Inductees

In mid-Missouri, north of I-44 and along a two-laner called Highway 28 that winds past the majestic bluffs of the Gasconade River and the scenic overlooks of the Ozarks’ valleys, there was once a great run in baseball.

In fact, one of the best box-office draws in the area were the Dixon High School baseball teams of 1976, 1977 and 1978. Walk through the high school, and see the hardware in the trophy case? Stroll through the gym, and the banners pay homage, too.

Just north of there sits the baseball field. It’s no frills, which perfectly sums up the Bulldogs of the late 1970s – tough, rugged and just out to win.

And win they did. In fact, their success is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted the Dixon High School Baseball Era of 1976-1978 with the Class of 2025.

Coached by Ron Hopson, Dixon advanced to the Final Four three times in Class A, winning it all in 1976, followed by a state runner-up finish in 1977 and a fourth-place finish in 1978.

The 1976 team beat Lilbourn 11-2 in the state championship game and finished 19-0. The roster included second baseman Chuck Baker, Randy Bowman, centerfielder Ralph Chambers, left fielder Ken Copeland, first baseman Jerry Goodman, third baseman Mike Hall, J Harrison, shortstop Randall Hayes, pitcher Gerry Lewis, Blane Mathis, right fielder Mike Nichols and catcher Gary White.

The 1977 team nearly repeated before falling to Chaffee 8-1 in the finals, and the 1978 team placed fourth.

Many of the 1977 players were back from the state championship season, with Marty Prewett, Duane VanScoy and Roger Yoakum on the roster. The 1978 team had several players from the previous two seasons, and the Bulldogs added Marty Cross, Randy Howser, Dean Kelley, Jeff Kelley, David Pease, Larry Perkins, Kim Russell and Jerry Thompson. Team manager was Billy Beydler.

“For all these years, it truly was a team effort,” Mathis said. “Everyone just practiced hard and played hard, and enjoyed being a part of the team. We just went about our business and didn’t really worry about if we were going to make it back to state each year.”

Dixon’s 1969 team was a state semifinalist when there was only one state classification. Then, the 1974 team finished 24-4 and the 1975 team was 20-4.

Hopson had been building up the Bulldogs since the fall of 1969. A baseball player himself at Pacific High School, he graduated from Truman State University.

“I sensed the 1976 season was going to be special because most of the team returned,” Hopson said.

Baker, Hall, Hayes and Nichols were all fast.

“When they got on first base, you might as well have stopped the game and put them on third,” Hopson said.

Lewis went 12-0 on the mound, and Chambers also was a quality sophomore pitcher, with White as the catcher with a gun for an arm. Goodman hit for power.

“I didn’t see a state championship as we played the season. We just enjoyed playing baseball,” Copeland said. “I think our season really got exciting when we played Richland. We were losing and, in the late innings, rallied back and won the game.”

In the state championship game in Concordia, Lewis, Baker and Chambers combined on a three-hitter, and the team had 14 hits. White’s two-run double and Hayes’ run-scoring single kick-started the offense.

That season, Dixon had rallied from a 4-3 deficit in the seventh and final inning, to win a playoff game, 7-3. That was thanks largely to White’s three-run homer. In the second game of districts, Lewis threw a one-hitter in a 4-0 victory against Fatima. The Bulldogs beat Ash Grove 10-4 in the semifinals.

In 1977, the Bulldogs rode five returning starters, with Atkins transferring in from Waynesville and VanScoy new as a freshman.

The Bulldogs won the district by beating Saint James 2-0 thanks to two bunts, and rallied from a 6-0 deficit in the semifinals, with J Harrison’s two-run single being the game-winner.

The 1978 team finished 25-6, falling in the semifinals. Chambers had become the star pitcher, and was 46-7 in his high school career, including the fall and spring seasons.

Said Mathis, “As far as the following years after winning state, there was no doubt, many people suddenly knew who Dixon Baseball was that had never known about it before. No doubt every team we played wanted to be able to say they beat the state champs.”