Former big-leaguer Kerry Robinson and a number of southeast Missouri-area athletes, coaches and teams are now inductees of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
A crowd of more than 400 turned out for the Cape Girardeau Hall of Fame Luncheon presented by Sterling Bank on Tuesday at the Drury Plaza Hotel & Convention Center.
It marked the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame’s first induction ceremony in southeast Missouri since 2016.
“It was exciting to host this ceremony in southeast Missouri,” said Byron Shive, the CEO & Executive Director of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame who has made it a mission to have a significant statewide footprint across the state. “Every honoree created a ton of great memories and inspired so many who followed. We also want to thank all those who supported this event, either with a congratulatory ad or ticket.”
The Class of 2024 features:
- Kerry Robinson – Southeast Missouri State & St. Louis Cardinals
- Jeff Graviett – Baseball & Softball Coach at Notre Dame Regional High School
- Christine Ridenour Boothby – Southeast Missouri State Track & Field Standout
- Brian Jett – Ste. Genevieve High School Cross Country and Track & Field Coach
- Frank Kirchmer – Valle Catholic High School Radio Broadcaster
- Otto Porter, Sr. – Scott County Central High School & Southeast Missouri State Basketball Standout
- Suzanne Beth Scott – Paralympian Swimmer
- Jack Connell – Golf Teaching Professional
- Bill Zoll – Bernie High School Volleyball Coach
- 1996-2004 Farmington High School Boys Wrestling Era
- 1994-1999 Bernie High School Volleyball Era
- Charleston High School Boys Basketball Program
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame preserves and relives historic moments and accomplishments of Missouri’s greatest athletes, coaches and teams and inspires future generations to achieve greatness. Located in Springfield, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that fundraises each year by organizing and hosting nearly 30 statewide events annually.
Kerry Robinson – St. Louis Cardinals
An alum of Southeast Missouri State University, Robinson made the most of his opportunity in pro baseball. Selected by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 34th round of the 1995 draft, the outfielder played 13 seasons in professional baseball. That included parts of seven seasons in the big leagues, including three seasons with the Cardinals (2001-2003). Robinson made his big-league debut with the Tampa Bay Rays in 1998 and played briefly with the Cincinnati Reds in 1999. The Cardinals lost him in the 1997 expansion draft to Tampa Bay and, in 1999, he was traded to the Reds after being claimed off waivers by the Seattle Mariners. In his three seasons with the Cardinals, he played in 354 games, helping the club reach the 2001 playoffs as a wild card team and win the 2002 National League Central and reach the NLCS. He’s the only player in Major League Baseball history to wear both the numbers 00 (Reds in 1999) and 0 (Cardinals in 2002 & 2003). Since 2010, he has served as a scout for the Cardinals and was part of the baseball operations staff that built the 2011 World Series championship team, the 2012 NLCS team and the 2013 NL pennant-winning club. He was inducted into the SEMO Redhawks Hall of Fame in 2008. His journey began in Spanish Lake, Mo., where Robinson set four baseball and four hockey records.
Jeff Graviett – High School Coach
Graviett spent 27 seasons as the baseball and softball coach at Notre Dame Regional High School in Cape Girardeau. He has amassed an impressive, combined record of 938-259 in 27 seasons. He became the baseball assistant coach in 1997 and then the head coach in 1999. A year later, he also joined the softball staff and was promoted to head coach in 2003. Overall, his teams have advanced to 15 Final Fours. The baseball team won state in 2009 and 2015, placed second in 1999 and third in 2000, 2002 and 2008. The program has also won 11 district championships. The softball team won state in 2009 and has four runner-up finishes (2005, 2008, 2015, 2017), three third-place finishes (2004, 2007, 2016) and a fourth-place finish in 2010. Graviett was the Missouri Baseball Coach of the Year in 2009 and has served as Notre Dame’s athletic director since 2016. He has been inducted into the following halls of fame: Notre Dame, Missouri High School Fastpitch Coaches Association and the Missouri High School Baseball Coaches Association. Graviett is a 1994 graduate of Chaffee High School, where he played basketball and baseball, earning All-Scott Mississippi Conference. He later graduated from SEMO in 1999.
Christine Ridenour-Boothby – Cross Country and Track & Field
A 1982 graduate of Kirkwood High School, Boothby made a name for herself as a cross country and track & field standout. At Kirkwood, she was an eight-time state champion: the all-schools cross country race in 1979, the Class 4 indoor mile the same year, the outdoor mile and two-mile in 1979, the two-mile relay in both 1980 and 1981, and again in 1982. She also placed third in state cross country in 1982. At Southeast Missouri State University, she won the 1984 NCAA Division II women’s cross country championship, leading her team to a third-place finish. She was a three-time Division II All-American in cross country and a two-time Division II national qualifier in track & field. Boothby set school records in the 1,500-meter, the mile, 3,000 meters, 2-mile and 5,000-meter events. She finished her career at Kansas State University, earning two All-American honors thanks to sixth-place finishes in 1986 in the 5,000 meters and the cross country nationals. She also was a Nike-sponsored athlete that year and was 13th in the World Cross Country Trials, 11th at the U.S. National Cross Country Championships and, in 1987, was an Olympic Trials qualifier in the 10,000 meters (33:42). She now lives in New Mexico after induction into the SEMO, K-State and NCAA Division II Track and Cross Country halls of fame. She also earned the Broderick Cup nomination for Female Collegiate Athlete of the Year in 1984.
Brian Jett – Cross Country and Track & Field Coach
Jett has been the longtime coach of the St. Genevieve High School cross country and track & field teams, leading the cross country teams from 1995 to 2016 and the girls track & field teams from 2001 to 2016. His teams have earned seven state championships, including six in girls cross country. Those years cover 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, with the 2014 team tying with Festus as co-champions. The 2006 and 2008 teams team placed fourth, and the 2007 team was runner-up. The boys team was third in 2005 and runner-up in 2015. Those teams combined for seven conference championships and 11 district titles (10 in girls competition). Jett was a seven-time Coach of the Year by the Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association, and was the National Federation High School Coaches Association Sectional Coach of the Year. In girls track, the 2013 team won a state title, while the 2015 and 2016 teams both were runner-up, while the 2014 team placed third. They also won 11 district titles and three conference championships. In boys track, the 1997 team was a state runner-up, three-time conference champion and two-time district champion. Overall in cross country, he coached 56 All-State athletes and, in track & field, 102 All-State athletes. A 1980 graduate of Lindbergh High School and later at Southeast Missouri State University, Jett coached middle school girls from 1992 to 1996.
Frank Kirchmer – Sports Broadcasting
In sports, we always appreciate those in media who bring the games to life, who either give play-by-play of games through the crackle of an AM or FM radio (and now online streaming) or through a compelling story in the print of an old-fashioned newspaper. Kirchmer is among those who have enriched our sports experience – and told the stories of high school athletes – for decades. A 1967 graduate of Bishop DuBourg High School and later Southeast Missouri State University, Kirchmer has been a sports radio broadcaster since 1971 in Ste. Genevieve. He has been on more than 4,000 broadcasts, with stops in Farmington, Sikeston, Jackson and Ste. Genevieve. In his time, he has called 28 state championship games, with a focus on Valle Catholic High School football, baseball, softball and volleyball the past 17 years through the Valle Catholic Sports Network powered by Prepcasts. He also has called Ste. Genevieve football, Chaffee football and Perryville girls basketball. Along the way, his calls have meant broadcasting games with some of the top coaches in southeast Missouri, including Bob Stolzer (MSHOF 2016), Judd Naeger, Bob Weiler, Nathan Gegg, John Bacon, Nancy Fischer, Jack Richardson and Charlie Vickery.
Otto Porter, Sr. – Basketball
The Porter Family in southeast Missouri has certainly enriched basketball in the Show-Me State, and Otto Porter, Sr., kick-started it all. A 1976 graduate of Scott County Central High School, he led the team to its first state championship and a 32-1 record. A 6-foot-4 smooth shooter who loved playing on the baseline, he scored 143 points in the four-game state tournament series – still a record in Missouri high school history – and grabbed 45 rebounds, also a record that stood for years. That included a then-record 25 rebounds in the championship game. When he graduated, he held the school rebounding record, with 1,733 rebounds. He then played a season each at Southern Baptist University and Three Rivers Community College before spending his final two seasons at Southeast Missouri State University through March 1981. Porter, Sr., averaged 27 points a game as a junior and 25 points a game as a senior. He was a Second Team All-American by the National Basketball Coaches Association in 1981. His two-year scoring average of 25.9 points is still the top mark in the MIAA and SEMO history more than 40 years later. He finished with 1,216 career points.
Suzanne Beth Scott – Paralympic Swimmer
Born with spina bifida, Suzanne Beth Scott has shown fierce determination in achieving success as a swimmer. In fact, she competed in the Paralympics for the United States in 2008 in Beijing and in 2012 in London. The Cape Girardeau native won a bronze medal in 2008 in the 400 meters and, in London, won a silver in the 4×100-meter freestyle relay and two bronzes, in the 4×100 medley relay and 400 freestyle. She also has nine World Championships medals – four golds, three silvers and two bronzes. The golds came in the 4×100 freestyle relay and 4×100 medley relay in 2010 a year after she won the 100-meter freestyle and 400-meter freestyle. Her silvers were in the 400-meter freestyle in 2010 and the 4×100 freestyle relay in 2009 and 50-meter freestyle. The bronzes came in the 100-meter backstroke in 2010 a year after a 200-meter individual medley. She also set the world record in the 1,500-meter freestyle in 2009. Scott, who graduated from the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, lives in Las Cruces, N.M. She also holds an MBA from DeVry University.
Bill Zoll – Volleyball Coach
Talk about a heck of a run as a volleyball coach. That’s exactly what Zoll enjoyed at Bernie High School from 1991 to 2000, as five of his teams won state titles and earned 317 victories. Folks in town sensed he was the right person for the job when he came aboard to lead the varsity team, as he had coached junior high school volleyball for 17 years. At one point, his teams won 76 consecutive matches, a state record, and 26 players earned All-State honors. His 2005 team finished 38-0. That was part of five state titles, with the others coming in 1994, 1996, 1998 and 1999. He was inducted into the Missouri Volleyball Coaches Hall of Fame’s inaugural class in 2011. Bernie has a special place in Zoll’s heart, as it was the only place he taught and coached. He had played basketball and baseball at Fisc Rombauer High School, which is now part of the Twin Rivers school district, before graduating in 1966. He later graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1970, earning a master’s degree a year later. Overall, he coached numerous teams at Bernie, both at its middle school and high school.
Jack Connell – Golf Pro
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame has long honored those who work behind the scenes to make their respective sport even better, and among them in golf is Connell. He has worked in the Cape area as a head golf pro since 1979. He was the Head Professional at Cape Girardeau Country Club from 1979-2000, and has been the Director of Golf at Dalhouise Golf Club since 2000. Along the way, he was the assistant coach at Southeast Missouri State University from 2000 to 2004. Connell has been part of the PGA of America Gateway Section for years. He was a non-member head professional from 1975 to 1984, and has been elected member since 1985. He served on the Gateway PGA Board of Directors from 2018 to current. His passion for the game has not been lost on anyone in southeast Missouri, as he was the host professional for numerous United States Golf Association, American Junior Golfers Association, Missouri Golf Association and Gateway Junior Series events. Additionally, he has been the Director of the Connell Golf Schools for more than 45 years. Connell is a 1969 graduate of Meridian (Ill.) High School and a 1973 graduate of Murray State University in Murray, Ky.
Farmington High School Wrestling Era of 1996-2004
In the winter, some folks don’t shoot hoops but instead they shoot takedowns. One of the best at it was the Farmington High School Wrestling teams of 1996 to 2004. In that time, the Knights earned seven top four State finishes under coach Mark Krause, who led the program from 1991 to 2014. The assistant coach was John Krause in the era. The team reached the pinnacle with state championships in 2000, 2001 and 2002. But it all started with a third-place finish in 1996, a fourth in 1998 and again in 2004. The 2000 team edged tradition-rich Helias Catholic by eight points, and had comfortable 43-point and 32-point margins over runner-up Ste. Genevieve in 2001 and 2002. The 2003 team was only 1.5 points away from making it a four-peat. Individually, Farmington had individual state champions in T.J. Hill (1996, 1997, 1998), Josh Buchanan (119 pounds in 2003), Doug Wiles (189 in 2000), Corey Husher (112 in 2001), Dustin Wiles (160 in 2001 & 2002), Jared Bonnell (heavyweight in 2001 and 2002), Michael Hahn (171 in 2002), Travis Krause (112 in 2003) and Marcus Hoehn (130 in 2003). Hill was a four-time state champion, at 103 pounds in 1995, and then at 112 and 119 twice.
Bernie High School Volleyball Era of 1994-1999
Volleyball has a great tradition at Bernie High School, and the 1994-1999 era set the bar high for many. The girls on those teams won five state championships in that time, with a state runner-up finish in 1997. The 1995 team, in fact, was 38-0. At one point, the Mules won a state record 76 consecutive matches that ended against St. Francis Borgia in an Arkansas State University high school weekend event championship game. Along the way, they produced 26 All-State selections, as voted on by the Missouri High School Volleyball Coaches Association. The teams were coached by Bill Zoll, who also will be inducted individually with the Class of 2024. His hard-nosed approach gained support among parents, and players certainly bought in, despite the grueling practices. Among the notable stories were that Stephanie Beacham had 635 consecutive serves without touching the net in her career. Dawn Robinson went on to play at Maryville University in St. Louis, setting several records there.
Charleston High School Boys Basketball Program
One of the premier basketball programs in the Show-Me State can be found near the Mississippi River, in a community called Charleston. There, the Charleston High School Boys Basketball Program has made 24 Final Four appearances going back to 1975. That’s the third-most in state history, and the Blue Jays have won 12 state championships – also third-most in the state’s rich basketball history. The state titles cover the years 1975, 1980, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1996, 2007, 2012 and 2022. Charleston earned state runner-up finishes in 1997, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2018 and 2020. Additionally, the Blue Jays brought home third-place trophies in 2003, 2004, 2011 and 2019, and fourth-place hardware in 1978 and 1982. Championship head coaches were Mitch Haskins, Lennis McFerren (MSHOF 2016), Bobby Spencer, Danny Farmer and Jamarcus Williams. Haskins coached the first state title, while McFerren led the program from 1977 to 1993, winning seven titles. Spencer guided the 1996 team, while Farmer had the 2007 and 2012 title teams before Williams won it in 2022.