The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame will soon host an Enshrinement in Independence presented by Great Southern Bank, with the Hall of Fame to honor 16 individuals, a high school wrestling program and two national championship football teams.
President & Executive Director Jerald Andrews on Wednesday announced the Enshrinement in Independence class, which will be honored on Sunday, November 12 at the Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center, 18011 Bass Pro Drive in Independence. Festivities begin with a noon reception and 1 p.m. dinner, followed by the program. Tickets can be purchased by calling 417-889-3100.
Sponsorship tables of 10, which include an autographed print and recognition in the printed program, can be purchased for $1,500. An individual ticket is $150 and includes a set of trading cards of all honorees. Other sponsorships are available, including congratulatory ads and trading card recognition.
The Enshrinement in Independence induction class features: Kansas City Chiefs nose tackle Bill Maas, Kansas City Royals third baseman Kevin Seitzer, St. Joseph Benton and University of Missouri tight end Martin Rucker, former big-leaguer Bob Dernier, sports medicine expert Dr. Jon Browne, former Missouri Valley College and 1960s Boston Patriots star Ron Hall, longtime high school volleyball coach Lori Hanaway, longtime television sports director Frank Boal, Raytown High School swim coach Jim Aziere, former Mizzou Tigers quarterback Phillip Snowden, Platte County High School football coach Chip Sherman, Mizzou supporter Don Walsworth, former Paseo Academy basketball coach Willie Bowie, William Jewell track and field coach Darrel Gourley, retired Smithville High School girls basketball coach Diana Tingler, the Oak Grove High School Wrestling Program and wrestling coach Bob Glasgow as well as Northwest Missouri State University’s 1998 and 1999 national championship football teams. Kansas City businessman James Roberts will receive the President’s Award, given to an individual who supports sports in the state and especially the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
The event marks the first enshrinement in the Kansas City area for the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and seventh away from Springfield. Prior enshrinements were held in St. Joseph, Kirksville, Jefferson City, St. Charles, Columbia and Cape Girardeau.
“We are excited to be showcasing Kansas City and the Northwest Missouri area,” Andrews said during a press conference Wednesday at the Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center. “This is a great way for more family and friends of our honorees to be able attend. For us, it’s an important event. For more than two decades, I’ve put an emphasis on honoring not only those from pro sports but also standouts and coaches from high schools and colleges. We invite the community to join us.”
Bill Maas, Kansas City Chiefs: Maas was a one of the most fearsome defensive linemen in Chiefs history, playing nine seasons as Kansas City’s nose tackle from 1984 to 1992 before finishing his National Football League career in 1993 with the Green Bay Packers. Along the way, Maas helped the Chiefs to five playoff berths (1986, 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993). He burst on to the scene in 1984, earning the NFL Rookie of the Year when he had 40 sacks and scored two touchdowns. Maas, whose career included two Pro Bowl selections (1986, 1987), now works for Block and Company in Kansas City.
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 whose arrival led the Royals to move George Brett to first base, Seitzer led the American League in hits (207) and plate appearances (725) in 1987, when he was voted to the All-Star Game and finished second in Rookie of the Year voting behind Mark McGwire. His .294 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 1989 team that won 92 games. He has since served as a big-league hitting coach with the Royals, Toronto Blue Jays and Atlanta Braves.
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, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars and was with the Chiefs in 2012.
Bob Dernier, Raytown South High School/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 1989 to 2011. 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 and went on to a fellowship in sports medicine at the University of Oregon. 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 voted 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), a game (3). At Missouri Valley College, he played in four postseason bowl games and earned all-conference honors. After his NFL days, Hall was a teacher and coach in public schools in Kansas City and Liberty.
Lori Hanaway, O’Hara/St. Teresa’s/Lee’s Summit West volleyball coach: Before this season, Hanaway amassed 724 victories and won eight state championships — seven of those while at O’Hara High School and one more at St. Teresa’s Academy. O’Hara won four consecutive state titles from 2007 to 2010. She also took Lee’s Summit West to two state runner-up finishes in her five seasons there and, after briefly stepping away from the sport, she returned to coaching this 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 & 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. Overall, his teams have won more than 500 dual meets. A graduate of the University of Central Missouri, Aziere previously coached football and soccer at Bishop Meige (Kan.) High School and was a graduate assistant for the University of Kansas’ cross country and track teams. He also coached the American School in Honduras before coaching track and soccer at De La Salle Academy, where he also assisted a state title football team. He’s now an Alderman in Raytown.
Phillip Snowden, University of Missouri: Snowden was the starting quarterback for the Missouri Tigers in the late 1950s, playing 30 games and leading the program to the 1960 Orange Bowl. That marked their 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. He 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 part of the University of Missouri Board of Curators.
Chip Sherman, Platte County High School football coach: Sherman coached 20 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 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. None of his Platte County teams ever had a losing season. Sherman, who has been inducted into the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, is now coaching at Olathe Northwest (Kan.) High School.
Don Walsworth, 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 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 big supporter of Mizzou athletics, gifting millions of dollars toward athletic department facility improvements, including recent renovations to Memorial Stadium and The Club at Old Hawthorn. He served a six-year term as a University of Missouri System Board of Curators beginning in 2003.
Willie Bowie, Paseo Academy basketball coach: Bowie was one of the state’s most influential basketball coaches, as he led Paseo Academy’s basketball program for 23 years beginning in 1969, 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 Bass Pro Tournament of Champions, and was part of three consecutive unbeaten years in the Scholastic League.
Darrel Gourley, William Jewell College: 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. His track teams won five consecutive track and field conference championships and never finished worse than third 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. In addition, Truman State University 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 38 seasons. Her teams compiled a 457-282 record, won 10 district titles and played in two state semifinals in both 1984 and 1985. Tingler, an inductee of the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, played basketball at the University of Central Missouri, where she was a four-year letter-winner from 1971 to 1974.
Oak Grove High School Wrestling Program & Coach Bob Glasgow: The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame will induct the Oak Grove High School Wrestling Program and former coach Bob Glasgow. The program has won 17 state championships, most in Missouri history, from 1982 to 2017. Overall, the program has three 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 and a 245-39-2 dual record. He’s an inductee of the Missouri Wrestling Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.
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 guided the two championship teams, with quarterback Chris Greisen in 1998 and quarterback Travis Miles in 1999. Many of the players on 1998 team were part of the 1999 championship, too, as they beat Carson-Newman 58-52 in four overtimes when the Bearcats rallied 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 has supported the Hall of Fame’s celebrity golf classics and its Stan Musial Hall of Fame Championship as well as the PGA Web.com Tour’s Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper, which has gifted almost $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 both Kansas City-based Transportation Logistical Services and Air-X.
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Missouri Sports Hall of Fame’s Enshrinement in Independence presented by Great Southern Bank
When: Sunday, November 12 — Noon reception, 1 p.m. dinner followed by the program
Where: Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center, 18011 Bass Pro Dr. in Independence, 64055
Inductees: Kansas City Chiefs nose tackle Bill Maas, Kansas City Royals third baseman Kevin Seitzer, St. Joseph Benton and University of Missouri tight end Martin Rucker, former big-leaguer Bob Dernier, sports medicine expert Dr. Jon Browne, former Missouri Valley College and 1960s Boston Patriots star Ron Hall, longtime high school volleyball coach Lori Hanaway, longtime television sports director Frank Boal, Raytown High School swim coach Jim Aziere, former Mizzou Tigers quarterback Phillip Snowden, Platte County High School football coach Chip Sherman, Mizzou supporter Don Walsworth, former Paseo Academy basketball coach Willie Bowie, William Jewell track and field coach Darrel Gourley, retired Smithville High School girls basketball coach Diana Tingler, the Oak Grove High School Wrestling Program and wrestling coach Bob Glasgow as well as Northwest Missouri State University’s 1998 and 1999 national championship football teams.
President’s Award: Kansas City businessman James Roberts
Tables & tickets: Sponsorship tables of 10 are $1,500 and include an autograph print and recognition in the printed program. An individual ticket is $150 and includes a set of trading cards of all inductees. Numerous other sponsorships also are available, including congratulatory ads and trading card recognition.
Call the MSHOF: 417-889-3100
