Mike Martz, the offensive coordinator and later the head coach of the St. Louis Rams’ “Greatest Show on Turf,” will headline the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame’s upcoming Football Luncheon presented by the Ozarks Coca-Cola/Dr Pepper Bottling Company.
His induction and keynote speech will come on a day when the Hall of Fame bestows its inaugural
Friday Night Lights Trophy on Thayer High School Football & Community, and also inducts the Stringer Football Family, 1968 Cabool High School State Championship Football Team, former West Plains High School coach and athletic director Greg Simpkins, Rolla Youth Football founder Jamie Myers, Monett broadcaster David Beckett and referees Don Claxton and Jerry Mallonee.
CEO and President Rob Marsh on Wednesday announced the luncheon, which is set for 11 AM on Wednesday, Oct. 15 at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds.
“This is exciting. We have a Super Bowl-winning coach, and a high school team that won it all and a high school program steeped in tradition, and individuals who have made the game even better,” Marsh said. “We hope folks will join us in celebrating them all.”
Additionally, the Hall of Fame will recognize the Elite 11s, individuals who were either All-State at a Missouri high school, earned recognition for a Missouri college football program or made significant contributions to the game.
This year’s Elite 11 Awards will go to Matt Berry (Webb City High School/Fort Scott {Kan.} Community College/Pittsburg State University), Joe Bettasso (Joplin High School/Missouri Southern State University), Sam Block (Ozark High School/Missouri State University), Nick Bruck (Camdenton High School/University of Central Missouri/Westminster College), Charles Burbridge (Aurora High School/Central Methodist University), Jeff Howard (Branson High School), Roger Koch (Carl Junction High School), Kendrick Payne (Southwest Baptist University), Max Oeser (Glendale High School/Missouri Western State University), Edward Sands (Evangel University), and Laramie Todd (Lamar High School/Pittsburg State University).
Sponsorship tables of eight are $450 and include recognition in the printed program and at the table. A head table ticket is $100 and includes the same perks. An individual ticket is $60, or $70 at the door. Numerous sponsorship are available, such as associate sponsorships and congratulatory ads. Tickets can be purchased online at mosportshalloffame.com or by calling 417-889-3100.
Mike Martz – St. Louis Rams
Martz was an integral part of the Rams’ great success of the late 1990s and early 2000s in St. Louis. With him as offensive coordinator of the “Greatest Show on Turf” in 1999, Martz designed imaginative plays for quarterback Kurt Warner and tailback Marshall Faulk as the Rams won their first Super Bowl, 23-16, over the Tennessee Titans under Coach Dick Vermeil (MSHOF Legend 2012). When Vermeil retired, Martz took over the Rams, coaching the 2000 through 2005 seasons. The Rams reached the playoffs four more times, winning two NFC West titles, the 2001 NFC Championship and compiled a 56-36 record during Martz’s five-plus seasons. They went 3-4 in the playoffs, highlighted by advancing to Super Bowl XXXVI, where they fell to the New England Patriots. A former tight end at San Diego Mesa College, the University of California-Santa Barbara and Fresno State University, Martz joined the Rams’ coaching staff in 1992 and stayed until 1997 to work for Washington. He then returned a year later. After the Rams, he was the offensive coordinator for the Detroit Lions (2006-07), San Francisco 49ers (2008) and Chicago Bears (2010-11). In January 2012, Martz announced his retirement from the NFL. These days, he is living back in the St. Louis area.
Thayer High School Football – Friday Night Lights Trophy
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame’s inaugural Friday Night Lights Trophy will be bestowed on Thayer High School Football, as its successful teams and community support have greatly enhanced the sport in the state. In essence, it’s a model others strive for. Having first fielded a team in 1932, Thayer has been among the most successful in the Show-Me State over the past four decades. The Bobcats have 17 playoff appearances since 1981, including state runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2008. In fact, they reached the state quarterfinals every year from 2015 to 2021, and also advanced to the postseason eight other times (1981, 1982, 1990, 1994, 1995, 2009, 2010, 2011). Thayer has had only two coaches over a nearly 40-year stretch in David Meek (1983-1999) and Billy Webber (2000-2022). Both have been inducted into the Missouri Football Coaches Association. Meek actually was the head coach in 1953 to 1957 and, after retirement, returned in 2012. Even better, the community throws its support behind the program, including with an extravagant homecoming parade through downtown Thayer and a booster club and game-day experience like no other. Each former player, coach, assistant, and team manager and other key supporters will receive a personalized plaque and will be honored on stage.
Greg Simpkins – High School Football Coach & Athletic/Activities Director
Simpkins has been involved in high school football going back to his playing days at Cassville High School in the late 1970s. After playing four years and grad-assisting another three for the Wonderboy football program at Arkansas Tech University, he returned to Missouri in the mid-1980s. He made his greatest impact at West Plains High School, where he worked from 1990 to 2021. Simpkins coached the football team for 20 years and was 121-93 overall as a head coach, including a season at Seneca. His West Plains teams won four South Central Association championships (1993, 1994, 1995, 1997), was a three-time district champion (2004, 2005, 2007) and made four playoff appearances (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008). The Zizzers were 80-40 in the SCA, 35-49 in the Ozark Conference and 116-89 from 1990-2009. He previously coached at Seneca, with a 5-4 record in 1988. Simpkins was the defensive coordinator at Seneca for three years, helping the program win the 1987 state championship, finish as a state runner-up in 1986 and win three district and three Big Eight Conference championships. He also was offensive coordinator in Blytheville, Ark., earning a playoff appearance in 1989. He was inducted into the Missouri Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2012. He spent 19 years as athletic/activities director at West Plains, and his hiring of coach Steve Ary – and securing MSHSAA’s approval for a co-op format for rural junior high school students – greatly enhanced the football program. He also was the lead fundraiser for athletic facility improvements, including a video scoreboard, sound system, press box and installation of turf for the field at Zizzer Stadium.
Stringer Football Family
The Stringer name has been synonymous with standout football in southwest Missouri going back to the 1920s. Overall, the patriarch was Sonny and then his sons, Sonny Lee and Bill, grandchildren Kent, Kirk, Preston, Rip, Matt, and Mark Eddlemon, and great grandchildren Paden, Brody and Taylor.
- The patriarch was Sonny Loyd, a standout on the first team Willow Springs High School in 1925 and one of six Stringer brothers who played. He lettered in football and basketball at what’s now Truman State University. He played tight end for Don Faurot, earning a letter.
- Sonny Lee “Buck” was an All-State halfback at Willow Springs who earned three letters at the University of Missouri for Faurot. He later coached high school football in Hannibal and Fredricktown, Glendale and was head coach at Parkview.
- Bill earned varsity letters in football, basketball, track and baseball in his four years at Central High School, securing All-State honors in football. As a guard for Missouri State, he helped the Bears win MIAA titles his freshman and senior seasons. He also was the Bears’ co-captain his senior year, when he earned Associated Press First Team Little All-America honors. He then went into coaching, compiling a 96-54 record over 15 seasons at Willow Springs, Cabool, Kirksville, Sullivan and Central. At Central, he took the Bulldogs to the state playoffs three times. He also coached the West in the Missouri Lions Club All-Star game. He is an inductee of the Missouri State and Springfield Area Sports Halls of Fame.
- Sonny Lee’s sons are Kent, Kirk and Preston – all Kickapoo High School quarterbacks. Kent and Preston both played at Missouri State. Kent played his first three seasons at Glendale High School and then was on Kickapoo’s inaugural 1971 team. He’s an inductee of the Missouri State Athletics Hall of Fame, having earned Second Team All-MIAA at quarterback as a sophomore and junior. Kent owned most of the Bears’ career passing marks at the time he graduated, with 3,138 yards and 20 touchdowns passes on 205 completions in 447 attempts. Kirk was a three-year letterman and All-Ozarks selection who played in the East-West All-Star Game. He later founded the Republic Youth Football program and coached in the Greater Midwest Football League. Preston was a 1983 letterman at Missouri State and a kicker for Missouri State who later coached at Ozark High School.
- Bill’s sons are Rip and Matt. Rip played at Cabool, earning All-State, All-Ozark and all-conference as a quarterback and linebacker. He also played for Missouri S&T. Matt lettered in football at Cabool and Central, helping Central qualify for the playoffs his final two seasons as he earned All-District and all-conference. He was on Evangel University’s 1988 NAIA national semifinal team, earning all-conference and all-district. He later coached at Nixa and Evangel.
- Mark Eddlemon, Bill’s nephew, played at Parkview and Kickapoo, earning letters at both schools, and also was All-Ozarks and all-conference. He is the son of late sports writer Marty Eddlemon (MSHOF 1989).
- Great grandchildren: Paden is Kirk’s son. He played quarterback and linebacker at Republic, earning All-State, All-District and All-Central Ozark Conference. He played two years in the GMFL. Matt’s son, Brody, was All-COC and All-District on Nixa’s state runner-up team in 2014. Rip’s son, Taylor, was a First Team all-conference offensive tackle at Katy (Texas) High School, helping the team to the 2009 state title, a 2008 state runner-up and a 2010 state quarterfinal.
Jamie Myers – Rolla Youth Football
Football has always been a passion for Myers, first as a player and later as a coach, parent and school board member. After completing graduate school, he returned home and has made a major impact in many ways. Among them is through Rolla Youth Football, which he founded in 1988 and served in a leadership role through 2022. The program has served as a feeder program for Rolla Junior and High School football ever since. Thousands of kids have gone through the program, which builds character, teaches life lessons and helps them learn the playbook that they’ll use as teenage student-athletes. Myers was a First Team Class 4 All-State quarterback for Rolla High School in 1981, setting school season and career records for touchdown passes and passing yards as co-captain of its state playoff team. He was a three-year starter in both baseball and football, lettering seven times. In baseball, he set season and career records for throwing out baserunners from the catcher’s position. Additionally, Myers has been a licensed counselor and founded Prevention Consultants of Missouri in 1993. He works as the director of the not-for-profit agency, which provides multiple substance use prevention programs and services. In 2004, he created the Mentoring Makes a Difference program, which serves up to 70 kindergarten through high school kids with a one-on-one adult mentor for one hour each week. Myers also served on the Rolla Board of Education from 2008 to 2019; is former president and member of the Phelps Regional Healthcare Foundation; former president and campaign chair of the United Way Board of Directors, and current ambassador and board member of the Rolla Area Chamber of Commerce.
1968 Cabool High School State Championship Football Team
When MSHSAA decided to begin a playoff system for high school football, one of the inaugural state champions – and the first from southwest Missouri – was the 1968 Cabool High School Football Team. Coached by Art Seals, the Bulldogs beat Seneca 6-0 on quarterback Randy Rees’ touchdown run and finished 10-1. That season began with a 20-6 victory against Greenwood and then a 6-0 loss to Salem. They never lost again, beating West Plains 13-7, Mountain View 46-0, Ava 21-0, Willow Springs 14-12, Houston 28-14, Thayer 39-0, Mountain Grove 12-6 and then South Shelby 14-13 on an odd tiebreaker in the state semifinals. The offense featured a line of center Mike Hood, guards Jim Beller and Chris Dale, tackles Dennis Faler and Ron Altis, ends Bill Burns and Jim Kissock, fullback David Rust and running backs Bob White, Gene Roberts, Basil Quesenberry and Terry McCall. The defense was led by linebackers Quesenberry, Jim Beller, David Rust and Leon Boyce, and nose guard Jim Meiser, with Altis, Larry Thompson and Bill White at tackles, while McCall and Rees were defensive backs, with Raymond Steely and Kissock at defensive end, and Jim Stark and Gene Roberts also in the mix. The punter was Dennis Carroll. Other team members included Johnny Williams, Danny Christeeson, Leon Curry, Gary Jesse, Mike Honeycutt, Ronnie Benett, David Quesenberry, Gary Cooper, Lonnie Greuter, Tommy Whittaker, Bill Perry, Garry McCall, Don Beller, Earl Baker, Don Cooper, Everett Beller, John Frisbee, Jerry Hood, Floyd Graham, Terry Kile, Dennis Carroll, Roger Carmichael, Brad Steely, Jim Dixon, Jeff Mitchem and Kirby Kile. Assistants were Bill Hoover, Rich Hood and Ed Northrup, with managers Bob Uncer, Mike Cox and Paul Wade.
Don Claxton and Jerry Mallonee – Referees
Claxton and Mallonee have been longtime referees of the Southwest Missouri Football Referees Association. Claxton is a 1963 graduate of Parkview High School who played baseball there and later attended Missouri State University and Drury University. He first began refereeing high school football in 1973, working for the MSHSAA and, on the collegiate level, with the MIAA. He has officiated north of 60 high school and college playoff games over the years. That includes six state championship games. Claxton has earned awards from the Southwest Missouri Football Coaches Association, and induction into the Southwest Missouri Officials Association, and Distinguished Service Awards from MSHSAA and the Southwest Missouri Officials Association. Mallonee is a 1962 graduate of Central High School. He first began officiating high school football in 1987, working all levels from junior high school to freshman, junior varsity and varsity. He worked the Class 6 state championship in 2013 in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis – one of numerous playoff games over the years, including four state semifinals. He worked some preseason college games, as well as umpired baseball and softball. He is in the Springfield Softball Hall of Fame and the Southwest Missouri Men’s Fastpitch Association Hall of Fame.
David Beckett – Monett Radio & Streaming
Since 1983, Beckett has been involved as a color analyst on Monett High School football, basketball, baseball, softball, volleyball, and soccer radio and internet broadcasts. He has worked primarily with play-by-play broadcasters Mike McClure (MSHOF 2023), Don West (MSHOF 2020), Scott McCauley (MSHOF 2020), Perry Phillips and Joe Gripka, who steered Beckett into broadcasting. September 2025 will start his 43rd season behind the microphone. His tenure includes four state championships (1999 Aurora football, 2016 Monett football, 2017 Aurora baseball, 2017 Monett softball), as well as eight other Final Four teams in girls basketball (1984, 1985, 1986), boys soccer (2016, 2018), volleyball (1989, 1990) and softball (2014). Additionally, Beckett also worked as a color analyst for nearly 20 years at the NAIA Division II Men’s Basketball Tournament at College of the Ozarks. He also served 13 years as a member of the Monett R-1 School Board, serving as president for several years.
Elite 11 Awards
Matt Berry – Webb City High School/Fort Scott (Kan.) Community College/Pittsburg State
A running back and linebacker, Berry was an All-State selection as a running back in 1989, fueling the start of Webb City’s domination over the next three decades. He earned First Team All-State honors in Class 4 that season, helping Webb City win the state championship under Jerry Kill. That season, he rushed for 2,015 yards and scored 23 touchdowns. The following spring, he placed second at state in the triple jump and third in the long jump – and held the school’s triple jump record for 32 years. As a junior, he was First Team All-Central Ozark Conference and All-District and earned First Team All-District as a senior. Berry later played for Fort Scott Community College and Pittsburg State in Kansas. He also gave back to the game by coaching youth football and then his daughter Haidyn’s softball team.
Joe Bettasso – Joplin High School/Missouri Southern State University
Bettasso was a standout for the Joplin Eagles in the late 1990s and early 2000s as a free safety. In 2000, he made 149 tackles and earned unanimous First Team All-Central Ozark Conference, and All-Southwest Missouri, plus Second Team All-Area by the Joplin Globe. He then went on to be a four-year letterman as a defensive back with Missouri Southern. In 2004, he paced the Lions with 8 ½ tackles for loss as a junior, with the team’s third-most tackles, and followed that with a team-leading two fumble recoveries and tackles for loss during his senior season of 2005. He has since given back to the game. This fall marks his eighth season as the defensive coordinator for Missouri Southern. Under his watch, the 2021 defense saw Richard Jordan, Jr., earn NCAA Division II All-American honors, with six earning All-MIAA. Bettasso started his coaching career for Missouri Southern as a student assistant and then graduate assistant. He then coached at McPherson College in Kansas for five seasons, including as head coach in the 2010 and 2011 seasons, and was an assistant at Quincy University (2012 & 2013) and McKendree College (2014 to 2016). His 2010 McPherson team earned a No. 6 national ranking in the NAIA after a school-record 10 win season. He was named as the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC) and American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) Region 4 Coach of the Year, having guided McPherson to the school’s first KCAC championship since 1952 and the program’s second NAIA Football Championship Series berth.
Sam Block – Ozark High School/Missouri State University
Block helped the Ozark Tigers to back-to-back playoff appearances and Central Ozarks Conference titles in 2004 and 2005. In fact, he earned Second Team All-State honors in Class 4 as a senior in 2005, when he was named the Defensive Player of the Year by both Southwest Missouri Coaches Association and by the Central Ozark Conference. That year, Ozark finished the regular season 10-0 with six shutouts, with Block also earning All-Ozarks by the News-Leader. Block then played at Missouri State from 2007 to 2010, after redshirting his freshman season. In earning four letters, he played in 41 games, making 20 starts and had 121 tackles. He earned nine starts in his first two seasons and played in eight games as a junior. As a sophomore, he had 10 tackles in a win against Youngstown State, and had three tackles and forced a fumble against Oklahoma State. These days, he is a broadcaster for Bears football games and is an independent field adjuster for insurance companies.
Nick Bruck – Camdenton High School/University of Central Missouri/Westminster Academy
A linebacker, Bruck earned Class 4 All-State honors his junior and senior seasons, amassing more than 200 tackles. His senior year in 1999, he helped Camdenton win the state championship. That year, he also won the state title in the shot put throwing 59 feet, 7 inches. He went on to play two seasons at the University of Central Missouri, which won the Mineral Water Bowl in 2001. He transferred to Westminster College in 2002, earning first team all-conference the next three seasons. He was the conference Lineman of the Year in 2003, the Defensive Player of the Year and the league MVP in 2004. In 2017, he was inducted into the Westminster sports Hall of Fame. After returning to Camdenton, was an assistant football coach for 20 years, 12 as defensive coordinator. He has coached the track & field program for the past 21 years and still serves as the head coach. As a coach, he has been part of 14 district titles, four top four state finishes and two state championships.
Charles Burbridge – Aurora High School/Central Methodist University
A 1982 graduate of Aurora High School, Burbridge earned First Team All-State honors in Class 3 as a 180-pound offensive end. He had 82 receptions and 15 touchdowns in his career, including a 102-yard school record interception return for a touchdown against rival Mount Vernon. He also had a school high 26 points in a basketball game in 1982, and also competed at the MSHSAA Track & Field Championships in the high hurdles and sprints that spring, setting a new record time in the high hurdles. The Aurora football teams finished in the top 10 in the state his junior and senior years, and he went on to play at Central Methodist University in Fayette from 1983-1985 as a receiver, as well as a javelin thrower for the track team. After college, Burbridge has had a 37-year career in banking, with the last 27 years at First Independent Bank in Aurora.
Jeff Howard – Branson High School
Howard helped plow the way for some of southwest Missouri’s top high school offenses in the mid-1990s under coach Steve Hanock (MSHOF 2009). In 1995, Howard earned Second Team All-State honors in Class 3 as a senior, plus was All-District and All-Ozarks by the News-Leader. That year, the Branson Pirates were 8-3 and won a district championship. The Pirates eventually lost in sectionals to Seneca, the eventual Class 3 state champion. The offense generated 3,643 yards of total offense – including 3,096 yards rushing. That came a year after Howard helped the team finish 10-1 in winning the Central Ozark Conference and the district title as the offense generated 3,868 total yards – including 2,911 rushing yards. A three-year football letterman, he also lettered in track. Howard later earned a degree and returned to campus, where he has been a longtime assistant coach for the Pirates. Howard is now the co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach for the Pirates, having coached both lines, linebackers, special teams and defensive backs in various seasons dating back to the fall of 1998.
Roger Koch – Carl Junction High School
Koch earned Second Team All-State honors in Class 3 in 1983, helping the Carl Junction Bulldogs win the Big 8 Conference and reach the state semifinals before finishing 8-4. That team was recently inducted into the Carl Junction Athletics Hall of Fame and was remember for being the Burr Dogs, as Koch convinced teammates to get buzzcuts ahead of the Big 8 championship game. He had been team captain, also earning All-District and all-conference thanks to being a defensive back, wide receiver, tailback and playing on the kickoff and punt teams, and the kickoff and punt return teams. He rushed for 587 yards, hauled in 488 yards receiving and had 288 yards on kickoff returns. Overall, he scored 17 touchdowns and kicked six extra points. Defensively, Koch had 215 tackles, 24 solo, and made four interceptions. In wrestling, he also was a state qualifier and conference champion. Koch went on to play for Southwest Baptist university before serving in the United States Army from 1985 to 2005. That included an 18-month deployment to Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom. He has since worked for Freeman Health Systems in Joplin and oversees Ozark Center’s Veteran Integration Program. Earlier this year, he was named a 2025 Mental Health Champion by the Missouri Mental Health Foundation.
Kendrick Payne – Southwest Baptist University
At Southwest Baptist, Payne earned NCAA Division II All-American honors from Don Hansen in 2017. That season, he also earned Second Team All-Region, as well as his second All-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association honor. In fact, he set SBU’s career records in receiving yards (3,364 yards) and touchdown receptions (35). His 241 receptions are second-most in school history, and his 36 TDs are fourth-most in the Bearcats program. He had a big junior season, with 1,075 yards receiving and 13 TD receptions. These days, Payne is a clinical specialist at Burrell Behavioral Health.
Max Oeser – Glendale High School/Missouri Western State University
Oeser earned Class 5 All-State for Glendale in 2013, when he also was the team captain. In his final two seasons, he was a two-year letterman and twice was All-District, All-Ozark Conference and All-Ozarks by the News-Leader. He also was a state medalist in wrestling. Oeser then went on to Missouri Western in St. Joseph, where he earned Second Team All-Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association honors as a junior and senior. In his time there, he played in 39 games, starting all 11 games in each of his final three seasons. As a sophomore, he helped the offense generate 1,986 yards rushing – including the third 1,000-yard season for Raphael Spencer. Oeser later was a graduate assistant at Missouri Western, worked on the staff at Florida Atlantic and now is in fourth year as the offensive line coach at Missouri Science & Technology in Rolla. Eight linemen have earned All-Great Lakes Valley Conference in his time there, and last year’s line helped two running backs earn all-conference.
Edward Sands – Evangel University
At Evangel, Sands was also a four-time All-Heart of America Athletic Conference selection gridiron before earning honors as a defensive back his senior season. The Florida native led the team in receiving yards in three of his four seasons (2006, 2008, 2009), and his 16 touchdown receptions are ninth-most in program history. Sands also ran track, becoming a school record holder in the 60 meters and qualifying for the NAIA Outdoor Track & Field Championships as a senior. He still sits in the top five in the 55 meters and long jump. From there, Sands gave back to the game and then to youths. He was an assistant on the football coaching staff at Branson High School in 2011 and 2012, helping the Pirates advance in the Class 5 state playoffs in both years. He then was Evangel’s track & field coach before spending five years working for the Boys & Girls Club of Springfield. He recently was hired as the assistant athletic director at New Covenant Academy.
Laramie Todd – Lamar High School/Pittsburg State University
Todd was an All-State offensive lineman in 1999 for Lamar High School under coach Mike Rader. That team finished 8-2. And he earned the All-State and other honors despite a season-ending knee injury in the seventh week of the season. Still, he was asked to walk on at nearby Pittsburg State University across the Missouri-Kansas line. From 2002 to 2004, Todd earned letters every year, helping the Gorillas to a 31-7 record. He played in every one of those games, and started all 15 games of the 2004 season in helping Pitt State finish as the NCAA Division II national runner-up. The Gorillas’ offense of 2004 shattered the NCAA’s 118-year-old all division scoring record with 837 points (55.8 ppg). The Pitt State offense also set the NCAA all division records for rushing (5,320 yards) and total offense (8,976 yards) that year – with quarterback Neal Philpot and running back and Warrensburg High School standout Germaine Race earning All-American honors. These days, Todd is a senior location manager for Mid-West Fertilizer, covering multiple locations in Missouri, Kansas and Arkansas. He also owns and operates a cattle and row crop farm outside of Lamar and coaches youth sports.
