Sometimes, the best plans don’t work out. Which is for the best. Just ask Richard Poe.
In 1972, the former University of Missouri golfer detoured away from a law degree and life as an attorney by throwing everybody a curveball. Instead, he took on the role of the head golf professional at the brand-new Country Club of Missouri in Columbia.
Which, five years later, led the Mizzou athletic department to hire Poe to coach the golf team, and look who spent the next 21 seasons building a winner – and doing so by primarily recruiting in-state golfers.
Now his cart path is leading to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, which is proud to induct Poe in the Class of 2015. The ceremony, sponsored by Great Southern Bank and presented by Miller Professional Imaging/Mpix, is Sunday, Nov. 15 at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Columbia.
The Hall also will honor Mizzou’s Jon Sundvold as a Missouri Sports Legend and induct 14 other individuals. It begins with a noon reception and 1 p.m. dinner, and tickets can be purchased by calling 417-889-3100.
“I felt like if I recruited just in Missouri, the best knew they could come here,” Poe said. “That was a real recruiting strategy. Some years were better than others. But in 21 years I coached, all 100 percent that played in the Big 8 or NCAA (tournaments) were from Missouri.”
From 1977 to 1998, the formula worked like the perfect form off a tee shot.
Poe was a two-time Big Eight Coach of the Year, leading his team to the conference championship in 1984. That team consisted of West Plains’ Stan Utley, Kansas City’s John Sherman, St. Louis’ Tom LaBarbera and Rock Bridge High School graduates Ben Wilson and Greg Meredith.
It’s a favorite memory, given the team beat tradition-rich Oklahoma State and Oklahoma for the championship.
Additionally, Poe coached five PING All-America selections, 11 Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholars and eventual PGA Tour players in Utley and Jason Schultz. His teams reached the NCAA Regionals or Finals in 15 of the last 16 years he coached.
This despite having almost no recruiting budget in the first 10 years. And yet …
“I had a little bit of an advantage in that I was a PGA member and had been teaching as a professional since 1965,” Poe said. “A lot of the coaches back in those days weren’t PGA members. I wanted that player that maybe wasn’t a Division I player as a freshman but that I felt they had potential.”
As he described it, Poe took up the sport “by chance” in his youth. He later graduated from Rolla High School in 1959, when he won a conference individual championship, firing a 62 in Jefferson City, and helping Rolla win the conference team title.
“I was in baseball, but my dad said, ‘You ought to learn how to play (golf).’ And there were lessons out at the city course,” Poe said. “I showed up one day and I just fell in love with the game.”
Poe went on to compete in golf for Mizzou from 1959 to 1963. In fact, he tied for fifth at the 1963 NCAA Championships – still a Mizzou record.
So perhaps it was to be expected that Poe put his law degree on the shelf in 1972 and found a way to stay near the sport.
The opportunity at the new Country Club of Missouri presented the initial opportunity. Mizzou offered the next big one.
“After I graduated and passed the Bar exam, I played the European Tour that summer. I came home to accept the golf professional position at the Country Club of Missouri, which was just opening,” Poe said. “It was a big deal for Columbia at the time because the only thing we had was a nine-hole club. For a town to grow, a country club really helps bring industry.
“Even then,” Poe added, “I figured I’d only do it for a couple of years and ended up staying 20 years.”
Poe’s passion for golf and his love for Mizzou dovetailed well for the Tigers coaching role.
In essence, Poe used his trained eye to put his golfers in a position to enjoy success. With young golfers especially, he focused on grips, adjusting swings or correcting some flaw.
“Everything is important,” Poe said of his instruction. “I really emphasized how they handled themselves under pressure. It’s the typical thing every coach does. But it’s different because you’re dealing with individuals.”
Poe also attributes his success to his family and the Mizzou athletic department because they allowed him the time to juggle his dual roles. He and his wife, Peggy, have three adult children in Christy, Megan and Jake and six grandchildren.
“The part I really enjoyed the most, of the 60 years I’ve been involved in golf, was the coaching,” Poe said. “That was the most rewarding thing other than playing or running a course. It combined a little bit of everything – you had the competition, I got to teach and you worked with the kids for four or five years.”
What a career indeed.
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WANT TO GO?
What: Enshrinement in Columbia Class of 2015 presented by Great Southern Bank and presented by Miller Professional Imaging/Mpix
When: Sunday, Nov. 15 with noon reception, 1 p.m. dinner
Where: Holiday Inn Executive Center in Columbia
Honorees: As a Missouri Sports Legend, former Mizzou basketball star Jon Sundvold; former University of Missouri athletic director Joe Castiglione; former Mizzou/NFL defensive lineman Jerome Sally; Mizzou basketball great Al Eberhard; equestrian standout and instructor Gayle Lampe; former St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Charlie James; longtime Show-Me State Games director Ken Ash; Mizzou team physician and sports medicine leader Dr. Pat Smith; Mizzou and Macon High School cheerleading coach Suzy Thompson; longtime Missouri State High School Activities Association director Jack Miles; Columbia high school tennis coach Ben Loeb; powerlifting champion Kate Walker; former Mizzou golf coach Richard Poe; Olympic race walker Larry Young; former Rock Bridge High School football coach and athletic director John Henage; and Mizzou super fan Alvin “Squeaky” Marquart.
Tickets: $150 each, or $1,500 for tables of 10. Sponsorships, including in the program guide, also are available.
Call: Missouri Sports Hall of Fame at 417-889-3100.