Inductees

In the immediate years following passage of federal Title IX legislation – the 1972 law which created athletic opportunities for girls and women in public schools and universities – one thing was abundantly clear: Much work remained for competitors to be taken seriously.

Fortunately, Patty Vavra was among those who led the way. When she was the first women to be offered an athletic scholarship by Missouri Southern State University in 1976, she approached then-basketball coach Sallie Beard with her desire also to run track and field. At the time, MSSU didn’t offer such a program, for men or women.

Yet the following spring, MSSC fielded its first women’s track and field team, and the opportunity ultimately inspired Vavra to carry on the spirit of Title IX’s intent. She went on to a highly successful coaching career, first at Carthage High School and then at Missouri Southern, and it’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted Vavra with the Class of 2018.

Vavra coached the Missouri Southern women’s track & field and cross country programs for 22 seasons (1994-2016). In her era, 43 athletes earned 80 NCAA Division II All-American honors while 10 cross country runners also earned the elite distinction. Vavra’s athletes also amassed numerous academic All-American honors.

Along the way, Vavra earned 12 Coach of the Year honors from the MIAA (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association) as seven of her cross country teams won conference titles while the indoor and outdoor track & field teams combined to win five MIAA crowns. She also was four times named Regional Coach of the Year.

In 2007-2008, the MSSU women’s cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field teams combined to win the MIAA Triple Crown. The next season, the cross country team won the NCAA Regional, its third consecutive, and placed third at the NCAA Division II national championships.

Vavra also served at a national level as an officer in the United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association and was awarded the prestigious Jimmy Carnes Distinguished Service Award.

All this from a coach who, before graduating from Joplin Memorial High School in 1976, competed in the first two Missouri High School State Track & Field Championships for girls.

She placed in several events, including two that don’t even exist anymore: the 80-yard hurdles and softball throw. Clearly, Vavra helped lead the way from the old days.

“I was blessed, both in high school and college, to have two pioneer women coaches start programs,” Vavra said of Joplin Memorial’s Donna Boatman and Missouri Southern’s Beard (MSHOF ’17). “Sallie was a great role model for young women, and her emphasis on developing the true student-athlete stayed with me into my coaching career.”

Vavra spent 14 seasons at Carthage High School, where she coached several other sports. But her heart was in track & field and cross country and, under her guidance, two Carthage athletes won track & field state championships while several earned All-State.

“One of the things I learned was that different athletes are motivated in different ways,” Vavra said. “And I was surrounded by outstanding coaches. They had a great knowledge and passion for the sport.”

Meanwhile, Missouri Southern discontinued track & field and cross country not long after Vavra began coaching high schoolers. Fortunately, the university re-launched the programs in 1989 under coach Tom Rutledge and, in 1994, MSSU hired Vavra as coach of the women’s track & field and cross country programs.

“It was just a dream job for me,” Vavra said. “I was given an opportunity to coach the sports I love at the institution I love. Credit goes to Sallie Beard for taking a chance on a high school coach who had hadn’t proven she could be successful at the collegiate level.”

Vavra attributes her success to a dedicated and knowledgeable coaching staff. Jamie Burnham was on staff for 19 seasons as a full-time assistant. He headed up the distance runners in track & field and cross country.

“These honors would not be possible without him and all he has done for the program,” Vavra said.

In addition, she was blessed with committed student-athletes who overachieved due to hard work and determination.

“It was definitely fulfilling. Working with student-athletes and helping them reach their potential was the greatest honor and reward,” Vavra said. “I constantly challenged the young ladies in our program to leave a legacy that they and Missouri Southern would be proud of. They have achieved that goal over and again.”

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