State gridder to play in the Snow Bowl all-star game in Fargo, N.D. He was invited to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis and signed a contract that spring with the Miami Dolphins. Planansky played in two NFL games for the 1995 Dolphins, part of a team with Hall of Fame coach Don Shula and Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino.
Planansky found that life goes on after his athletic career ended. He was a student assistant coach with the Chadron State football team in the fall of '96, then attended graduate school at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln one semester. The following year, he taught math and coached the wrestling team at Gering High School.
While he was in Lincoln the spring of 1997, Joe met his future wife, Kim Koelling, a volleyball standout at Nebraska Wesleyan University. They were married in the summer of 1998 and moved to Mankato, Minn., where both were graduate students, teaching assistants and assistant coaches for two years at Minnesota State-Mankato.
In the fall of 2000, he enrolled in Parker College of Chiropractic in Dallas. He graduated in 2003 and has been practicing his profession in the Fort Collins area for more than 20 years. Joe and Kim have two children, Kaley and Jensen, now young adults.