In the early 1990s, after having coached boys high school basketball teams for almost decade, Lynn Long faced this reality: His three daughters soon would play on the hardwood in middle school and high school, so, if he continued on, Long likely would miss many of their moments and memories. After all, all the hours… Read more »
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Category: Coaches
Dave Loos
Dave Loos made his way in this world as a basketball coach, winning more than 500 games at the collegiate level and earning his way into numerous halls of fame. But baseball was his first love. “Baseball was my favorite sport,” Loos said. “I was more skilled in baseball. Good hands and a plus arm… Read more »
Roger Lower
He spent 13 years as a policeman, spending days as a high school liaison, and one day the thought hit him: If his days were to be spent around students, why not become a teacher? And so, at age 35 and with a wife and two children at home, Roger Lower traded in his badge… Read more »
Ron Lykins
It all started with a degree requirement. Ron Lykins and the wheelchair basketball community would never be the same. Lykins, the University of Missouri head coach, retired from international coaching in 2021 after spending nine years as the head coach of the United States Men’s Wheelchair Basketball Team. He finished his career with Team USA… Read more »
Mike Machholz
Tucked away on a quiet little campus in the heart of mid-Missouri is one of the best-kept sports secrets in the state. Few programs on any level in any sport can boast the success of the Missouri Valley College men’s wrestling program, especially the era from 1996 to 2005. During that 10-year stretch of success,… Read more »
Paul Martel
In his 48th year of coaching high school football, Paul Martel has an impressive 285-105-12 record. Martel began his career coaching at Immaculata High School in Leavenworth, Kansas and at St. Agnes/Miege High School in Kansas City, Kansas before beginning a 29 year stint at St. Louis University High School in 1959. During his tenure… Read more »
Peggy Martin
Enshrinement: Coach Peggy Martin Her love for sports developed years before passage of federal Title IX legislation, by women who created athletic opportunities for high school and college female students. Peggy Martin has never forgotten them. Just as she has never forgotten how she, a native of south Alabama, found her way to Missouri and… Read more »
Mike Martz
In early 1999, with most of pro football assuming the St. Louis Rams wouldn’t be much of anything that fall, Mike Martz took a detour back to the Gateway Arch. “I was coaching at Washington in 1997 and 1998 and got a call from the Rams, who were offering the offensive coordinator job,” said Martz,… Read more »
Brad Mayfield
Ever had to ace a job interview? All Brad Mayfield ever wanted to do was lead the baseball program at Blue Springs High School, coach the game he loved, at the alma mater he loved, and set up players for success on the field and beyond. And there he was in the summer of 1980… Read more »
Gene McArtor
In 20 years of coaching baseball at the University of Missouri, Gene McArtor coached the Tigers to two Big 8 Conference titles and took six different teams to NCAA regional play. He also served as the Chairman of the NCAA Baseball Committee from 1987-1992, Vice President of the American Baseball Coach’s Association in 1987, President… Read more »
Francie McBride
The thought came to mind in her high school days: What if she took her love volleyball into the coaching world and perhaps made a nice impact? Not that Francie McBride could see what her career – and a Class 1 school in Shannon County – would become. “I could never see not having volleyball… Read more »
Ben McCollum
Sometimes loss can be the driving force behind success. Ben McCollum knows that all too well. The former Northwest Missouri State men’s basketball head coach was at a crossroads in 2016 after the Bearcats lost in the NCAA Regional final for the third straight year. His team couldn’t get over the hump and make that… Read more »
Andy McDonald
One of the most respected of all Missouri State University sports figures, coach Andy McDonald, has served SMS for almost 50 years. He came to SMS from the University of Kansas and was the Bears’ basketball mentor from 1925 until 1950. During his 23 seasons at the Bruin helm, he coached in and won more… Read more »
Lennies McFerren
A coach with nine state championships to his name, who grew up in an era when he and his friends used the rim of a bicycle tire as a basketball goal, believed this: Teaching players life lessons was far more important than winning alone. “I suffered a few losses just to make a point. That’s… Read more »
Melissa McFerrin
It’s common these days to hear a successful person from a rural country upbringing say they “got it from the dirt.” For Melissa McFerrin, that’s exactly what happened. Growing up in smalltown Cassville during an era when girls and women’s athletics took a backseat to the guys, McFerrin pushed boundaries and carved her own path… Read more »
Lee McKinney
Lee McKinney was a former basketball coach and athletics director at Fontbonne University. “You can probably consider him the dean of coaches in St. Louis,” Washington University coach Mark Edwards said. “He was very entrenched with high school coaches and players in the area. He enjoyed the kids that he coached. He was very dedicated… Read more »