Inductees

dynasty

dy·​nas·​ty – a powerful group or family that maintains its position for a considerable time

You hear a lot about dynasties, especially in the sports world. Every sport has seemingly had its own dynastic teams. The New York Yankees won 16 World Series championships between 1936 and 1962. Hockey’s Montreal Canadiens captured 16 Stanley Cup titles from 1953-1979. Even more impressively, basketball’s Boston Celtics won 10 NBA crowns during an 11-year span from 1959 to 1969.

And of course, Tipton Boy’s Golf, who won four Class 1 Missouri state championships between 2003 and 2008, under the guidance of head coach Danny Dick.

The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted Tipton Boy’s Golf as part of its Class of 2022.

Tipton wasn’t top-loaded with talent. After all, the only individual state champion the Cardinals produced during their state championship run was Trey Allison in 2008. But quality depth? Tipton had that in spades.

“The overall strength and depth of Tipton’s lineups during the championship years ran deep,” said former Cardinal Scott Backes, a member of both the 2003 and 2005 championship teams. “For being a small school, we had good golf numbers in regard to people participating. Our top seven or eight could break into the top five at any time. We often had challenge matches to confirm our top five for tournaments.”

Much like its collegiate counterpart, high school golf is both a team and individual sport. Each team puts five golfers on the course, with the top four finishers counting toward the team score. Team depth, having a balanced lineup in terms of strength, is how you win tournaments and championships.

“Having an individual champ is very tough,” Backes said. “While having a champion definitely helps win matches and tournaments, having four to five respectable scores wins you state tournaments. You need a good average of your top five in order to have a chance. We had a lot of good golf athletes over these years and that allowed us to compete at a high level, as the person behind you was always on your heels, pushing you to excel.”

No matter how deep or talented a team is, it takes a quality coach to get the best out of those athletes. Tipton’s head coach, Danny Dick, made a strong impact on his players both during and after their golf careers. Dick passed away in August of 2020.

“Coach Danny Dick was an amazing golf coach, but a better person, and a friend to everyone,” Backes said. “He was never the hardest coach by any means and was more of players coach. Although he was never too stern, he would always get the most out of you as an athlete, taught you the integrity of the game of golf, and more importantly, made you a better person. Coach Dick was always in your corner and was always there for advice. Coach Dick was a coach, a mentor, a friend. Coach Dick has and will continue to have an important impact on me both as a golfer and as a person.”

Tipton’s run of greatness began innocently enough in 2003, with a one-stroke victory over Salisbury. The 2005 squad flexed its muscles with a 15-stroke win over Marceline, while the 2007 squad defeated Sacred Heart by two strokes. The championship run culminated in 2008 with a 29-stroke victory.

The 2003 team featured Scott Backes, Austin Garber, Steven Huhmann, Zachary Huhmann and Ryan Price. The 2005 team featured Allison, Backes, Devan Bestgen, Kein Hunolt and Calen Knipp. The 2007 team included Allison, Bestgen, Andrew Huhmann, Hunolt and David Romig. The 2008 team had Allison, Isaac Garber, Andrew Huhmann, Noah Kelley and Romig.

“What I remember most about competing for Tipton is the dedication and camaraderie,” Backes said. “Each player from the mid 1990s to our last championship in 2008 was dedicated to succeeding and bringing hardware back to Tipton High School. I also remember competing with friends, family, summer tournaments, meeting friends from other towns whom I am still friends with today. Building those relationships is paying dividends later in life.”

Backes, who is giving the induction speech on behalf of Tipton, said his teammates were excited about the honor.

“The whole town was excited,” Backes said. “This announcement blew up on social media. People have stopped us, messaged us, explaining how proud of us they were and where we are from. Each and every participant in the years being inducted is grateful for the opportunity to play high school golf for Tipton at a high level, and we thank the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame for the induction.”