Inductees

Paul”Pop” Springer spent 34 coaching at St. Joseph Benton High School. Springer’s expertise extended beyond the basketball court, serving as head football and track coach as well. His basketball teams claimed seven city championships and won the Missouri Interscholastic State Tournament in 1931 and 1941.

A legend on the south side of St. Joseph for more than three decades, Pop was an accomplished multi-sport coach; he recorded a high level of success on the gridiron, the hardwood, and the track. He came to St. Joseph from Nebraska in 1925 and quickly became a trailblazing icon in the coaching profession. In his career, he coached 889 contests combined in football and basketball amassing 566 wins (150 football, 416 basketball), and in all three sports, he enjoyed the highest achievement of coaching his teams to compete for a championship which included: Class B Track & Field State Champions in 1928, Track & Field State Runner Up in 1929, Boys Basketball State Champions in 1931 and 1941 and a Football Peanut Bowl Appearance in 1946.

When he retired in 1959, Springer was the most successful basketball and football coach in Missouri, and as a tribute to forever honor his memory and legacy, the gym at Benton High School bears his name.

Springer was also inducted into the St. Joseph, Missouri Area Sports Hall of Fame in 2023 and into the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1989.