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Hall of Fame names Sundvold a Missouri Sports Legend, inducts 15

Sundvold-MSHOF2

COLUMBIA – The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday honored former Mizzou basketball standout Jon Sundvold as a Missouri Sports Legend and inducted 15 individuals in the Enshrinement ceremonies held in Columbia and sponsored by Great Southern Bank and presented by Miller’s Mpix. Associate sponsors were The Insurance Group and MFA Oil.

Jerald Andrews, the longtime President and Executive Director of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, led the afternoon ceremony that drew almost 800 to the Holiday Inn Executive Center.

The newest inductees are former University of Missouri athletic director Joe Castiglione; former Mizzou/NFL defensive lineman Jerome Sally; Mizzou basketball great Al Eberhard; equestrian standout and instructor Gayle Lampe; former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder and Mizzou halfback Charlie James; longtime Show-Me State Games director Ken Ash; Mizzou team physician and sports medicine leader Dr. Pat Smith; Mizzou and Macon High School cheerleading coach Suzy Thompson; longtime Missouri State High School Activities Association director Jack Miles; Rock Bridge High School tennis coach Ben Loeb; powerlifting champion Kate Walker; former Mizzou golf coach Richard Poe; Olympic race walker and Columbia College graduate Larry Young; former Rock Bridge High School football coach and athletic director John Henage; and Mizzou fan Alvin “Squeaky” Marquart.

“We’ve wanted to name Jon Sundvold a Missouri Sports Legend for some time, and this was the perfect setting – in the city where he became a household name across the state,” Andrews said. “The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is the state’s highest honor, and we are also delighted to welcome these wonderful athletes, coaches and administrators into the Hall. Given the crowd size, you can tell that each made positive impacts in so many lives.”

Jon Sundvold

A specially commissioned bust of Jon Sundvold, cast in bronze, was unveiled on Sunday. It will soon appear on the Legends Walkway at the Hall of Fame in Springfield, meaning Sundvold’s bust will join those of a number of Missouri greats such as Whitey Herzog, Norm Stewart, George Brett and Len Dawson. Sundvold was one of the best point guards ever produced in Missouri. He scored more than 2,100 points as a standout at Blue Springs High School and went on to star for Stewart’s Missouri Tigers from 1979 to 1983. In his Mizzou years, the Tigers won four consecutive Big 8 Conference championships. Upon graduation, he was the third-leading scorer in program history (1,597 points), the record-holder in minutes played (4,289), a two-time All-Big 8 selection and, as a senior, a first team All-American. Sundvold, who also played for the 1982 USA Men’s World Championship team, was a first-round draft pick of the Seattle Supersonics in 1983 and helped Seattle to the NBA playoffs that first season. He went on to guide the San Antonio Spurs to three NBA playoff appearances and played for the Miami Heat. In 1989, Sundvold led the NBA in 3-point field goal percentage, hitting 52 percent of his shots (48-of-92). His final season was 1991-1992. Sundvold, a college basketball TV analyst after the NBA, later founded Sundvold Financial.

Joe Castiglione

Joe Castiglione spent 17 seasons in the Missouri Tigers athletic department, including 1994 to 1998 as athletic director. He was credited with rebuilding sports programs, hiring outstanding coaches, implementing an innovative master plan for facilities, inspiring record-setting increases in fund-raising and balancing the budget. The Sports Park at MU was one of his big efforts, as the university upgraded many sports facilities and further raised the profile of Mizzou Athletics nationally. Under Castiglione, Memorial Stadium experienced several improvements with the addition of lights and fan amenities, and he successfully gained approval from the Board of Curators on designs of a new basketball arena. Castiglione, married to the 1990 Mizzou graduate Kristen Bartel, has served as athletic director at the University of Oklahoma since 1998.

Jerome Sally

Jerome Sally is a former Mizzou Tiger and NFL nose tackle who played in the National Football League for seven seasons for the New York Giants, Indianapolis Colts and Kansas City Chiefs. He has worked for the Columbia Public School District since the early 1990s, serving as an assistant coach and strength coach for the Hickman High School football program, and is now assistant principal at Hickman. At Mizzou, Sally helped anchor perennially tough Tiger defenses that keyed Mizzou to four consecutive bowl games from 1978-1981. He lettered his final three seasons in Columbia, when Mizzou had a combined record of 23-13, including two bowl game victories. He finished with a career-high 78 tackles as a senior in 1981 and earned the Associated Press’ National Lineman of the Week award against 9th-ranked Mississippi State, as he registered a career-high 15 tackles (12 solo). Sally played for the New York Giants for five of his seven NFL seasons, helping coach Bill Parcells rebuild the team into a winner and, in 1986, played a key role in the Giants’ Super Bowl-winning season.

Al Eberhard

Al Eberhard is part of Mizzou’s All-Century Team and one of only four Tigers ever to average a double-double. He averaged 16.8 points and 10.1 rebounds a game. Eberhard helped the Mizzou Tigers basketball team to its first two 20-win seasons in 1972 and 1973 and combined with John Brown to give Mizzou its best frontcourt tandem in decades. He earned two MVP Trophies at the Big Eight Holiday Tournament, scoring 33 points to beat Kansas State in the 1973 final, and finished second on the team in scoring and rebounding behind Brown. The 6-foot-5 forward and Iowa native averaged 17 points and 9.3 rebounds as a junior and, a year later, was a first team All-Big 8 Conference while averaging 19.7 points and 12 rebounds a game. Eberhard was a first-round selection in the 1974 NBA Draft and played four seasons for the Detroit Pistons, scoring 1,490 points and grabbing 760 rebounds.

Gayle Lampe

Gayle Lampe is a national and international leader in equestrian science. She is an instructor, coach, trainer, judge and rider and a graduate of Stephens College, whose equestrian program brought Lampe from Louisville, Ky. For almost 42 years, Lampe has been an instrumental force in William Woods University’s nationally acclaimed equestrian studies division, where she participated in the development of the country’s first four-year academic degree program in equestrian science. She has judged horse shows in 43 states, as well as Canada, England, South Africa and Australia. She also has conducted clinics in 19 states and three foreign countries. She has conducted the USEF Judges clinics for Applicants, Saddle Seat Equitation, Saddlebred Horses and National Show Horses for the past four years. She also has trained several William Woods horses to world and national championships. In 1996, she coached the United States saddle seat equitation team to a gold medal in team and individual competition at the first Saddle Seat Equitation World Cup. She personally won a national championship at the Grand National Morgan Horse Show in 1983 on Zephyr’s King Moro. She has a string of other national victories.

Charlie James

A Webster Groves High School graduate who went on to attend the University of Missouri, Charlie James has a remarkable story that led to memorable big-league career. Ultimately, he played six seasons in the big leagues (1960-1965) and was a member of the St. Louis Cardinals’ 1964 World Series-winning team. He signed in 1958 as an amateur free agent for $15,000 with the Cardinals and made his big-league debut with St. Louis on Aug. 2, 1960. He ended his career with the Cincinnati Reds in 1965. In 510 games, James hit a career .255 with 172 RBI, 29 home runs, 56 doubles and nine triples. All this came after James attended Mizzou from 1955-1957, playing halfback for the football team for three seasons and setting a team record for pass receptions that stood for 34 years. He also went on to play for the Tigers baseball team three seasons before signing with the Cardinals.

Ken Ash

A former Mizzou baseball player, Ken Ash retired in 2015 after a 26-year run with the Show-Me State Games, the largest state games in America. Ash, who began as a volunteer at the Games and has since risen up the ranks from full-time competition director (1990) to associate director (1995), became executive director in 2002 following Gary Filbert’s retirement. Ash has been successful in building the Show-Me State Games while other state games struggle or fold, thus bringing great economic impact annually to Columbia. In Ash’s 13-year run as executive director, he eliminated the regional festival concept and brought all competitions to Columbia, stabilized the budget of about $1.4 million annually with long-term sponsorships and entry fees from about 30,000 participants annually. Ash previously coached basketball at Central Methodist and Pittsburg (Kan.) State.

Dr. Pat Smith

Dr. Pat Smith joined Columbia Orthopaedic Group in 1986 and specializes in arthroscopic surgery and sports medicine. He has held the title of Head Team Physician for the University of Missouri athletic department since 1991. Smith has received the Sports Medicine Hall of Fame Award by the Missouri Athletic Trainers’ Association for outstanding service, dedication and contribution in the field of sports medicine. He also treats high school and college athletes from across the region. Smith is a Clinical Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Missouri and, in 2010, was appointed Director of the Division of Sports Medicine at the University of Missouri in the Department of Orthopedic Surgery, as well as Co-Director of the Sports Medicine Fellowship Program. He is a member of many organizations such as the Orthopedic Society for Sports Medicine.

Suzy Thompson

Suzy Thompson has been the cheerleading coach at Mizzou since 1993 and previously was the cheerleading coach at Macon High School from 1978 to 2007. She also has been the mascot coordinator at Mizzou since 2003, the year she received the Recruiting Award from football coach Gary Pinkel. At Mizzou, Thompson coached the cheerleaders to a national title in 1996 and “Truman the Tiger” has won national championships in 2004 and 2014. At Macon High School, Thompson led the cheerleading program to three high school national championships and 15 state championships, plus co-founded the Missouri Cheerleading Coaches Association. She is the winningest high school cheer coach in Missouri and was named the National Federation Interscholastic Spirit Association Coach of the Year in 1996. Thompson was the cheerleading squad captain of her high school, Kirksville, and was a cheerleader and team captain at Truman State University.

Jack Miles

Jack Miles spent 30 years at the Missouri State High School Activities Association – 15 as assistant director and then 15 as executive director. He grew up in Shelbina, graduating in 1955. After graduating from Mizzou in 1960, Miles served two years in the Army, including 10 months in Germany after the USSR cut off land access to Berlin. Upon returning home, he soon began his career with MSHSAA. In his tenure, Miles helped lead the expansion of girls sports and put a greater emphasis on sportsmanship, among numerous achievements. Miles later became state director for the Missouri Senior Games for 10 years, growing entries from 450 in 1995 to 1,500 in 2005.

Ben Loeb

A longtime tennis coach at both Hickman and Rock Bridge high schools in Columbia, Ben Loeb has earned 946 dual meet victories and 12 state championships in 26 years. He has coached Rock Bridge High School since 1994. In that time, his girls teams have won seven state titles (1999, 2002, 2003, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2015), while the Rock Bridge boys teams have won four state titles (2008, 2010, 2011, 2012). At Hickman High School (1989-1994) the boys team won state in 1994. Combined, his teams have reached the state semifinals 29 times. A graduate of Clayton High School and the University of Missouri, Loeb also coached at the University of Missouri from 1986-1988.

Kate Walker

A Stephens College graduate, Kate Walker ended her career in dance after suffering from severe osteo-arthritis and has become a successful powerlifting champion. Walker began power lifting in her mid-50s. In September 2011, she was recognized in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd” after a string of success. Those successes include setting state and national records in the American Drug Free Powerlifting Federation, and she was chosen for the USA Team for the World Drug Free Powerlifting Federation in 2010 and 2011. In 2010 at age 61, she won gold in her age and weight class and, a year later, set world records in the power squat, bench press and deadlift. Walker has been chosen as the Gladys Stankowski Sportswoman of the Year award in March 2011. She also was named the Show-Me State Games Female Athlete of the Year in 2012.

Richard Poe

Richard Poe is the longest-tenured Missouri Tigers golf coach, having served from 1977 to 1998. In his coaching career at Mizzou, Poe overhauled the program and was a two-time Big 8 Coach of the Year, leading his team to the league title in 1984. He coached five PING All-America selections, 11 Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars and PGA Tour players Stan Utley and Jason Schultz. Poe reached the NCAA Regionals or Finals in 15 of the last 16 years he coached. Most of his teams were comprised of Missourians, and the 1984 Big 8 Championship team featured two players from Columbia and one each from St. Louis, Kansas City and West Plains. Poe is a Rolla native who graduated in 1963 from Mizzou. He competed for the Tigers from 1959 to 1963, and tied for fifth at the 1963 NCAA Championships – still a Mizzou record. He was set on becoming an attorney in the early 1970s but focused on golf after beginning work as a PGA professional at the Country Club of Missouri.

Larry Young

Larry Young, a Columbia College graduate, is the only American race walker to medal in the Olympic Games. He won bronze in the 50-kilometer walk both in the 1968 Mexico City Games and the 1972 Munich Games. Young dominated both the 20K and 50K for years. He won more than 30 national titles from 2 miles to 100 miles and added gold medals in the 50K race in the Pan-American Games – 1967 in Winnipeg, Manitoba; and in 1971 in Cali, Colombia. His time of 18 hours, 7 minutes, 12 seconds remains the U.S. record for 100 miles and was set in 1971. Columbia College awarded him the first race walking scholarship in the U.S, and he has since been inducted into the U.S. Track and Field Hall of Fame.

John Henage

John Henage was 149-70-2 in 20 seasons (1977 to 1997) at Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, winning the Class 3 state title in 1977 and placing second in Class 4 in both 1992 and 1993. His overall .678 winning percentage was recently among the top 20. Named the Missouri Football Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 1977 and 1993, Henage retired in 2001 after 24 years in Columbia Public Schools, having also spent 18 years as athletic director of Rock Bridge High School. Henage also coached at St. Joseph Central and Orchard Farm high schools, where in the role of athletic director he expanded the department with the addition of new sports such as softball.

Alvin “Squeaky” Marquart

Alvin “Squeaky” Marquart is being inducted as a fan after championing high school and Mizzou sports for decades. He began handling basketball radio broadcasts for KLPW in 1968 and took over when the station almost ended sports coverage. He even worked for free for a time after the station was sold. In 1972, he and his wife, Opal, purchased their first Mizzou football season tickets. In 1973, Marquart became president of the Missouri Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association, which was the first to announce an all-state girls basketball team. Additionally, Marquart and Opal began attending every home and road Tigers football and basketball game in 1986. Squeaky has not missed a basketball home game since then.