Back in 1981, when David Fairchild was first hired to coach the football team at Penney High School, the weight room was down in the basement and next to the boiler. In other words, no frills.
That was a good thing, in the eyes of the new young coach. After all, why not start from the ground up? More importantly, he sensed he was in the right place to build a winner — a hard-working community in northwest Missouri called Hamilton, a town along Highway 36 with only one stoplight.
Turned out, Fairchild put it on the map and, for his body of work, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct Fairchild with the Class of 2017 on Sunday, January 29. (For tickets & the full lineup, see below.)
Fairchild was 240-104 overall, including 231-84 in 28 seasons at Penney, where his teams won three state championships (2009, 2010, 2012), played in three other state semifinals, earned nine quarterfinal berths and 12 district championships.
“The community has always been very supportive of me,” Fairchild said. “And our kids have always been hard-working. They just needed some structure and continuity to get going.”
Fairchild certainly fit in like a glove at Penney, a school named for one of Hamilton’s success stories, James Cash Penney, founder of J.C. Penney retail stores. Fairchild worked for the district for 34 years a teacher, coach, athletic director, middle school principal and superintendent of schools, a role he held from 1997 to 2005. He returned to the sidelines in 2003 while finishing up his duties as superintendent.
For Fairchild, the job kept him close to his hometown. He graduated from nearby Chillicothe High School in 1972 after playing for his dad, Bob, who in his 32 seasons won 287 games and in 2002 was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
“Our attention to detail was one of our trademarks at Penney,” said Fairchild, a 1976 graduate of Northwest Missouri State who initially was an assistant at West Nodaway High School and as head coach at South Harrison High School from 1978 to 1981. “We were disciplined and we didn’t make many mistakes. That’s one of the things I learned from my father. And our players came from a middle class community of parents that were hard-working.”
Fairchild said his success was a result of players, assistant coaches, the community and family. His assistants were Ken Ruffscorn, Rick Ross, Terry Nigh, Lysander Overstreet, Bob Grant, Chad Smith, Mark Vollmer and Jim Dickey. He also had tremendous support from his wife, Judy, and sons Wally, Sully and Sam.
“My wife Judy, taught me a lot. She’s one of the most organized and disciplined people I know,” Fairchild said. “There are a lot of sacrifices your family has to put in.”
Just as important were the players. They bought in.
The Hornets were 2-7 in his first season in 1981 but had only two other losing seasons in his tenure. The key season was 1986, when the Hornets won the conference for the first time in 24 seasons.
“My first question every year was, ‘How good do you want to be?’’ Fairchild said. “Everybody wants to reach their goals, but the process you have to go through to get there is what it takes to be successful. Our players understood that.”
The 2009 team (14-0) that won Class 1 featured Dylan Chadwick, Jordan Richman and John Novak. The 2010 team, which won Class 2 and finished 15-0, was led by Trevor Dixon, Keagan Prather, Josh Pickrell and T.J. Schieber – with the latter two playing for the University of Central Missouri and Northwest Missouri State, respectively.
The 2012 team had Drew Finch, Tyler Hampton, Derrick and Devan Hughes and Kellen Overstreet, who was later a Parade All-American and is now a sophomore on the University of Wyoming football team.
For Fairchild, he can now look back on a career that included so many awards – Associated Press Coach of the Year for Missouri in 2009 and 2010, the St. Joseph News Press Coach of the Year in 2010 and induction into the Missouri Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1999. He also was a coach in the Missouri Lions All-Star Game, assisting the West team in 1988 and serving as head coach of the Blue team in 2010.
That said, he is glad to have been part of the Hamilton community.
“It’s kind of like the saying about the turtle on the fence post. He didn’t get there by himself,” Fairchild said. “We had a lot of high expectations for our kids and our parents supported us. If you don’t have that, you’re dead in the water.”
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ENSHRINEMENT IN SPRINGFIELD
When: Sunday, January 29
Early Reception: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, 3861 E. Stan Musial Drive in Springfield. Event is sponsored by Meek’s The Builder’s Choice.
Reception, dinner & ceremony: 4 p.m. at University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center in downtown Springfield, 5 p.m. dinner and ceremony. Sponsored by Killian Construction. Associate Sponsors are Advertising Plus, Hiland Dairy, Hillyard, Inc. and White River Valley Electric Co-op
Inductees: St. Louis Cardinals speedster Vince Coleman, Kansas City Royals outfielder Amos Otis, Chiefs quarterback Bill Kenney, the Voice of the Missouri Tigers, Mike Kelly, Houston Astros owner Jim Crane (University of Central Missouri baseball), former Mizzou football coach Warren Powers, Missouri State volleyball coach Melissa Stokes, Mizzou head athletic trainer Rex Sharp, B.A.S.S. champion Rick Clunn (Ava), motocross champion Jeff Emig (Kansas City), Missouri State basketball standout Kelby Stuckey, NFL referee George Hayward (St. Joseph), the Voice of the Missouri State Bears, Art Hains, track coach Rod Staggs (St. Louis Berkeley), Penney High School football coach David Fairchild and Glendale High School soccer coach Jeff Rogers. The Hall of Fame also will induct the New Bloomfield High School Baseball Program and its coach, the late Rod Haley, and the University of Central Missouri Mules Baseball Program. The John Q. Hammons Founder’s Award will be bestowed on Jack Henry & Associates, and the Hall will present the President’s Award to Leon Combs.
Tickets: Call 417-889-3100. A sponsorship table of 10 is $1,500 and includes an autographed print of the Class of 2017, sponsor recognition in the printed program and at the table. An individual ticket is $150. Numerous other sponsorships also are available, including congratulatory ads.
