Wichita State graduate Dave Dahl never thought about becoming a Sedgwick county judge until he was in his 20s.

He never thought he would work alongside Mike Kennedy as a commentator for WSU men’s basketball, write his own book, “Sharing and Opening a Business in Kansas,” open a law firm, become a professor of business and entrepreneurship at WSU or go to law school, either.

 Most importantly, he never thought he would receive a telephone call from Ron Heller informing him about the offer of a 3-year scholarship to play basketball at WSU in the summer of 1967.

This was my most memorable moment at WSU, Dahl said.

 It was a moment that determined the next 42 years of service and opportunity he would devote to WSU and Wichita. 

“I will never be able to pay back WSU for what it has done for me,” Dahl said. 

However, through every activity Dahl participated in, his focus remained constant – to serve and better his teammates on or off the court. 

“I have not known very many people who have known Dave for a period of time and not said that he is the best or one of the best friends they have ever had,” Mike Kennedy said. 

Kennedy has worked with Dave for 21 years as a broadcaster for, “Voice of the Shockers,” a radio station during the WSU men’s basketball games. 

Dahl used to travel with the team before his two boys were grown, Kennedy said. He has developed a strong relationship with some of the coaches and players. He has helped players find jobs and has encouraged them to think about their post-collegiate careers, when basketball would no longer be an option.

“When I got into college I quickly realized other players were better than I was,” Dahl said. 

His childhood dream of becoming a professional basketball player quickly diminished, and instead he used the rules of the game to better prepare himself for a professional career. 

Basketball taught me the importance of hard work, sacrifice, teamwork, and treating people fairly, Dahl said. You learn that being the focal point is not the most important thing, but reaching a goal is.

These fundamentals helped him become an attorney, and start a law firm Kennedy, Dahl & Willis, after attending Washburn University Law School in Topeka. 

Dahl and his wife, Tonya, are active members of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, the WSU Alumni Association, and Big Brothers, Big Sisters. He has been a past board member for the Wichita Children’s Theatre, Wichita Festivals, Inc., past president for the WSU Alumni Association, and past board member for CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate Association) of Sedgwick County.

They started the “couples match,” with Big Brothers Big Sisters in Topeka, and more than 30 years later they are still involved in the life of their little.  

This was still not enough for Dahl, and it took a walk back into memory lane to realize what he was still missing.  

After visiting the site of the WSU football airplane crash in 1970 that killed 31 passengers, Dahl contemplated more seriously about his duty to become a judge. 

Dahl will never forget what Federal Judge Wesley Brown once said, “The highest level of service, in the legal position, is being a judge.” Those words couldn’t ring truer for Dahl in that moment, as he stood at the site where dozens of his friends had died, realizing he can still live through them. It was no longer a choice.  

“You get to a point where you start to recognize that it’s not what you choose to do, but what you are obligated to do,” Dahl said. 

Although Dahl has experienced WSU during its most unfortunate moment, he also shared in the success of being on one of the first basketball teams in the Midwest to have African American players, becoming friends with the players who made it to the Final Four in 1964-1965 and he found two mentors who greatly influence his life. 

Dahl’s heroes, in relevance to his interests, range from business to basketball: Fran Jabara, founder and first director of WSU’s Center for Entrepreneurship and Ron Heller, Assistant Coach. 

I always was impressed with how Heller treated people, held people accountable and treated people fairly, Dahl said; traits that Kennedy sees in Dahl. 

“He has tremendous personal integrity,” Kennedy said. “He is incredibly self-disciplined. I know that he will give careful consideration to both sides of the argument. He won’t be influenced by any factors other than the argument of the case.” 

From most inspirational player, two years in the running, to being named Wichita Legal Professionals Boss of the Year, Dahl has been successful at whatever he touches, but to him, this just comes haphazardly.

“Living a successful life is difficult,” said Dahl. “But living a significant life is more important.” 

His wife, Tonya Dahl, can attest to his significance after being married to Dahl for almost 42 years, both of them raising two, twin boys.

“I always wish I could be more like him, actually,” she said. “He’s a great individual who feels it is important to be very kind and loving and supportive.” 

She said her husband never missed a youth basketball game or Quivira Cub Scout activity. He was always there for his boys, and never faltered to encourage their dreams or hers. 

“We have different interests, but we have always worked together as a team,” she said. 

A good teammate can be seen on the scoreboard, but a significant teammate can only be felt by those they want to inspire. It’s not what he does in the courtroom that made Dave Dahl Sedgwick County Judge, but how he arrived at this point and the lives he impacted along the way. 

“A life is not important except for the impact it has on other lives,” Dahl said, quoting Jackie Robinson.