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Mid-Missouri will be the focus this November when the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame hosts its Enshrinement in Columbia presented by Great Southern Bank. It’s set for Sunday, November 20 at the Holiday Inn Executive Center.

CEO & Executive Director Byron Shive announced the Class of 2022 during a press conference Wednesday at the Holiday Inn Executive Center, unveiling the names of 14 individuals and seven high school teams/programs. Additionally, the Columbia Orthopaedic Group will be honored with the John Q. Hammons Founders’ Award. A reception is schedule for 4 p.m., with the dinner to follow at 5 p.m.

An individual ticket is $150, and sponsorship tables of 10 are available for large groups. Numerous other sponsorships also are available, including associate sponsorships and congratulatory ads, to support the Hall of Fame, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit. Call 417-889-3100.

The Class of 2022 is as follows:

• Justin Gage – Jefferson City H.S./University of Missouri/Chicago Bears & Tennessee Titans
• Jeff Sherman – Former Central Methodist University men’s basketball coach
• Brian Smith – University of Missouri wrestling coach
• Jill Nagel – Columbia Rock Bridge High School girls basketball coach
• Kerwin Urhahn – Retired Executive Director of MSHSAA
• Dale Labuary & the late Geary Labuary – Former Monroe City & California football coaches
• Hermann High School Volleyball Program
• Chad Moller – Former Mizzou Associate Director of Athletics-Strategic Communications
• Mike Griggs – Former Director of Columbia Parks & Recreation Department
• Hickman High School Girls Swimming & Diving Era of 1979-1999
• Wendy Spratt – Columbia College softball coach
• Boonville High School’s 1974 State Championship Football Team
• Kent Fewell – Retired Columbia Hickman High School baseball coach
• Ron Lykins – University of Missouri Wheelchair Basketball coach
• Blair Oaks High School’s 2006 & 2007 State Championship Baseball Teams
• Michelle Boyd – Truman State University Head Athletic Trainer
• Mexico High School Boys Track & Field Era of 1974-1979
• David Sturm – Longtime high school umpire and referee from Salisbury
• Westran High School Softball Era of 1984-1999
• Tipton High School Boys Golf Era of 2003-2008
• Columbia Orthopaedic Group – John Q. Hammons Founder’s Award

The Hall of Fame hosted Enshrinements in Columbia in 2015 and 2019. That came after its Governing Board in 2011 approved a plan to host induction ceremonies away from Springfield, as a way for supporters of inductees to attend closer to home and as a way to raise funds for the Hall of Fame. This is the Hall of Fame’s 12^th November Enshrinement outside of Springfield, which hosts an Enshrinement every winter.

Justin Gage – Jefferson City H.S./University of Missouri/Chicago Bears & Tennessee Titans

Gage earned All-State honors in football (twice) and in basketball at Jefferson City High School before going on to stellar careers at the University of Missouri and the National Football League. He was a two-time All-State defensive back at Jefferson City (1997, 1998), and All-State in basketball in 1999. At Mizzou, he helped the 2002 men’s basketball team reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament. In football, he moved from quarterback to wide receiver. Gage went on to earn First Team All-Big 12 Conference honors from the Associated Press in 2001 and 2002. His 2,704 career yards receiving rank second in school history and his 200 receptions are third-most. His 18 touchdown receptions are sixth-best in school history, and his 84 receptions are seventh-most in a single season. He also still holds Mizzou records for receptions in a game and receiving yardage in a game (16 and 236 vs. Bowling Green in 2002). Gage was a fifth-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 2003, and played eight seasons in the NFL, split evenly between the Bears and Tennessee Titans. He had 2,958 yards receiving on 201 catches, and scored 16 touchdowns covering 100 games. He is now an assistant coach for Christian Brothers College High School in St. Louis.

Jeff Sherman – Central Methodist University Basketball Coach

Sherman coached the Central Methodist University men’s basketball program for 37 years, with his teams earning 668 victories. Upon his final game in March 2022, he ranked as the fifth-winningest active coach in the NAIA. He also ranks sixth on the all-time list of winningest basketball coaches in the state of Missouri among four-year colleges. He was an eight-time Coach of the Year in the Heart of America Athletic Conference, had 13 20-win seasons, a 30-win season, four conference titles, a divisional title, six NAIA national tournament bids and three Sweet 16 finishes. He also had 14 seasons with top 25 national rankings. His 1998 team ranked No. 2 for three weeks and finished 26-8. Not only did 71 players earn all-conference honors and 20 earn NAIA All-American status, but 75 former players pursued the coaching profession. Sherman is a 1978 graduate of De Beque High School in Colorado, where he was a two-time All-State selection in basketball, scoring more than 2,000 points, and a three-time all-stater in track & field. He later attended Northeastern Junior College and graduated from Central Methodist in 1983. Sherman is now the athletic director of Central Methodist.

Brian Smith – University of Missouri Wrestling Coach

Smith is in his 25^th season as the head coach of the Missouri Tigers wrestling program and is the winningest coach in program history, with a 318-113-4 record. Additionally, his teams have had 11 top-10 finishes at the NCAA Championships – including in each of the past seven seasons (except the 2020 pandemic-cancelled postseason). That includes a third-place finish in 2007, fourth in 2015 and fifth in 2017. His teams own 21 consecutive seasons with a dual record at or above .500. The Tigers also have won 11 consecutive conference titles, including in 2022 in their return to the powerful Big 12 Conference. Beginning with the 2001-2002 season, Smith has coached 29 All-Americans to 60 top-eight performances, and six Tigers have won nine individual national championships. Nine times he has earned Coach of the Year honors, including twice nationally (2007 by W.I.N. magazine as Dan Gable Coach of the Year and 2017 by the National Wrestling Coaches Association). A former All Big-10 wrestler at Michigan State University, Smith was head coach at Syracuse University and assistant at Cornell University before arriving at Mizzou.

Jill Nagel – Columbia Rock Bridge High School Girls Basketball Coach

Entering the upcoming season, Nagel is 383-98 in 17 seasons at Rock Bridge. Along the way, her teams have won five Class 5 state championships (2008, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015), placed third in 2017 and reached the Final Four in 2020. The Bruins are the only Class 5 program to win four consecutive state titles and only the fourth girls team in Missouri high school girls basketball to earn that distinction. Additionally, Nagel is tied for third-most among MSHSAA girls basketball state titles by a coach. So far, 33 players have gone on to play in college, including 14 at the Division I level. She is a five-time Coach of the Year by the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association and six times by the Missouri Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association. A 1994 graduate of King City High School, Nagel later was a standout at William Jewell College before graduating in 1998. She later earned an MBA from the University of Findlay (2001). Before Rock Bridge, she was William Jewell’s assistant coach in basketball, the assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Findlay, and assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Central Michigan University.

Dr. Kerwin Urhahn – MSHSAA Executive Director

For 16 years, Kerwin Urhahn served as the Executive Director of the Missouri State High School Activities Association, or MSHSAA. When he joined in 2006, he became just the sixth executive director in MSHSAA’s 96-year history. Urhahn spent 31 years as a teacher, athletic director, principal and superintendent of schools before retiring in 2022. The former volleyball, basketball, baseball and golf coach at Bloomfield High School promised to improve MSHSAA’s technology upon his selection, and he kept his word. Under his guidance, MSHSSA improved its website, and live streaming endeavors grew from one football game and two basketball games to more than 175 championship events, including state semifinals and finals. He also led the way on classification expansion, allowing for more school and individual success. That included the addition of girls wrestling, which now counts more than 1,800 participants. Urhahn, who recently retired, also was active with the National Federation of State High School Associations’ (NFHS) Board of Directors for four years, including a year as board president.

Dale Labuary & the late Geary Labuary – Football Coaches of Monroe City & California High Schools

Brothers Dale and the late Geary Labuary combined for more than 500 victories and a pair of state championships in 61 seasons as high school football head coaches. Dale spent 27 seasons at Monroe City, including as head coach from 1982-2005. His teams won the 1994 (14-0) and 1996 (13-1) Class 2 state championships and were state runners-up in 1997 and 1998. They played in seven state semifinals, and won13 district titles and 11 conference championships. He is the 21^st coach in state history to reach 200 career victories, posting an overall record of 201-73. He was inducted into the Missouri Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2006. Geary Labuary retired in 2007 with 307 career victories, coaching his final 15 seasons at California High School. He guided the Pintos (14-0) won the Class 3 state championship in 1997, and the team also finished as state runners-up in 1998 and 1999. Geary was also head coach at Windsor, in addition to Clinton, Ill., and Beloit, Kan. His 307 victories were third all-time in Missouri history. He passed away in 2017.

Hermann High School Volleyball Program

No other Missouri high school volleyball program has advanced to more Final Fours than Hermann’s 27. And only Hermann can boast that it has captured 15 state championships. Those cover the years 1986, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2018, 2019 and 2021. The state runner-up finishes were in 1988, 1989, 1999, 2009 and 2016. All other finishes were third place: 1983, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2007, 2017 and 2020. Leading the way was coach Linda Lampkin, who was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. Counting Lampkin’s tenure from 1980 to 2018 and since then under coach Phil Landolt, Hermann was 1,034-361-54, with Lampkin’s teams compiling a record of 943-344-50. Overall, the program has won 35 district titles and 31 conference championships, and filled 86 slots on All-State lists over the years.

Chad Moller – Former University of Missouri Associate Director of Athletics-Strategic Communications

Moller worked in the University of Missouri’s sports information department (SID) for 26 years, including 24 consecutive from 1996 to 2020. In essence, he promoted Mizzou’s 20 sports programs and athletes to the media, managing publicity, promotional and outreach/marketing efforts by telling stories and building relationships with key internal and external constituents. Moller was an information specialist with the Show-Me State Games (1991, 1992), a graduate assistant for the Mizzou SID office (1992-1994), Assistant Director of Sports Information for Baylor University Athletics (1994-1996) and then returned to Columbia in August 1996. From there, he held titles of Assistant Director of Athletic Media Relations, Director of Athletic Media Relations, Assistant Director of Athletics-Media Relations and then Associate Director of Athletics-Strategic Communications. In his time at Mizzou, in football alone, he promoted 12 First Team All-Americans, a Heisman Trophy finalist, a Mackey Award winner, 81 first team all-conference selections, 11 conference Player of the Year winners, two conference Coach of the Year awards, promoted then-No. 1 Mizzou football in 2007 and earned Best in Nation for media guides twice.

Mike Griggs – Former Columbia Parks & Recreation Department Director

A graduate of Columbia Hickman High School and later the University of Missouri, Griggs worked for the Columbia Parks & Recreation Department for 36 of the past 39 years, including a decade as Director. He was first hired by the department in 1984 as the Sports Supervisor and then left to be the director of Sedalia’s Parks & Recreation Department, where he planned and developed the Clover Dell Soccer Park. After returning to Columbia in 1993 as the Park Services Manager and Assistant Director, Columbia hosted numerous collegiate national and regional championships. Griggs was promoted to the Director’s position in 2013 and, during this tenure, oversaw the development of the nationally recognized Gans Creek Cross Country Course, future home of the NCAA National Cross Country Championships and the recent home of MSHSAA-backed state cross country championships. He also oversaw the development of the Columbia Sports Fieldhouse, a multi-use four-court indoor facility. Griggs is now the Deputy City Manager for Columbia and continues to support sports development throughout Columbia.

Hickman High School Girls Swimming & Diving Era 1979-1999

The girls swimming and diving program at Hickman High School enjoyed one of the most successful eras in state history. From 1979 to 1999, the Kewpies finished among the top four teams at the state meet some 17 times. They won state championships in 1991, 1995 and 1996. Hickman was the state runner-up 10 times, and those years cover 1979, 1983, 1984, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998 and 1999. They were third in 1982 and placed fourth in 1981, 1988 and 1989. Along the way, the program saw nine members combine to win 15 individual state championships: Lisa Durham (50 freestyle in 1991), Lynn Dustin (100-yard butterfly, 1991), Lindsay Tekotte (100-yard butterfly, 1999), Julia Alexander (100-yard backstroke, 1995 & 1996), Kristen Johnson (100-yard breaststroke, 1984), Naomi Greenstone (100-yard breaststroke, 1992), Tiffany Bohon (100-yard breaststroke, 1996-1999 & 200 individual medley, 1999), Miki Bohon (200 individual medley, 1996), and Ashley Rubenstein (diving 1999 & 2000). The Kewpies also won eight state relay titles: in the 200 medley (1982, 1983, 1984, 1995, 1996), the 200 freestyle (1998) and the 400 freestyle (1990, 1996). The team was led by coach John Hamilton from 1977 to 2011.

Wendy Spratt – Columbia College Softball Coach

Spratt recently completed her 29^th season as head softball coach at Columbia College, and she is threatening to eclipse 1,000 wins. Officially, her record is 988-441, which are the second-most wins in NAIA history. Spratt has led the Cougars to 17 NAIA national tournament berths, including a runner-up finish in 2018 and a fourth-place finish in 2017. Columbia College softball also has won five Region V titles, 14 American Midwest Conference tournament championships and 13 AMC regular-season titles. She has earned Coach of the Year honors 14 times, including three times by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association. Spratt was a member of the 1993 U.S. National Women’s Fastpitch Team and completed her career with the St. Louis Classics, who finished sixth at the ASA Women’s Major Fast Pitch National Championships. A 1990 graduate of Columbia College, Spratt earned First Team All-America honors as a shortstop and NAIA Scholar-Athlete accolades.

Boonville High School 1974 State Championship Football Team

A dominating defense and a high-powered offense led Boonville to a perfect season and the 1974 Class 3 state championship. However, the state championship game almost never happened. With significant winter weather in the forecast, MSHSAA called coach Gene Reagan the day before and asked if Boonville would consider a co-state championship. Reagan and the team declined, and eventually pulled out a 34-14 win against Washington on a snowy field in Rolla. The Pirates averaged 49.6 points a game while allowing only 10.3 points, giving them an average margin of victory of 36.3 points. The offense scored 50 or more points six times, while the defense tossed a pair of shutouts, and limited opponents to less than 10 points on five other occasions. A total of 16 school records were set that season. Seven seniors and two juniors were selected First Team All-Conference, and six were chosen as All-Staters.

Kent Fewell – Columbia Hickman High School Baseball Coach

Fewell coached the Columbia Hickman High School baseball program for 27 seasons (1976-2004), earning 366 wins. In fact, the school named its high school baseball field in his honor following his retirement. Fewell’s 1990 team won the Class 4 state championship, and he was named the Coach of the Year. Additionally, his teams won nine district titles, three sectional titles and sent more than 60 players on to play in college baseball. Five players reached the professional level, including one, Blake Tekotte, an outfielder for the San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox from 2010-2012. A 1968 Hickman graduate, Fewell played football, basketball and baseball there, and was a senior captain in all three sports his senior year. The 1966 football team was ranked No. 1 in the state. The 1967 baseball team and the 1968 basketball team finished as state runners-up. Fewell later graduated from Nichols State University in Louisiana, where he played baseball and one year of basketball. He was part of its 1970 team that was the NCAA Division II national runner-up.

Ron Lykins – University of Missouri & Team USA Wheelchair Basketball Coach

Lykins retired in 2021 as the winningest coach in international competitions in United States Wheelchair Basketball history (98-9, 12 gold medals, five silver medals), and that came after leading the U.S. men to a successful title defense at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. He also led the American women to back-to-back gold medals in 2004 and 2008. He is the only coach in Paralympic history to lead teams to four gold medals and to lead both men and women’s teams to gold. He got his start in college at the University of Kentucky in the early 1980s, spent time coaching at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater and eventually reached Mizzou. With Team USA, he led the 1992 women’s team to a Paralympic silver medal and more than 10 international championships. He has coached at Mizzou since 2009. In his initial season, he led the Tigers to their first winning season in program history. Since, the team has won nine Mizzou Wheelchair Basketball Classics and has finished six times in the top five at the National Intercollegiate Wheelchair Basketball Tournament, including a third-place finish in 2014.

Blair Oaks High School 2006 & 2007 Baseball State Championship Teams

The Blair Oaks Falcons captured consecutive Class 2 state championships in 2006 and 2007, the first such titles for the program. With coach Brian Ash leading the way, the Falcons combined for a 43-2 mark over those two seasons, including a perfect 22-0 record in 2007. It all started in 2006, when Blair Oaks made history by winning its first state title. Four All-State selections, including first teamers Kyle Henke, Travis Henke and Jared Verslues, led the Falcons to a 4-2 victory against South Pemiscot in Columbia. The 2007 squad opened the season with a No. 1 preseason ranking and cruised through to the title game in Springfield, where the Falcons appeared to be in control late, as Houston clawed back from an 8-3 deficit and took a 10-8 lead in the top of the seventh. Blair Oaks scored five runs in the bottom of the inning for a 13-10 victory. Travis Henke and Justin Eiken earned First Team All-State accolades that season.

Michelle Boyd – Truman State University Head Athletic Trainer

Boyd holds the title of Head Athletic Trainer for the Truman State University athletics department, and has been in the role since 2002 – and on campus since 1994. She oversees three other full-time certified athletic trainers and athletic training students to work with team physician Dr. John Bailey. Together, they provide quality healthcare for all of Truman’s more than 400 student-athletes. Boyd is a member of the athletics department’s administrative team and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the Mid-America Athletic Trainers’ Association. She also is past president of the Missouri Athletic Trainers’ Association. In 2016, she was honored as the NCAA Division II Athletic Trainer of the Year by the National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) and was inducted into the Missouri Athletic Trainers’ Association (MoATA) Hall of Fame.At the 2010 NATA Convention, Boyd was honored with an Athletic Training Service Award. Boyd also has served as the program director for one of the state’s premier Athletic Training Education programs. Additionally, Truman State’s athletic training major is an accredited program that prepares graduates to become certified athletic trainers. Boyd earned her bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology in 1992 from the University of Illinois-Champaign, and her master’s degree in Exercise Physiology from the University of Pittsburgh in 1994.

Mexico High School Boys Track & Field 1974-1979 Era

From 1974 to 1979, the Mexico High School Boys Track & Field team had few peers in Class 3. Coached by Ron Whittaker, the Bulldogs captured three consecutive team state titles from 1975 to 1977, while finishing third twice (1974, 1978) and runner-up once (1979). That gave the Bulldogs a total of six consecutive top-four finishes at the state meet. Mexico had a number of individual state champions in that era, along with a number state placers whose points proved valuable in the team standings. State champions were Randy Ezell in the shot put (1974), Andy Piper in the high jump (1974, 1975), James Clark in the high hurdles (1975), Austin Miller in the high hurdles (1976), Ronnie Miller, Ronnie Hoffman, Greg Jackson and Adrian Bradshaw in the 4×400 relay, Jackson in the 400 and Rodney Henderson in the 100 (1979).

David Sturm – Retired Umpire & Referee

A native of Salisbury in north-central Missouri, Sturm refereed nearly 15,000 games over a 50-year career, which came to an end in 2021. He umpired high school baseball for 50 years, basketball and softball for 45 years and football for 39 years. That covered numerous leagues in Missouri high schools and colleges, with Sturm having worked 30 Final Fours in various sports. He umpired one year in the professional baseball Gulf States League. He officiated games for Central Methodist University, Culver-Stockton University, Washington University in St. Louis and leagues included the Heart of America Athletic Conference and the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association. Sturm also umpired in the Ban Johnson League in central Missouri. A 1969 graduate of St. Joseph Catholic High School in Salisbury, he played baseball all four years and one year of basketball. He then attended and graduated from St. Louis University in 1972. By then, he had begun umpiring for the Greater St. Louis Umpires Association. These days, he works for the accounting firm in Salisbury that he founded in 1976 and sold to the current owner in 2011.

Westran High School Softball Era of 1984-1999

Located in the Randolph County community of Huntsville, Westran High School enjoyed quite a run in softball from 1984 to 1999. The program reached 13 Final Fours in that stretch. Highlighting it all were state championships in 1987, 1996 and 1999. Additionally, the program had five state runner-up finishes in the era, and those years covered 1984, 1986, 1993, 1997 and 1998. Westran placed third in 1985, 1988, 1989 and 1991, and placed fourth in 1995. During these 16 seasons, Westran also captured an astonishing 14 district titles and 16 consecutive Lewis and Clark Conference championships. At the helm during this spectacular run was coach Kelly Odneal (MSHOF Class of 2017), whose Westran teams produced an overall record of 495-89, with 317 of those victories coming between 1984 and 1999. In the 16-year period, Westran never lost more than seven games. The Hornets also sent a total of 22 players to play at the collegiate level.

Tipton High School Boys Golf Era of 2003-2008

One of the top high school boys golf programs in mid-Missouri can be found in the community of Tipton. Its 2003 to 2008 teams enjoyed quite a run, as the 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2008 teams won Class 1 state championships. The team placed third in 2006. Coached by Danny Dick, the Cardinals won the 2003 title by one stroke against Salisbury. The 2005 team scored a 15-stroke victory over Marceline, with the 2007 team edging Sacred Heart by two strokes. The 2008 team had a more comfortable finish, winning by 29 strokes. The only individual state champion in the era was Trey Allison in 2008. The 2003 team featured Scott Backes, Austin Garber, Steven Huhmann, Zachary Huhmann and Ryan Price. The 2005 team featured Allison, Backes, Devan Bestgen, Kein Hunolt and Calen Knipp. The 2007 team included Allison, Bestgen, Andrew Huhmann, Hunolt and David Romig. The 2008 team had Allison, Isaac Garber, Andrew Huhmann, Noah Kelley and Romig.

Columbia Orthopaedic Group – John Q. Hammons Founder’s Award

Columbia Orthopaedic Group will be honored with the John Q. Hammons Founder’s Award, bestowed on an organization that champions the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and sports across the Show-Me State. The group supports the Hall of Fame’s numerous events and has been a tremendous resource in identifying physicians and athletic trainers for consideration for induction. With roots dating to December 1965 in downtown Columbia, the Columbia Orthopaedic Group has grown to be one of the most significant sports medicine and orthopedic organizations in Missouri, the Midwest and even the nation. The group now numbers 27 physicians who are committed to excellence in the diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and prevention of orthopedic injury and disease. And they work in a 92,000-square foot, state-of-the-art facility with over 200 additional employees dedicated to great patient care. Over the years, Columbia Orthopaedic Group has developed subspecialty programs in sports medicine, spine, joint replacement, hand and upper extremity, foot and ankle, and trauma and fracture treatment. The sports medicine physicians have been involved in caring for recreational, high school, college and even Olympic athletes, extending their Columbia-based expertise to the international level. The group has been the preferred sports medicine provider for student athletes from multiple surrounding colleges and universities, and school systems for more than 55 years. Two leaders of the group have been honored by the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame: Dr. Mark Adams (MSHOF 2014, President’s Award 2019) and Dr. Pat Smith (MSHOF 2015).