Inductees

The first time she picked up a tennis racket was when her teenage sister took to the courts in Carthage and, soon, Betsy Taylor fell in love with the sport.

Unfortunately, the high school didn’t offer tennis for girls when she arrived as a freshman.

“We didn’t have any sports for girls when I was a freshman,” Taylor said. “I played tennis whenever I could in the city parks, and this set me up to start playing as a sophomore.”

Thus launched a nice prep career that led to Taylor becoming a trailblazer, and then a longtime high school coach. And that’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted her with the Class of 2025.

Taylor was key part of the southwest Missouri sports scene for 33 years, going back to her freshman year at Carthage High School, and then on to Missouri State University in Joplin before returning to Carthage as a coach who guided teams for 25 seasons.

When Carthage High School initially offered girls tennis her sophomore year in the fall of 1969, Taylor played the No. 2 spot and then the No. 1 spot her junior and senior years. In non-school tournaments, she won the Joplin Open at age 16 and then won nine consecutive individual titles while also partnering with Susie Sharp. They won the Carthage Open, and Taylor played mixed doubles with Ron Edwards.

At Missouri Southern, Taylor was a member of the first women’s basketball team (1974-75) and the first women’s tennis team (1975) in school history.

When she returned to Carthage, she coached the first girls volleyball team in 1975 and continued to coach the volleyball Tigers until 1990. During those 16 seasons, the Lady Tigers won 10 Southwest Conference titles and two district titles. She then coached the girls tennis team from 1990-2000, with a doubles team reaching the state semifinals. Taylor also coached the boys tennis team for three years during that span and, along the way, founded the wellness program for teachers and staff members.

In essence, she was among the trailblazers for women’s sports following passage of federal Title IX legislation, which required public schools and colleges to offer sports for girls athletes.

And it was tennis that carved her path to coaching, where she made her greatest impact.

In college, Taylor switched her major from English to physical education. Little did she know that would set herself up – and so many others up – for success.

“I knew and hoped to teach and coach in the area,” Taylor said. “The schools were all looking for teachers who could also coach the girls (likely due to Title IX). Fate and luck took me back to my hometown for my entire career.”

Carthage asked her to coach its first volleyball team, despite her knowing almost nothing about the sport.

“It was ground-breaking for me, and I’m pretty sure it was ground-breaking for the female students who got a chance to play,” Taylor said, emphasizing that players drove the success, not her. “(To learn volleyball), mostly I went to as many seminars as I could, and it was a lot of trial and error.”

In the 1990s, she coached tennis on the same courts where she had learned the game.

“Tennis and track & field were the only options when I was in high school,” Taylor said. “I only played tennis. Quite frankly, I don’t remember the challenges, because I was just so grateful and excited to play anything.”

Tennis fed her passion at an early age, as Taylor could be found in city parks.

“The competition made me better, both men and women,” Taylor said. “Playing against people of different ages helped my game. I was also able to take some lessons. I played as much and as often as I could.”

Thus, years later, she had a passion for physical fitness and why she championed and led the wellness program at Carthage High School.

Employees could earn personal days off if they did some type of physical activity three days a week, and Taylor set up free annual health screenings for all school system employees.

To Taylor, she was in that position only thanks to mentors such as her family, Sharp, Edwards and Sallie Beard (MSHOF 2017).

“It was extremely rewarding,” Taylor said of coaching. “It gave me confidence, enjoyment and my career. It was so satisfying to see my athletes improve, and so incredible to watch the young girls and women of today and how far they’ve come.”