Former Missouri Tigers quarterback Chase Daniel, who engineered Mizzou to a No. 1 national ranking in 2007, and longtime ESPN SportsCenter host John Anderson will headline the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame’s upcoming Enshrinement in Columbia presented by Shelter Insurance.
CEO & Executive Director Byron Shive announced the Class of 2024 on Wednesday during a press conference at the Holiday Inn Executive Center in Columbia. That will be the site of the Enshrinement, set for a noon reception and 1 PM ceremony on Sunday, Oct. 20. Additionally, Special Olympics Missouri and Diamond Council of Columbia will be the benefitting charities on a day when the Hall of Fame also will honor former big-leaguer Tom Henke with the President’s Award. The Hall of Fame also will recognize the Elite 11, a group of former All-State players from Missouri high schools.
“We are excited to be coming back to Columbia and recognizing all of these deserving individuals and teams,” Shive said. “Every one of our honorees has enriched the tradition of sports in the state and inspired many. We hope businesses and individuals across the community will join us in supporting their accomplishments.”
The Class of 2024 is as follows:
- Tim Abney – Lincoln University Athlete, Coach & Administrator
- John Anderson – ESPN SportsCenter host & Mizzou graduate
- Ben Askren – University of Missouri Wrestler
- Steve Combs – Harrisburg High School Basketball Coach
- Chase Daniel – University of Missouri Quarterback
- Amy Mesh Frederick – Salem High School & Columbia College Volleyball Standout
- Denny Hughes – Helias Catholic High School & Westminster College Baseball Coach
- Jake Jacobson – University of Missouri Gymnastics Coach
- Greg Logsdon – Sports Organizer
- Angie Resa – North Shelby High School Softball Coach
- Steve Stonecipher-Fisher – Sedalia Smith-Cotton, Mizzou and National Marathoner
- 1975 & 1977 Rock Bridge High School Undefeated State Championship Football Teams
- 1981-1986 Palmyra High School Girls Basketball Era
- 1988-2007 Putnam County High School Softball Era
- 1987-1989 Helias Catholic High School Baseball Era
- Tom Henke – President’s Award
The Elite 11 features Steve Bohlken (Jefferson City High School/Lincoln University), Brad Cavanah (Marceline High School/Central Methodist University), Brian Clayton (Norborne High School/Missouri Valley College), Chuck Cole (Jefferson City High School/University of Missouri), Derek Duncan (Montgomery County High School/Westminster College), Ian Gilworth (Putnam County High School/Morningside College), Ethan Harris (South Shelby High School/Missouri Western State University), Greg Hill (Hickman High School/University of Missouri), Aaron O’Laughlin (South Shelby High School/Central Methodist University), Chase Patton (Rock Bridge High School/University of Missouri), Salem “Bubba” Stutzer (William Chrisman High School/Central Methodist University).
Sponsorship tables of 10 are $1,500 and include several perks, including the Class of 2024 poster autographed by individual honorees, as well as recognition in the printed program and at the table. Individual tickets are $150. Numerous sponsorship are available, including associate sponsorships and congratulatory ads. Call (417) 889-3100.
Tim Abney – Lincoln University
Abney is a 1978 graduate of Lincoln University who has spent most of his professional career as a coach or administrator at the Jefferson City school. He is currently the interim athletic director after eight years as Assistant Athletic Director. He served as an advisor and coordinator for each of Lincoln’s student-athletes and, in the fall of 2015, more than 120 Blue Tigers made the Dean’s list. As a basketball player from 1974-1978, he helped the Blue Tigers to 83 wins, two MIAA regular-season championships and four NCAA Division II Tournament berths. In 1978, Lincoln reached the Elite Eight. He finished with 1,152 career points, still the program record. Abney later coached the women’s basketball team for 10 seasons, with Lincoln winning 72 games, making him the second-winningest coach in program history behind Leo Lewis. His teams won 45 games between 2001 and 2005, and he was named the Heartland Conference Women’s Basketball Coach of the Year. All this came after Abney graduated from Kansas City’s Central High School in 1974. He played basketball and ran both cross country and track & field there. Abney earned basketball Player of the Year in the Interscholastic League as a senior, when he led the team to a state third-place finish.
John Anderson – Sports Broadcasting
A 1987 graduate of the University of Missouri’s School of Journalism and a four-year member of Mizzou’s track & field team, Anderson recently retired after 25 years as an anchor for SportsCenter on ESPN. When he joined the network, it came 12 years after he started his broadcasting career at KOMU-TV in Columbia before he went on to stops in Tulsa and Phoenix. While he stepped away from SportsCenter, he is still ESPN’s voice on coverage of collegiate indoor and outdoor track & field, as well as play-by-play for collegiate cross country event coverage. In addition, he hosts ESPN’s annual coverage of the Boston and New York City Marathons. The Green Bay, Wis., native has enjoyed a career that includes co-hosting Wipeout on ABC, an extreme obstacle-course series on the network. In 2015, he supplied the voice of a futuristic alien sportscaster in an episode of the Disney XD animated series Penn Zero: Part Time Hero. Along the way, Anderson created the Anderson Family Charitable Foundation in 2009 and also has competed in the NYC Marathon to help raise money for the Pat Tillman Foundation. He has since given back to Mizzou with an ESPN/Missouri internship for a journalism student and, in January 2025, will join the Mizzou School of Journalism faculty as the Leonard H. Goldenson Endowed Chair in Radio and Television Journalism.
Ben Askren – University of Missouri Wrestler
One of the most dominant athletes to ever compete in an individual sport in Mizzou history, Askren owned his wrestling weight class on a national basis for his final two seasons when he was a combined 87-0 as a junior and senior (42-0 and 45-0, respectively) and won NCAA Championships at 174 pounds in 2006 and 2007. He was also NCAA runner-up in his first two years (2004 and 2005) and finished his career with a sterling 153-8 record as the winningest and most decorated wrestler in MU history. Askren was a three-time Big 12 Conference champion and became Mizzou’s first four-time All-American. He won the Dan Hodge Trophy – given to the nation’s top wrestler – in both 2006 and 2007, becoming only the second wrestler in NCAA history to win the award twice. He ended his Mizzou career holding numerous records, including 91 falls (44 more than the previous record) and 15 technical falls. Askren later became the first Tiger wrestler to qualify for the Olympics (Beijing, 2008), and he served for two years as a volunteer assistant on the Mizzou staff before beginning a career in Mixed Martial Arts fighting. He went 19-2 and was the Bellator Welterweight Champion and One Welterweight Champion. He now lives in Wisconsin.
Steve Combs – Basketball Coach
Combs has been among the top high school basketball coaches in the state and rose to prominence at his alma mater, Harrisburg High School. He coached there from 2000 to 2017, compiling a 331-209 record – including 307-180 at Harrisburg. In that time, his teams reached six Final Fours, winning Class 2 state championships in 2006 and 2008 as his teams beat Marionville 41-38 and South Iron 51-44, respectively. His 2009 team was a state runner-up. The 2003 team placed fourth, and the 2007 and 2017 teams were third. His teams also won nine district championships and produced 11 All-State honorees. In 2022, the school dedicated the Coach Combs Court in the gym in his honor. His teams were 113-36 at home, including 59-3 at home from 2003 to 2009. They also enjoyed seven 20-win seasons and six conference championships in that era. In fact, the court dedication came a year after he was inducted into the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Combs started coaching at Louisiana High School for two years and was an assistant coach two years at Moberly High School.
Chase Daniel – University of Missouri
Daniel quarterbacked – and vaulted – the Missouri Tigers football program to national prominence in the mid-2000s, elevating Mizzou to a No. 1 ranking in November 2007 and just a win shy of reaching the national championship game. The former Southlake, Texas standout pretty much was a box-office draw as coach Gary Pinkel (MSHOF Legend 2019) built Mizzou’s profile across college football. When he left for the National Football League after the 2008 season, he held every passing and total offense game, season and career record of note. That included 12,515 passing yards, 101 touchdown passes, a 68.0 completion percentage, total offense (13,485 yards) and most touchdowns responsible for (11). The Tigers were 30-11 in his three seasons, won the first two conference division titles in program history (2007-2008 Big 12 North) and reached three bowl games, winning the 2008 Cotton Bowl in a 38-7 victory against Arkansas. In 2007, he finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy and was an All-American after completing 384 of 563 passes for 4,306 yards and 33 touchdowns in a 12-win season. He later spent 13 seasons in the National Football League, playing as a reserve quarterback for New Orleans, Kansas City, Philadelphia, Chicago, Detroit and the Los Angeles Chargers.
Amy Mesh Frederick – Columbia College Volleyball Player
A 1994 graduate of Salem High School, Frederick was a key part of the volleyball, basketball and track & field teams. In volleyball, she earned All-State her final two seasons and all-conference in her final three seasons, including the South Central Association’s Player of the Year. Along the way, the team won the SCA twice and placed third in state her senior year. In basketball, she was First Team All-SCA and, in track, won numerous medals in the 4×100 relay, triple jump and long jump. Frederick was a key figure in building the Columbia College volleyball program into a national powerhouse. From 1994 to 1998, Frederick helped guide the program to four conference titles, three region championships and four consecutive NAIA Tournament appearances. With her in the lineup, the Cougars posted a four-year record of 182-29. She was a four-year starter for the Cougars, earning all-conference and all-region accolades three years in a row. She was recognized as a member of the NAIA National Tournament Team twice and became the first Cougar player to garner NAIA All-America honors three consecutive seasons. Frederick graduated from Columbia College with a degree in business administration and has since been inducted into the Columbia College Athletics Hall of Fame. She now owns Cougar Painting, LLC, a residential paint contractor in the Kansas City area.
Denny Hughes – Baseball Coach
A 1976 graduate of Helias Catholic High School, Hughes has coached baseball at various levels for more than 30 years. He coached his alma mater for eight seasons and was 137-38 there, with his 1987, 1988 and 1989 teams winning Class 3 state championships. At one point, they held a state record with 55 consecutive wins. He also won seven conference titles, seven district titles and had four total Final Fours – with the 1986 team placing third. He later coached Westminster College for eight years, with a record of 169-118. That included seven postseason appearances, one conference championship and a conference Coach of the Year honor in 2013. His career includes coaching the American Legion Post 5 team to a state runner-up and 26-7 record. He recently returned to Helias Catholic as an assistant coach. In other words, the school is near and dear to his heart, as Hughes played basketball and baseball for the Jefferson City private school. He was All-State in basketball as a senior, when he earned his second all-conference and second all-district honor. He led both teams to conference titles. Hughes later graduated from the University of Central Missouri and earned a master’s degree from Lincoln University.
Jake Jacobson – Mizzou Gymnastics Coach
Jacobson is considered the Father of Missouri gymnastics, as he coached the University of Missouri gymnastics program from 1979 to 1999. When he retired, the gymnastics program was the third-highest grossing athletic program. His teams were 229-198-1 in the regular season, and he led his teams to 13 NCAA Regional appearances. The 1981 team won the NCAA Central Region and advanced to the NCAA Championships. Along the way, he earned the 1990 Big Eight Conference Coach of the Year and 1999 Big 12 Conference Coach of the Year honors. He also directed Mizzou to the 1992 Big Eight Conference championships. Additionally, he founded three premier events – Shakespeare’s Festival, the Corvette Cup and the Cat Classic, an event that set a program record crowd of 10,562 in 1987. He also founded Tiger Academy of Gymnastics in 1980 and ran it through 2013. Jacobson graduated in 1954 from East High School in Des Moines, Iowa, before entering the Marines for three years. He then attended Grandview College and earned a bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Drake University before coaching at Grandview, where he started a highly success women’s gymnastics program.
Greg Logsdon – Sports Organizer
Logsdon played high school sports at Highland High School, where he set basketball single-season and career scoring marks that stood for more than 30 years. He later graduated from Culver-Stockton College in Canton and then earned a master’s degree in education from the University of Missouri. His love of basketball led to working with Gary Filbert (MSHOF 1989) at the Show-Me State Games. In the 1990s and early 2000s, he was assistant coach under coach Jim Scanlon (MSHOF 2019) and Columbia College’s Bob Burchard (MSHOF 2013). In 2009, Logsdon formed and helped lead/coach the Missouri Stealth national fastpitch program, a girls competitive program which grew to encompass 22 teams statewide ranging in age from 10 to 18 years old. A majority of the players earned college scholarships, including from Big 12 Conference and SEC schools. In 2011, Logsdon merged his local basketball club with Missouri Phenom Girls Basketball, serving as the Columbia hub director and has been an EYBL Nike coach since. The Phenom is one of 32 sponsored Nike clubs nationally, with the club growing to include hubs in Kansas City, St. Louis, Columbia, Springfield, St. Joseph, Iowa City, Topeka and Wichita in Kansas, and Fayetteville, Ark. He has coached about 1,200 basketball games across all levels. Logsdon has co-owned and operated Log Hill Properties since 1996, and worked in sales for Nuvasvie/Globus Spine for the past 20 years.
Angie Resa – North Shelby High School Softball Coach
A 1982 graduate of North Shelby High School and later from Truman State University, Resa was a teacher at North Shelby from 1991 to 2011, then finished her coaching career at South Shelby in 2016. During her 25-year coaching career, she accumulated a record of 340-190. While at North Shelby, her 2000 and 2004 teams won state championships, and the 1998 team earned a state runner-up. Two other teams reached the state quarterfinals, and none of her teams ever had a losing season, despite 80 percent of the schedule being larger schools. She began her coaching career (1990-1991) at South Shelby High School. At North Shelby, she coached junior high school girls basketball from 1991 to 1993. She also was the Athletic Director for North Shelby and has been selected as the Coach of the Year by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association Missouri, the Tri-Rivers Conference, KHQA, and the Quincy Herald Whig. She was an original founding member of the Missouri High School Fastpitch Coaches Association, where she served as secretary-treasurer for 16 years and has served on the MSHSAA softball advisory committee. All this came after a successful high school career in which she was all-district in softball and basketball, was on a third-place state basketball team and qualified for the state track & field championships three years.
Steve Stonecipher-Fisher – Sedalia Smith-Cotton High School/University of Missouri Runner
A 1975 Smith-Cotton graduate, he won the two-mile run at the 1975 State Outdoor track meet in a then-record 9:16.4. Earlier that school year, he was third at the state cross country meet and in the two-mile run at the state indoor track meet. During his junior year, he was second in the outdoor two-mile run. Over his career, he earned 11 varsity letters and seven state track finals medals. At Mizzou, he set the school record in the 10,000-meter run, a time that stood up for more than 23 years. He still holds the thee-mile indoor record there and was a member of the school’s 1979 Big Eight indoor championship team. He then took up marathons, running in 31 events and posting five times of 2:18.01 or better. He was 37th overall and the fifth best U.S. naturalized finisher in the 1983 Boston Marathon. He participated in the 1984 U.S. Olympic Trials and won the St. Louis marathon twice. Fisher qualified for the Boston Marathon after a 36-year hiatus. Now owner of Tryathletics, he has been a race director for 30 years and president of the Columbia Track Club and West Side Kiwanis.
1975 & 1977 Rock Bridge High School Football Undefeated State Championship Teams
Just a few short years after MSHSAA installed a postseason tournament for high school football, Rock Bridge High School emerged as a mid-1970s power, with two undefeated state championship teams. The 1975 team beat Nevada 10-0 and finished 12-0 under the guidance of coach Rich Davies. It was only the third year in existence for the school. Earning All-State that season were running back Sam Smith, center John Cunningham, defensive tackle Phil Brady and defensive end John Massey. Tim Wolfe quarterbacked the team, throwing for 668 yards in the regular season. That team was on a mission after the 1974 team had finished 9-0 but was left out of the playoffs based on the then-points system. The Bruins outscored opponents 390-52. The 1977 team edged Camdenton 7-6 in the Class 3 state championship game, finishing with a 10-0 record. John Henage (MSHOF 2015) coached the team that season. All-State honorees were tackle Ray Nunnelly, linebacker Greg Mengel and defensive end Jeff Earley. But the big play belonged to nose guard Danny Snap, who blocked the tying extra-point kick. That season began on with Rock Bridge overcoming a two TD deficit to win 15-14, setting off what would be another memorable fall.
1988-2007 Putnam County High School Softball Era
Based in Unionville, the 1988-2007 Putnam County High School Era dominated with 12 trips to the Final Four. That included state championships in 1990, 1998 and 2003, and state runner-up finishes in 1989, 1992 and 1994. The team placed third in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 2004. Combined, the teams were 414-82-1, with the 1990 team finishing 23-1 and the 1998 team finishing 24-4. Max Mothersbaugh coached the teams through 1997 before Mike Schmidli took over. The Lady Midgets played teams from bigger schools in the regular season, toughening them up for their postseason runs. They were known for strong pitching, outstanding defense, solid hitting and aggressive base running. Call it impressive work for a school which draws students from other rural towns in Putnam County that include Hartford, Lucerne, Livonia, Omaha and Lemons.
1981-1986 Palmyra High School Girls Basketball Era
Coached by Robert Fohey, the Palmyra High School Girls Basketball era of 1981 to 1986 is one that still has fans talking in the community. The team reached five Final Fours in that span, winning Class 2 state championships in 1981, 1984 and 1986. They were the state runner-up in 1983 and 1985. The 1981 team finished 27-3 after beating Scott County Central 66-62 a day after beating Gainesville 59-53. Terri Jo Wendt scored 27 points in the finals. The 1983 team won it all with a 67-44 victory against Brentwood, after a 55-45 victory against Willow Springs. The 1986 team beat Diamond 48-35 in the finals after earning its way with a 54-34 semifinal victory against Brentwood. The state runner-up teams weren’t far off from winning it all, falling suffering three- and eight-point losses. The team was assisted by Dan Hurst and 10 players accounted for 19 all-conference slots. Wendt and Robin Ragar were two-time All-State selections, with Jackie Thornburg, Cathy Hagenbaumer and Stacey Wendt earning All-State.
1987-1989 Helias Catholic High School Baseball Era
Only six high schools in Missouri have won three consecutive state baseball championships, and among them is Helias Catholic High School. Coached by Denny Hughes, the Crusaders won Class 3 state championships in 1987, 1988 and 1989. The 1987 team beat Dexter 7-3 in the finals, fishing 22-5. Helias meandered through the state tournament by beating Marshfield, Jennings and then Carthage before reaching the finals. In all, the Crusaders outscored opponents 36-9. A year later, the Crusaders beat St. Dominic 11-2 in the finals, ending the year with a perfect 24-0 record. Only three other teams had gone undefeated in the state going back to 1957. And the 1988 team flat out dominated, outscoring opponents 33-4. There was hardly any let-up in the postseason of 1989, as Helias Catholic beat Branson 13-3 to win it all and finished 21-2. The Crusaders outscored opponents 34-5.
Tom Henke – President’s Award
A Blair Oaks High School graduate who pitched 14 seasons in the big leagues, winning a World Series with the Toronto Blue Jays, Henke will be bestowed the President’s Award. It’s given to individuals who champion the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and sports in general in the Show-Me State. A resident of nearby Taos, he has been a fixture at most of the Hall of Fame’s Golf Classics going back to the 1990s, including at the Stan Musial Hall of Fame Championship presented by Landau Pontoons, the Springfield Hall of Fame Golf Classic, the Sporting Clays Classic and the Shoeless Joe’s Classic in Hannibal. He supports the Hall of Fame as well in auctions and other private donations. Additionally, he holds an annual golf tournament in Jefferson City to raise money for the Special Learning Center, as well as diabetes research. Over the years, Henke has been a guest speaker at the Hall of Fame’s annual baseball luncheon. Henke pitched for the Texas Rangers (1982-1984, 1993-1994), the Blue Jays (1987-1992) and the St. Louis Cardinals (1995), earning an All-Star nod and the Rolaids Relief Award in his final season as the National League’s top reliever. He recorded 311 career saves, including an American League-best 34 in 1987 and 40 in 1993. He helped the Blue Jays win the 1992 World Series and was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2000, 11 years before being inducted into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame.
ELITE 11
Steve Bohlken – Jefferson City High School/Lincoln University
Bohlken played football and baseball, and wrestled, at Jefferson City High School before graduating in 1986. In football, he was an All-District kicker in 1984 and 1985. The 1984 team won a state championship, and he helped the 1985 baseball team win districts. He also qualified for state in wrestling in 1986. At Lincoln, Bohlken was the quarterback from 1986 to 1989, breaking nearly every program passing record. That included 4,709 passing yards, and he set records with 372 completions in 904 attempts. In 1988, he set single-season standards with 144 completions for 1,939 yards, as part of 2,194 yards of total offense. He earned the MIAA Offensive Player of the Year that season and was a two-time Player of the Week. He also was an outstanding punter, and his 49.9-yard average and his 76-yard punt in 1987 set school records. Bohlken, who was a three-time All-MIAA selection, is Vice President of Sales and Business Development at Wendling Quarries.
Brad Cavanah – Marceline High School/Central Methodist University
Cavanah played his final two years at Marceline High School after transferring from Nevada High School in southwest Missouri. He went on to earn All-State honors his junior and senior seasons, including First Team All-State in 1989, months before graduation. He also was First Team all-conference and all-district both years in addition to earning recognition on the KMZU Dream Team and KRES All-Star Team. He also was the District Player of the Year in 1989. In his final two seasons, he threw for 2,666 yards and 49 touchdowns. He led the team to the state semifinals as junior, and then guided Marceline to a state runner-up in Class 1 in 1989. At Central Methodist, he was a two-sport letterman and played football three seasons. Cavanah is now a retired Missouri educator and coach who coached in the Chillicothe school district, including with the varsity football team in recent years.
Brian Clayton – Norborne High School/Missouri Valley College
Clayton graduated from Norborne High School in 1985. As a junior, he helped the football team to a Class 1 state runner-up finish and 11-1 record in 1983. A three-sport athlete – he played basketball and competed in track & field – Clayton was an All-State running back in 1983 and 1984, and was all-district and all-conference both years. He was all-conference as a place-kicker and punter as a sophomore. His 62-yard punt in the 1983 state championship game set a then record and is still 17th-best in all classes in a state final. At Missouri Valley, he was a three-year letterman in football and track & field. He earned NAIA All-American honors as a running back in 1989, when he also was All-Heart of America Athletic Conference, the HAAC Offensive Player of the Year and All-District. He was a team captain and the NAIA Division II scoring champion (154 points thanks to 25 touchdowns and 52 PATs in 10 games). In track & Field, he was an NAIA national qualifier in the indoor and outdoor championships in the triple jump, pole vault and long jump. These days, he is the home school coordinator for Columbia Public Schools.
Chuck Cole – Jefferson City High School/University of Missouri
A 1988 graduate of Jefferson City High School, Cole was a three-sport letterman for the Jays in football, baseball and track & field. In football, he was a two-time First Team All-State selection, in 1986 as a linebacker and in 1987 as a center and linebacker. He was all-district both years in both positions. As a junior, Cole had 182 tackles, nine sacks and an interception. The next season, he made 125 tackles, including 11 sacks, two interceptions and blocked three kicks. That propelled the Jays to the state semifinals both years. At Mizzou, Cole was the Walk-On of The Year in 1989, earned a scholarship every year after and was a four-year letterman before graduating in 1993. These days, he is the national business manager for Thermofisher Scientific.
Derek Duncan – Montgomery County High School/Westminster College
A 2003 graduate of Montgomery County High School, Duncan was a two-time All-State quarterback in addition to earning three All-District, All-Area and All-Conference honors. He became Missouri’s all-time leader in passing yards with 7,591, breaking a nearly 20-year record, and threw 84 touchdown passes and a state-record 550 career completions. Overall, he ranks in the top seven of 14 statistical school categories. Duncan helped Team Missouri win the Down Under Bowl, throwing four TD passes – three against Idaho-Wyoming and the game-winner to beat Texas 6-0. He finished 34th all-time in national passing yardage ahead of Peyton Manning. Upon graduation, he held eight state records and was top 10 in 20 other game, season, or career state records. It was no surprise that he led Montgomery County to conference and district championships in 2002, and also was a letterman in basketball and baseball. He went on to play at Westminster College, earning two varsity letters and was a member of the conference championship team. He is currently a Partner and Senior Vice President of Employee Benefits at USI in St. Louis.
Ian Gilworth – Putnam County High School/Morningside College
A 2004 graduate of Putnam County High School, Gilworth earned 16 varsity letters across four sports – football, basketball, baseball and track & field. In football, he was a two-time All-State selection, in addition to earning three All-Tri-Rivers Conference honors, including MVP in 2002 and 2003. He also was First Team All-District his final two years, in addition to earning Daily Express All-Area twice, including its Player of the Year in 2002. Overall, he threw for 6,793 career yards with 61 touchdowns (403 completions on 835 attempts) over 40 games. He passed for 2,410 yards as a junior, with 25 touchdowns, and had 1,793 passing yards and 15 touchdowns as a senior. At Morningside College in Iowa, Gilworth was a two-time NAIA All-American quarterback and two-time Great Plains Athletic Conference selection. He threw for 7,200 yards with 62 touchdowns, including an NAIA playoff record seven TDs in a 2008 victory. He is now General Manager/Head of Sales and Marketing at Vernon Graphics in Unionville.
Ethan Harris – South Shelby High School/Missouri Western State University
Harris was a three-sport athlete at South Shelby, competing in football, basketball and track & field and inspiring many around him. Having grown up in foster homes through most of his youth, he found success in a lot of aspects in his life. That included football, as he was a two-time All-State (2006 & 2007) and all-conference running back. In 2006, he and teammate Aaron O’Laughlin established a state rushing record by teammates, combining for 3,666 yards. Overall, he scored 61 touchdowns in his final two seasons, rushing for 4,190 yards. The 2006 team won the Class 1 state championship, beating Marionville 34-27 in overtime and finishing 13-1. The 2007 team reached the state quarterfinals. Harris went on to Missouri Western on a full-ride scholarship as a running back and defensive back. He later graduated with a degree in Electronics and Mechanical Engineering.
Greg Hill – Hickman High School/University of Missouri
A walk on at Mizzou in 1969, Hill started on the freshman team before playing three varsity seasons. He later earned All-Big 8 Conference as a kicker in 1972 and 1973. As a junior, he earned the Associated Press and United Press International’s Offensive Player of the Week in the Big 8. That season, he kicked 13 field goals, including game-winners to beat Oregon 24-22, Colorado 20-17 and Iowa State 6-5 – with the first two coming in the final six seconds. The next season, he set the Big 8 career field goal record with 31 and tied the Missouri season record with 13, including two in a 13-12 upset of No. 2-ranked Nebraska. All told, he earned three varsity letters and played on the Fiesta and Sun Bowl teams. Along the way, he earned the 1970 Outstanding Redshirt Award and kicked a then-record 53-yard field goal in 1971. A 1969 graduate of Hickman High School, Hill was a three-sport athlete (football, basketball and baseball) who earned all-conference in football and baseball. He was part of the 1968 state runner-up basketball team and the 1969 state third-place baseball team. He now runs a State Farm Insurance agency in Columbia.
Aaron O’Laughlin – South Shelby High School/Central Methodist University
A 2007 graduate of South Shelby High School, O’Laughlin was a three-sport athlete who in football earned First Team All-State as a defensive back and running back his junior and senior years. He also was First Team All-Clarence Cannon Conference in both positions, as well as a return man, and was First Team All-District. As a defensive back, he combined for 152 tackles, eight interceptions and six fumble recoveries in his final two seasons. Offensively he had more than 30 touchdowns, with his senior season seeing O’Laughlin combine with Ethan Harris on 3,666 rushing yards – an MSHAA single-season record for teammates. The 2005 team reached the state semifinals and the 2006 team won state, finishing 13-1. At Central Methodist, he earned the Football Workman’s Scholarship through Westran High School in each of his final two seasons as he was a player/scout for Central Methodist. He later earned the KRES Coach of the Year in 2018 at Westran. O’Laughlin is now the principal at Marion County RII High School.
Chase Patton – Rock Bridge High School/University of Missouri
A 2004 graduate of Rock Bridge High School in Columbia, Patton played football, basketball and baseball. In football, he re-wrote the record book as a quarterback with 6,200-plus passing yards. In his final two seasons, he threw for a combined 5,230 yards – both 2,600-plus yards both seasons – with a total of 53 touchdowns. He earned All-State and the Missouri Gatorade Player of the Year in 2003, when he also earned an invitation to the Elite 11 Quarterback Camp – and earned All-American. That was a a year after earning all-conference and All-District. He completed 355 and 367 passes, respectively, those two years. In high school baseball, he was all-conference his junior and senior seasons, and all-district as a senior. At Mizzou, he was awarded the 2008 Missouri Director of Athletics Leadership Award and the Don Faurot Most Inspiration Player Award. These days, he is a dentist in Columbia.
Salum “Bubba” Stutzer – William Chrisman High School/Central Methodist University
A 2001 graduate of Independence’s William Chrisman High School, Stutzer played for a program that ran up against some of the toughest conference and district opponents in the Kansas City area. That only toughened him up for college. At Central Methodist, he was a four-year letterwinner and three-year starter who set the career record for tackles (407). He was a two-time NAIA All-American, earning First Team All-American by the NAIA, NAIAFootball.net and Don Hansen’s Football Gazette as a senior. He was honorable mention on those lists a year earlier. He also earned unanimous First Team All-Heart of America Athletic conference honors from 2001 to 2004, with his senior season seeing him rank 17th nationally in interceptions per game (0.5) and lead the defense with 100 tackles. That Central Methodist defense led the nation in turnover margin per game (2.500) and, in per game averages, ranked sixth in opponents’ third-down conversion rate (26.1), 10th in pass defense efficiency (89.), and 11th, 27th and 29th in scoring defense, total defense and rushing defense. He is now the Director of Facilities and Operations for the Francis Howell School District.
Benefitting Charities
Diamond Council of Columbia
Diamond Council is a non-profit organization of volunteers established in 1963 and run by a board of directors and executive committee. It provides area youth an opportunity to play baseball and softball, emphasizing fun, sportsmanship and skill development. DC is partnered with the City of Columbia Parks and Recreations Department. It registers and organizes its own leagues, and the Parks and Recreation Department prepares the fields for play each day. Diamond Council is a volunteer organization, as all coaches are volunteers. Teams are formed based on schools attending, volunteer coaches and team sponsors. Teams are not drafted on ability of skills and, best of all, all kids play. Additionally, Diamond Council has a scholarship fund that helps cover entry fees for kids from low-income families.
Special Olympics Missouri
Special Olympics Missouri provides year-round sports training and athletic competition in a variety of Olympic-type sports for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, giving them continuing opportunities to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy, and participate in sharing of gifts, skills and friendship with their families, other Special Olympics athletes and the community. Globally, the organization is the world’s largest sports organization with nearly 5 million athletes in more than 170 countries. It also is a social movement. With initiatives to activate youth, engage kids and adults with intellectual disabilities, build communities and improve the health of our athletes, Special Olympics is changing the game for people young and old.
