Inductees

Jeff Starkweather has always had a point guard’s mentality.

As a player, he knew when to shoot or pass. As a coach and athletic director, he carried that same instinct — stepping in when needed, trusting his people, and serving as the glue that held everything together.

That mindset shaped a 31-year career in public education, including 22 years at Joplin High School, where Starkweather was a steady presence through success, adversity and rebuilding. His impact stretched far beyond wins and losses.

And that’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted Starkweather as part of the Class of 2026.

A Joplin native, Starkweather spent six seasons as the Eagles’ boys basketball coach, five seasons coaching boys and girls golf, and 11 years as Joplin’s athletic director from 2006 to 2017. In that role, he oversaw 50 sports and 85 coaches across the high school and middle school levels.

His tenure as AD included guiding Joplin athletics through one of the most challenging moments in the city’s history. After the May 2011 tornado that killed 158 people and destroyed a large swath of the town — including Joplin High School — he helped lead the effort to restore normalcy for student-athletes.

“I think the biggest thing was how we responded,” Starkweather said. “It wasn’t just me. It was a lot of people. The way our administration responded, led by Dr. (C.J.) Huff at the time, was unbelievable.”

With facilities gone and schedules uncertain, Starkweather gathered his coaches and delivered a simple message: Things were going to be as normal as possible. Camps would go on. Coaches and athletes would need to be flexible.

“And they were,” Starkweather said.

Athletic facilities were rebuilt or updated, and Joplin emerged with a state-of-the-art high school and some of the best facilities in Southwest Missouri.

Starkweather takes pride in that response.

“We turned a negative into a positive,” he said. “I’m proud of the way our Joplin community, administrators and staff reacted.”

Starkweather’s leadership was recognized statewide and nationally. He was named Missouri Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association District AD of the Year and AD of the Year in 2014, received the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association State of Merit Award in 2024, and earned the MIAAA’s Gerald Linneman Lifetime Achievement Award in 2025.

As AD, Joplin teams brought home two state trophies — girls golf placed third in 2014 and softball finished fourth in 2015 — while two tennis individuals won state championships.

In 2016-17, Starkweather retired from Joplin, honoring a longtime pact with athletic secretary and close friend, Cindy Brubaker, to retire together. It didn’t last. A year later, he became interim AD with Springfield Public Schools.

He loved everything about it.

“I’m so glad I did it,” Starkweather said. “One of the things that sold me was getting to fly around the country and recruit teams for the Bass Pro Shops Tournament of Champions.”

Traveling nationwide alongside good friend and longtime Springfield AD Mark Fisher (MSHOF, 2019), Starkweather called the experience “awesome” and a highlight late in his career.

“I loved it,” he said. “That was a great time.”

A 1982 graduate of Joplin’s Parkwood High School, Starkweather played basketball there before spending a season at Midwestern State. He finished his playing career at Missouri Southern, where he was a senior on the 1987 team that won at Oklahoma State and qualified for the NAIA Tournament.

He served as a graduate assistant at Alabama-Birmingham under Gene Bartow (MSHOF 1989) before returning to assist Missouri Southern coach Robert Corn (MSHOF 2016) for five seasons.

His Hall of Fame induction brings him full circle alongside coaches and mentors who shaped his path.

“I’ve been extremely blessed,” Starkweather said. “I’ve been associated with a lot of people already in the Hall of Fame. It’s just an honor, and I was really shocked.”

Starkweather credits the group he worked with every day. His longtime partnership with Brubaker was foundational.

He also pointed to Dr. Kerry Sachetta, now Joplin’s superintendent, for his help along the way.

“He was my boss, but he was also a dear friend,” Starkweather said. “He was a huge influence on me as an administrator.”

And he certainly thanks his wife, Kelli, for her unwavering support. He also credits his parents, Jerry and Linda, who instilled a strong work ethic in him and his brother, Rick.

“I loved making assists more than scoring,” Starkweather said. “As an AD, I wanted to set up my coaches and help them shine.”

Just like a point guard.