Inductees

Steve Combs has been obsessed with basketball nearly all his life.

The former Harrisburg boy’s coach, Combs grew up as a Bulldog, rooting for one of the smoothest players of all-time and the local college team.

“I always wanted to be a basketball player,” he said. “I was a huge Harrisburg Bulldog and Mizzou Tigers fan, and Dr. J (Julius Erving) was my favorite player. I watched college basketball every Saturday and would watch pro basketball on Sundays.”

Combs, whose family has been in Harrisburg since the late 1800s, attended Bulldogs games with his father and sister when he was younger, and instantly fell in love with basketball. That love eventually led him back to Harrisburg. All he did in 18 years with the Bulldogs was win 331 games and a pair of state championships (2006, 2008) while also reaching the Final Four an additional four times. For his excellence on the court, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct Combs as a member of its Class of 2024.

“Growing up in Harrisburg, you learn early in life that basketball is a passion: full gyms, lots of excitement, and big events in town,” Combs said. “Eventually, I started going to games with my dad and sister, and it became my passion. Dad would take us to all the games, home and away, and then I would get home and play with my Nerf hoop. I just loved all of it.”

Basketball was never far away from Combs’ mind. But, as he puts it, becoming a coach was just part of loving the game.

“Every other moment was shooting hoops on the playground or in the gym,” he said. “It was just who I was from the time I was in first grade. Becoming a basketball coach was a natural progression as my playing days ended. It was not something I had planned early in life; it was just the next step.”

Combs enjoyed a strong prep career. He helped lead Harrisburg to the Final Four as a freshman, and eventually became a two-time All-State selection. He then played two years at Moberly Area Community College before finishing his basketball career at Columbia College.

After college, Combs spent two seasons at Louisiana High School and then two at Moberly High. Following his second year at Moberly, Combs made a life-changing decision.

“In the same spring, I was offered the assistant coaching position at Moberly Area CC and the head coaching job at Harrisburg,” Combs said. “I was torn about what to do. I made the correct decision.”

Harrisburg was the easy choice, but it wasn’t an easy job.

“My hometown Bulldogs were struggling a little bit, and I was a young coach who had made a ton of mistakes in my first head coaching position,” he said. “But the first day, the first meeting after I was hired, I knew I was where I was supposed to be.”

It didn’t take long for Combs to instill his philosophies into Bulldog basketball.

“Bulldog basketball is the same recipe every year, with some small variations,” Combs said. “Intensity, our team versus your team, always a strong bench. We would come at you in waves. We were also defensive-oriented but always skilled offensively and fundamentally sound. We came out on both ends of the floor, with our hair on fire. We always played a tough schedule with usually a few battle scars.”

But come postseason time, Combs and the Bulldogs were always ready.

“I wanted to be playing our best basketball at the end of the year,” he said. “When the playoffs hit, my goal was to have seen several teams on our schedule that were better than those we would play in the playoffs.”

And the strategy worked. Not only did Harrisburg capture state titles in 2006 and 2008, but the Bulldogs also reached the Final Four in 2003, 2007, 2009, and 2017.

Harrisburg was so grateful for the success Combs brought to the Bulldogs, the high school dedicated Coach Combs Court in 2022.

Family has played a key role for Combs over the years. Not surprisingly, Combs gives a lot of credit to his wife, Carmen, and his kids Cade, Baylie, Trace and Brody.

“My wife is my rock,” Combs said. “Not many spouses would be able to let someone focus so much time and energy on their career. My kids, I have coached them in several different capacities. They are tremendous individuals, and that makes it all that much better.”