The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame will soon honor former Missouri State University women’s basketball coach Cheryl Burnett as a Missouri Sports Legend and will induct the Lady Bears’ 1992 and 2001 Final Four teams as well as Cathy Reynolds and Patti Phillips.
The MSHOF’s honors highlight the second annual Women in Sports Luncheon presented by the Bee Payne-Stewart Foundation, set for 11 a.m. March 23 at the Ramada Oasis Convention Center. Jerald Andrews, President and Executive Director of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, announced the upcoming ceremony and inductees during halftime of the Lady Bears’ game Friday night at JQH Arena.
A bronze bust of Burnett will soon line the Legends Walkway, home to statues and other bronze likenesses of such Missouri greats as Stan Musial, Norm Stewart and Len Dawson. Reynolds, a 1975 Glendale High School graduate, played for years on the LPGA Tour. Phillips is the CEO of the Kansas City-based National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators.
“The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is committed to recognizing all who have made meaningful impacts in our state’s sports history. Women have been among the trailblazers and success stories that have inspired many across the Show-Me State and beyond,” Andrews said. “Our January enshrinements have featured numerous women, and we feel it is important to take the extra step with our Women in Sports Luncheon.”
Coach Burnett expressed appreciation for her honor but emphasized that many others deserve recognition for their tireless support of the Lady Bears, especially former MSU athletic administrator Dr. Mary Jo Wynn.
“Anytime a coach gets an award, (Wynn, players, the community) are to be congratulated,” Burnett said. “I really mean that. With this type of award, it is not me. It’s what everybody else did. That’s why we can all celebrate in this moment.”
Individual tickets begin at $40, and sponsorship tables of eight can be reserved by calling 889-3100. Sponsorship tables between $2,500 and $700 include numerous gifts, including recognition on the bronze plaque on the legend pedestal as well as tickets to the reunion cocktail and dinner on Sunday, March 22 at the Tower Club.
Cheryl Burnett
Burnett’s Lady Bears teams compiled a 319-136 record in her 15 seasons in Springfield. Missouri State posted winning seasons in her final 13 years at the NCAA Division I university, including nine seasons of 20 or more wins. Her teams also reached the postseason 11 times, including 10 trips to the NCAA Tournament. They won seven conference regular-season championships between 1990 and 2001 and five league tournament titles between 1991 and 2001. Attendance also rose from an average of 881 a game in her first year as head coach to an average of 8,431 a game in her final year. The 1993 team led the nation in attendance.
The Lady Bears’ Final Four teams of 1992 and 2001 are the state’s only teams, men or women, to reach the semifinals of the NCAA Division I Tournament.
For information on contributing to the bronze bust, tickets or congratulatory ads for Cheryl, please contact Kari Crawford at kari@mossportshalloffame.com or 417-893-1593.
The 1992 Final Four team
The 1991-1992 Lady Bears won 21 consecutive games en route to a school-record 31 victories and No. 4 ranking in the final USA Today Coaches Poll. The Lady Bears were a No. 8 seed in their region but beat Kansas, upset top-seeded Iowa at Iowa in the second round and also scored upsets of UCLA and Ole Miss in the Boulder regional before losing to Western Kentucky in the semifinals. Members of that team included assistants Lynette Robinson, Marla Douglass-Odom and Jim Middleton. Players were Karen Rapier, Amy Nelson, Heidi Muller, Charity Shira Elliott, Secelia Winkfield, Melody Howard Elliott, Tina Robbins, Tonya Baucom, Julie Howard Templeton, Angenette Sumrall, Heidi Muller, Chrissy Ediger-Cordova, athletic trainer Robin Meeks, student managers Jim Odom, Gwen Appleberry and broadcaster Don West.
Members of the 1992 team and staff are asked to call Taylor Frederich at 417-527-5407 or email him at taylor@mosportshalloffame.com for information on tickets to the event.
2001 Final Four team
In addition to Burnett, Rapier and Meeks who were part of both squads, the 2000-2001 team included Jackie Stiles, Melody Campbell Stewart, Tara Mitchem Glassgold, Carly Deer Stubblefield, Carolyn Weirick, Erica Vicente, LaTonya “Tiny” McMorris, Dzenata Kadic, Erika Rante, Ann Cavey Jameson, Morgan Hohenberger, Stephani Busbey Madison, student managers Doug Dunn, Brad Coy and Tom Norrell and broadcaster Tom Ladd.
The 2001 team, led by NCAA all-time leading scorer Jackie Stiles, was a No. 5 seed in its region. The Lady Bears beat Toledo in the first round, upset fourth-seeded Rutgers at Rutgers in the second round and went on to beat Duke and Washington in the regional. Purdue stopped the Lady Bears in the semifinals.
Team members & staff from the 2001 team are encouraged to contact Coleman Swierc at coleman@mosportshalloffame.com or by calling 417-719-5587 for more information.
Cathy Reynolds
Reynolds, a Springfield native, played on the Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour from 1978 to 1994. She is the daughter of Sam and the late Delores Reynolds of Springfield. Her father was a longtime golf pro at Hickory Hills Country Club in Springfield and taught Cathy the game. She and Payne Stewart became good friends and playing partners as well.
At age 15, Reynolds made history by becoming the youngest to qualify for a USGA Women’s Open. That record stood until the year 2000, when Michelle Wei qualified at age 10. Reynolds won the 1974 Missouri State Women’s Golf Championship at age 16 and enjoyed two successful seasons at the University of Tulsa before turning pro in 1977.
She earned her Tour card at age 19 a year later. On the LPGA Tour, she won the 1981 Golden Lights Championship by two strokes against Betsy King in Greenwich, Conn. Reynolds was one of the game’s top golfers with Nancy Lopez in her era. Reynolds, who had numerous second- and third-place finishes throughout her career, for years represented the largest management company in the world, the Mark McCormick Agency.
“I was surprised, and I don’t think a whole lot about awards,” Reynolds said of the Hall of Fame honor. “After Mr. Andrews called me last month, it was kind of funny. I had a big smile on my face. It was like, ‘I did it. People are recognizing what I did.’ It’s a big honor.”
Please contact Marty Willadsen at marty@mossportshalloffame.com or 417-880-3300 for more information on tickets & congratulatory ads for Cathy.
Patti Phillips
Meanwhile, Phillips’ career has been dedicated to spotlighting women’s athletics across the country. She recently celebrated her fourth year as CEO of the National Association of Collegiate Women Athletics Administrators. She previously enjoyed 10 successful years at Kansas City’s Women’s Intersport Network, a nonprofit dedicated to leadership development in girls and women through participation in athletics.
Under Phillips’ leadership, the NACWAA has seen double digit grown in membership and National Convention attendance while also increasing web traffic and social media presence by more than 100 percent. At WIN, she dramatically increased participation and funding. In addition, she has been an analyst for ESPN, Fox Sports Midwest, Sooner Sports and Metro Sports television broadcasts of collegiate women’s basketball and volleyball games.
Please contact Marty Willadsen at marty@mossportshalloffame.com or 417-880-3300 for more information on tickets & congratulatory ads for Patti.