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MSHOF honors 18 in front of 700 at Enshrinement in Independence

Front row, left to right: Willie Bowie, Bob Dernier, Ron Hall, Jim Aziere, Lori Hanaway, Chairman Leon Combs, Diana Tingler, Chip Sherman, Darrel Gourley, Frank Boal, Dr. Jon Browne. Back row, left to right: Executive Vice President Marty Willadsen, Bill Maas, Bob Glasgow, Kevin Seitzer, coach Mel Tjeerdsma representing Northwest Missouri State’s 1998 & 1999 national championship football teams, Martin Rucker, Don Walsworth, Phillip Snowden, James Roberts and President & Executive Director Jerald Andrews.
Front row, left to right: Willie Bowie, Bob Dernier, Ron Hall, Jim Aziere, Lori Hanaway, Chairman Leon Combs, Diana Tingler, Chip Sherman, Darrel Gourley, Frank Boal, Dr. Jon Browne. Back row, left to right: Executive Vice President Marty Willadsen, Bill Maas, Bob Glasgow, Kevin Seitzer, coach Mel Tjeerdsma representing Northwest Missouri State’s 1998 & 1999 national championship football teams, Martin Rucker, Don Walsworth, Phillip Snowden, James Roberts and President & Executive Director Jerald Andrews.

The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame inducted 15 individuals, a high school wrestling program and its former coach as well as two national championship football teams on Sunday during the Enshrinement in Independence presented by Great Southern Bank. The Hall of Fame also bestowed the President’s Award on a longtime Kansas City resident.

President & Executive Director Jerald Andrews presided over the event, which drew a crowd of nearly 700 to the Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center. It marked the Hall of Fame’s seventh Enshrinement away from Springfield.

“We are delighted to welcome the new inductees. All are deserving, considering their accomplishments both on and off the field,” Andrews said. “We also want to say thank you to Kansas City and northwest Missouri for strongly supporting this event. They helped make the Enshrinement a memorable day for all of our honorees.”

The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame inducted:

  • Bill Maas, one of the best nose tackles in Kansas City Chiefs history
  • Kevin Seitzer, who played for the Kansas City Royals in the late 1980s and early 1990s
  • Martin Rucker, a football star at St. Joseph Benton High School and the University of Missouri
  • Bob Dernier, a Raytown South High School graduate and former big-leaguer
  • Jon Browne, a sports medicine expert and the former Head Team Physician of the Kansas City Chiefs
  • Ron Hall, a Missouri Valley College and 1960s Boston Patriots football standout
  • Lori Hanaway, one of the most successful high school volleyball coaches in state history
  • Frank Boal, a longtime television sports director in the Kansas City market
  • Jim Aziere, the longtime Raytown High School swim coach
  • Phillip Snowden, who quarterbacked the Mizzou Tigers in the late 1950s
  • Chip Sherman, who coached 20 winning football seasons at Platte County High School
  • Don Walsworth, a longtime financial supporter of the University of Missouri
  • Willie Bowie, who coached boys basketball at Paseo Academy
  • Darrel Gourley, a longtime coach of multiple sports at William Jewell College
  • Diana Tingler, who built the Smithville High School girls basketball program into a power
  • The Oak Grove High School Wrestling Program and wrestling coach Bob Glasgow
  • Northwest Missouri State University’s 1998 and 1999 National Championship Football Teams

Longtime Kansas City businessman James Roberts was presented the President’s Award, given to an individual who champions sports in the state and especially supports the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

Bill Maas, Kansas City Chiefs: Maas was one of the best nose tackles in Chiefs history, playing from 1984 to 1992 before finishing his National Football League career in 1993 with the Green Bay Packers. He helped the Chiefs to the playoffs in 1986, 1990, 1991 and 1992 and then helped the Packers reach the postseason. A first-round draft pick out of the University of Pittsburgh, Maas was the 1984 NFL Rookie of the Year. Along the way, he finished with 40 quarterback sacks and earned two Pro Bowl selections (1986, 1987).

Kevin Seitzer, Kansas City Royals: Seitzer played 12 years in the big leagues, including his first six with the Kansas City Royals from 1986 to 1991. A third baseman, Seitzer led the American League in hits (207) and plate appearances (725) in 1987, when he hit .323, was voted to the All-Star Game and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Mark McGwire. His .294 career batting average is fifth-best in Royals history, and he ranks 18th in hits (809). Seitzer helped four Royals teams to at least 82 wins, including the 1989 team that won 92 games. He has since served as a big-league hitting coach with the Arizona Diamondbacks, Royals, Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves. In the past dozen years, he also has co-owned Mac-N-Seitz baseball & softball training facility.

Martin Rucker, St. Joseph Benton High School/University of Missouri/NFL: Rucker played at St. Joseph’s Benton High School, earning All-State in 2002 on the offensive line, and later was a standout pass-catching tight end for the Missouri Tigers from 2004 to 2007. He won consensus First Team All-America honors as a senior in 2007. That season, he helped lead Mizzou to a 12-2 season, its first-ever Big 12 North Division title and a final No. 4 Associated Press ranking. Rucker ended his Tigers career with several school records, including career (203) and single-season (84) receptions. He played in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars and was with the Chiefs in 2012.

Bob Dernier, Raytown South High School/Longview Community College/Philadelphia Phillies & Chicago Cubs: Dernier graduated from Raytown South High School and attended Longview Community College in Kansas City before going on to play 10 seasons in the big leagues from 1980 to 1989. Dernier was a key part of the Philadelphia Phillies’ 1983 team that won the National League pennant and then played center field for the Chicago Cubs in 1984, when the Cubs won the NL East and came up only one game short of reaching the World Series. In his 10 seasons, he hit 23 home runs, 92 doubles and drove in 152 runs, plus stole 218 bases. Dernier won a Gold Glove in 1984, and his stolen base percentage of 93.10 in 1986 led the NL.

Dr. Jon Browne, Sports Medicine in Kansas City: Browne has worked in sports medicine for decades, including 22 years as Head Team Physician for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1990 to 2012. He received his MD degree from the University of Missouri-Columbia School of Medicine, completed his Orthopaedic residency at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, working with the Houston Oilers, and went on to a fellowship in sports medicine at the University of Oregon, where he assisted the 1976 USA Track and Field Olympic Team. He is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery and is the program director of the Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship Program through the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Ron Hall, Missouri Valley College/Boston Patriots: A 1959 graduate of Missouri Valley College in Marshall, Hall played for the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers (1959-1960) and the Boston Patriots (1961-1967). He has since been named to the Patriots’ All-Decade Team of the 1960s, having been selected to the All-AFL team in 1963 and 1964. Hall held three of the Patriots’ interceptions records – most in a career (29), season (11) and game (3). At Missouri Valley College, he played in four postseason bowl games and earned Little College All-American honors. After his NFL days, Hall was a teacher and coach in public schools in Kansas City and Liberty, leading Liberty to two conference football titles.

Lori Hanaway, O’Hara/St. Teresa’s/Lee’s Summit West/Lee’s Summit Volleyball Coach: Hanaway has amassed 749 victories in 27 seasons as a volleyball coach, winning eight state championships— seven at O’Hara High School and one at St. Teresa’s Academy. In one stretch, her teams won six consecutive state titles. She also took Lee’s Summit West High School to two state runner-up finishes in her five seasons there and, after briefly stepping away from the sport, she returned to coaching in the 2017 season at Lee’s Summit High School. Hanaway, who also won a volleyball state title as a player at Independence’s William Chrisman High School in 1983, is a Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee. 

Frank Boal, WDAF-TV & KSHB-TV Sports Director: One of the most recognizable sports media personalities in Kansas City, Boal spent 28 years with WDAF-TV as its sports director and then recently retired as sports director at KSHB TV in Kansas City. Boal covered the Kansas City Kings initially and then stayed after they moved West, covering everyone from legendary golfer Tom Watson to the Royals’ 1985 and 2015 World Series as well as the Kansas City Chiefs’ great run of the 1990s. Boal also has been a regular on WHB Radio 810 since 2001. A native of Pittsburgh, Pa., Boal is an inductee of the Villanova Athletics Hall of Fame, having been a star running back on its football team.

Jim Aziere, Raytown High School Swim Coach: Aziere began coaching boys swimming at Raytown High School in 1974 and continues to this day. Between 1974 and 2017, Aziere’s Raytown boys swim teams were 515-86-2 in duals, including 10 undefeated seasons. He had 13 individual state champions, two state record holders, three All-Americans and 56 All-State swimmers. From 1984 to 1997, his girls teams were 141-38 in duals, had one state champion and six All-State swimmers. His water polo teams were 278-64-2 and produced three All-Americans. A graduate of the University of Central Missouri, Aziere previously coached various sports in stints at Bishop Meige (Kan.) High School, the University of Kansas, the American School in Honduras and De La Salle Academy.

Phillip Snowden, North Kansas City High School/University of Missouri: A graduate of North Kansas City High School, Snowden was the starting quarterback and a defensive safety for the Missouri Tigers in the late 1950s, playing 30 games and leading the program to the 1960 Orange Bowl. That season marked the Tigers’ first postseason game since 1949 and, while Mizzou suffered a setback to Georgia and future NFL quarterback Fran Tarkenton, Snowden was 11 of 17 passing for 152 yards in the game. In his time at Mizzou, he played for four Hall of Fame coaches: then-freshman basketball coach Norm Stewart and football coaches Don Faurot, Frank Broyles and Dan Devine. Snowden went on to represent Clay County in the Missouri General Assembly for 18 years, including 10 in the House and eight in the Senate. He also has practiced law for more than 30 years in the Kansas City area and also is a part of the University of Missouri’s Board of Curators.

Chip Sherman, Platte County High School Football Coach: Beginning in 1988, Sherman coached 20 winning seasons at Platte County High School, compiling a 191-37 record – among the state’s top 30 coaching records – and won three consecutive Class 3 state championships (2000, 2001, 2002). He took 12 teams to the playoffs, with his 1999 and 2005 teams also reaching the state semifinals. From 1999 to 2003, his teams won 64 of 66 games, including 52 consecutive – the second-longest streak in state history. Sherman, who has been inducted into the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, has since coached at three Kansas high schools – Salina South, Shawnee Mission East and Olathe Northwest High School.

Don Walsworth, Marceline High School/University of Missouri: Walsworth is the President and Director of Walsworth Publishing Company, Inc., the 27th largest printing company in the United States and among the country’s top four yearbook printers – with several locations, including in Marceline and Brookfield. Walsworth grew up in Marceline and graduated from the University of Missouri in 1957. As company president since 1967, Walsworth has been a significant supporter of Mizzou athletics, gifting millions of dollars toward athletic department facility improvements. For instance, in 2013, he gifted $8.3 million toward renovations to Memorial Stadium and The Club at Old Hawthorn, bringing his generosity to the university to $14 million. He also has served a six-year term as a University of Missouri System Board of Curators.

Willie Bowie, Paseo High School Boys Basketball Coach: Bowie was one of the state’s most influential basketball coaches, leading the Paseo boys basketball program for 23 years beginning in 1969 and winning more than 400 games. Four of his teams reached the Final Four: 1971 (second in Class L), 1973 (fourth in Class L), 1986 (third in Class 3) and the Anthony Peeler-led 1988 team (second in Class 3). Bowie’s 1988 squad also was the first from Kansas City to win the prospect-rich Bass Pro Tournament of Champions and was part of three consecutive unbeaten years in the Scholastic League. Bowie also won multiple Coach of the Year awards and, while in administrative roles at Kansas City-area schools, earned two Athletic Director of the Year awards.

Darrel Gourley, William Jewell College Coach: Gourley spent 32 years at William Jewell College in Liberty, including 24 years as the head coach of the track and field program and 18 years as football coach. Overall, his teams won 42 conference titles, including 27 with the track and field program, which never finished worse than third place in the league. Gourley also coached golf for eight years, winning five conference championships, and spent time coaching wrestling, cross country and intramurals. He also administered college and high school athletic meets on the district, conference and state levels, plus chaired the Coaches Association for the NAIA District 16 and Heart of America Athletic Conference in both track and golf. After military service during World War II, he was an all-conference running back for what is now Truman State University, which inducted Gourley into its Athletic Hall of Fame in 1989.

Diana Tingler, Smithville High School Girls Basketball Coach: Tingler established herself as one of the most successful basketball coaches in the state while leading the Smithville High School girls basketball program from 1977 to 2005 – a span of 28 seasons. Her teams compiled a 457-282 record, won 10 district titles and played in two state semifinals in both 1984 and 1985, placing fourth both years. She also coached the track and field program at Smithville, winning a state title. She graduated from Gilman City High School, leading its girls basketball program to a 23-0 record her senior year. She then played basketball at the University of Central Missouri, earning four letters from 1971 to 1974, and was the first basketball coach in Holden High School history.

Oak Grove High School Wrestling Program & Coach Bob Glasgow: The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is inducting the Oak Grove High School Wrestling Program and former coach Bob Glasgow. The program owns state records for most team championships (17) and individual state champions (86). Overall, the program has produced four four-time state champs, 19 undefeated champions and, as a team, 31 top four finishes. Glasgow coached 25 seasons before retiring in 2009, leading Oak Grove to 12 state titles, including its first in 1984, and a 245-39-2 dual record. He is an inductee of the Missouri Wrestling Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame, having also coached for USA Wrestling.

Northwest Missouri State Football 1998 & 1999 National Championship Teams: No other Missouri college football program had won back-to-back national championships until Northwest Missouri State pulled the trick in 1998 and 1999 in NCAA Division II. Those titles are among six the Bearcats have won in the past 17 years. Coach Mel Tjeerdsma, a 2010 Missouri Sports Hall of Fame inductee, guided the first two championship teams, with quarterback Chris Greisen in 1998 and quarterback Travis Miles in 1999. Many of the players on the 1998 team were part of the 1999 championship, too. The 1998 team was the first in NCAA D-II to finish 15-0. Both teams beat Carson-Newman in their respective championship games, with the 1999 team winning 58-52 in four overtimes after rallying for 30 points in the fourth quarter, including 15 points in the final three minutes of regulation.

James Roberts – President’s Award: A Springfield-Glendale High School and Drury University graduate, Roberts supported the Hall of Fame’s Celebrity Golf Classics and its Stan Musial Hall of Fame Championships for years. Additionally, Roberts threw his support behind the PGA Web.com Tour’s Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper, an annual tournament in Springfield. Thanks in part to Roberts’ support, the PCCC has been able to gift $14 million to children’s charities in its history. Roberts, who also backed Park Hill High School athletics and a Kansas City summer baseball team called the Sluggers, is the founder, Chairman and CEO of two Kansas City-based companies, Transportation Logistical Services and Air-X.