Inductees

Had anyone in Oak Grove been asked about The Fry Family in the late 1980s, locals might have told you this: There won’t be a trophy case large enough to house all their hardware.

At Oak Grove High School alone between 1986 and 1995, Shaon won three state wrestling titles, Ryan a baseball state championship and Brett four state wrestling championships. All three then signed NCAA Division I scholarships with the University of Missouri.

And their coaching dad, Dave, had a front-row seat through it all – soon to join the fun in the 1990s.

“It was competitive when they were growing up,” Dave once told the Independence Examiner newspaper. “They would see who could hit the ball the farthest, who could climb the tree the highest and who could eat his meal the fastest. It was a great atmosphere, and I couldn’t be prouder of the way they all turned out.”

Their collective success is why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is proud to induct the Fry Family – including Shaon’s wife, Shannon, a former Mizzou Golden Girl and longtime Golden Girls coach – with the Class of 2019.

Shaon was 138-6 at Oak Grove and advanced to four state wrestling championship matches, winning it all at 140, 152 and 160 from 1989 to 1990. He did not lose a match his sophomore or senior seasons. (Oak Grove coach Bob Glasgow and the Oak Grove Program were inducted in the MSHOF in 2017.)

He later became the first MU wrestler to reach an NCAA championship match (1993), the first to win two Big Eight Championships (1993, 1994) and placed second and third nationally both years. His 127 wins were second-most in program history.

Ryan pitched Oak Grove to the Class 3 state championship in 1993 and then played for Mizzou’s baseball team (1995-1998). Though recruited to pitch for the Tigers, a blood clot his freshman year ended his pitching career. However, he became one of their most prolific hitters and still ranks among the top four in eight statistical categories.

“As I look back on it, it’s kind of funny how it all worked out,” said Ryan, who played in the Kansas City Royals organization. “My first choice was Wichita State, because they were the strongest school in the Midwest at that time. But (Shaon and I) both decided on MU and then Brett came to MU, too. It was really pretty neat to have all three brothers at one school.”

Brett was a four-time state wrestling champion at Oak Grove from 1992 to 1995 and earned a wrestling scholarship to Mizzou, although he unfortunately had to give up the sport after being diagnosed with pancreatitis. He graduated from Mizzou in 1995.

“The university was great and honored my scholarship and I got a great education,” Brett said. “I have wonderful memories of MU, and I loved to go down and watch Ryan and Shaon compete. It was a great time for our family, too.”

At the time, Dave was in the midst of a 24-year career as high school baseball coach, including 21 at Fort Osage. He was 277-165 and coached future big-league slugger Albert Pujols for two seasons and led Fort Osage to Class 4 state championships in 1991 and 1997 and a third-place finish in 1996.

“I feel blessed, as a coach and as a person, to have worked with some great young men,” said Dave, who was a catcher at Missouri Western State University. “They loved the game as much as I do, and we were able to reach our goals together.”

Shannon was a member of Macon High School’s 1987 national championship team and was a four-time high school All-American, plus named one of 15 to Team America. She then joined Mizzou’s Golden Girls (1990-1994), helping the program win its first national titles in 1991 and 1992. She was a four-time All-American and a three-year team captain.

After a year with the Kansas City Chiefs (1994-1995), Shannon coached Blue Springs High School to three Class 5 state titles. She then coached the Golden Girls for 21 seasons, with the team consistently in the top five nationally and earning the 2003 USA national championship.

“I came from a small town, and my mom had to talk me into trying out for the Golden Girls,” Shannon said. “I was shy and didn’t think I had a chance of making it, but I went. Like they say, the rest is history.”

And what a great history for the Fry Family.