Inductees

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 about to meet with the athletic director and the superintendent, and already had one strike against him: Mayfield taught at the junior high school at time when the district preferred its varsity coaches work in the high school.

Yet he made his case, first by highlighting the fact that he coached Blue Springs’ players in American Legion baseball. And then … “I’ll never forget the look from Superintendent Dr. (Gale) Bartow when I said I wanted to have a baseball field on campus,” Mayfield noted.

Not only did it get built, but Mayfield built a winner. And it’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct Mayfield with the Class of 2022.

A 1969 Blue Springs graduate, Mayfield coached high school baseball for 32 seasons – 27 at his alma mater  and 4 ½ at Odessa – and finished with a 513-232-3.

At Blue Springs (1981-2007), he was 453-172-3, with his wins at the time marking the sixth-most in Missouri high school history.

In Class 4, the highest classification back then, Blue Springs’ 1999 and 2007 clubs won state championships, finished as a state runner-up in 1988 and placed third in 1998.

Blue Springs also reached five state quarterfinals and won five other district and 13 conference championships. Blue Springs’ school district has since retired his No. 22 jersey.

Mainly, Mayfield’s patience paid off.

After being hired as a teacher at Blue Springs following graduation from the University of Central Missouri, he served as a volunteer assistant in 1978 and 1979. Yet when an assistant’s role opened, the district’s policy kept Mayfield from applying for the job. And so he stepped away for a year.

Understand the difficulty. He had been influenced by his dad, who had coached his American Legion team in the 1960s. And the coaching dream hit Mayfield in his college years, through leading a group of 13- and 14-year-olds, helping to start the Longview Community College’s club baseball team and umpiring in Blue Springs’ youth league.

Fortunately, the administration took a chance in 1981.

“I remodeled the program a little and changed the thinking process of the kids,” Mayfield said, whose first two teams finished a combined 32-7. “I had most of the kids in Legion ball. They knew what I expected. And we had great parental support.”

The 1981 team lost in the district final 4-3 after the opponent scored four runs in the seventh inning. The next year, a Blue Springs lost 1-0 despite his pitcher firing a no-hitter.

A year later came “The Shot Heard Around Independence,” as Mayfield called it. A JV catcher, Brian Box, hit a pinch grand slam to win Blue Springs’ first district title – doing so as a No. 5 seed.

The victory changed the perception of Blue Springs baseball. Eventually, 130 players attended tryouts annually.

The 1988 team (25-2) suffered a 3-2 loss to Hillcrest in the state finals, although its record is still tied for the second-best record in program history.

Desmet beat the 1998 team 5-4 on a three-run home run in the semifinals, before Blue Springs topped Hillcrest in the third-place game.

Offense carried the 1999 team (28-2) to the state title, a 13-6 victory against Parkway South.

Pitching carried the 2007 club (25-7) to the state title just months after Mayfield suffered a stroke that led to a week-long hospitalization and three-week recovery.

Despite Mayfield retiring after the 2007 season, Odessa called in April 2015 in need of a midseason coach.

Along the way, Mayfield coached three American Legion baseball clubs from 1978 to 1983, and 1998 to 2018.

Looking back, he attributes his teams’ success to players for their work and dedication and parents for their dedication. Key assistants were Mike Rooney, Clyde Kubli, Jack Gillis, Jim Moran, Richard Wood, Marc Hines, Tim McElligott, Roger Lower, Bob Poisal and athletic director Tim Crone.

Most importantly, the support of his wife, Diane, and their children, Allison and Andy, made all the difference.

“I coached baseball like my (communications) classroom,” Mayfield said. “There were fundamentals to learn, and it was my responsibility to help them learn them – and then step back and have them show what they learned. They did a great job.”