Inductees

He’ll be remembered forever for The Dunk. The one against in-state rival Mizzou. The one that rocket-propelled the Missouri State Bears to an incredible run to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament.

However, William Fontleroy was more than just that one early season play. In fact, he was more than just happy to be a basketball player; he was proud to be a Bear.

“When I think back over my Missouri State career, I think about the love and support from the community and fans,” Fontleroy said. “I think about the pride I felt putting on that jersey. The responsibility I felt to give my best effort for the fans that came to watch us play.”

He certainly authored quite the story – as one of the best players in the rich history of Missouri State basketball – and it’s why the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted Fontleroy with the Class of 2021.

From 1996 to 2000, while playing for coaches Steve Alford and Barry Hinson, Fontleroy became one of only two four-year starting guards in program history (the other was teammate Kevin Ault).

Not only did he key the Bears’ 1999 Sweet Sixteen Team (MSHOF 2014) that upset Wisconsin and Tennessee in the NCAA Tournament, but he also helped the 1997 and 2000 teams to the National Invitation Tournament.

And all these years later, his name is all over the MSU record book, with Fontleroy’s 1,133 points and 471 assists ranking 20^th and second all-time in Bears history, respectively. He also played in 84 wins, which is third-most all-time by a Bear.

The defining moment? He had several, but start with the dunk against the Missouri Tigers, in the Hearnes Center, no less.

“I got a steal. When I turned my head all I saw was open floor … and Albert White,” Fontleroy said. “The look on his face let me know what he was thinking, that I was going to shoot a layup. As I dribble up the floor, I see him getting his steps together for a block. In my head I know if I can get to the lane line before him, it’s over!”

It was. Boom. Dunk. History.

This for a player who had come a long, long way and not just geographically.

Long before agreeing to sign with the Bears, Fontleroy was a self-doubting high school sophomore in Gary, Indiana, who initially thought he wasn’t varsity-ready until his coach told him he was.

A year later, in a triple-overtime victory against No. 1-ranked Merrillville – against a future NBA player and four other NCAA Division I players – Fontleroy led the team in scoring, despite nursing a chipped bone in his elbow.

However, by the end of his senior year, Power 5 schools shied away. Fontleroy was undersized and underweight for a guard. Power 5s also were surprised to learn he was 17 upon graduation, as they assumed he was just a junior.

And so after several so-called mid-majors pursued him, he chose to head to the Ozarks – partly because Gary native Winston Garland had played at MSU and partly because of Alford, who in the early 1980s was “Mr. Basketball” in Indiana.

In his first practice, however, Fontleroy got blocked and did a full-body landing on the hardwood, to the laughing of teammates.

Said Fontleroy, “One of my teammates reached down and picked me up by my jersey and said, ‘Welcome to college basketball.’”

Eventually, he made his mark.

Every year, he bettered himself, and the summer before his junior year was arguably the most important. The Bears had lost in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament finals for a second consecutive season – missing an automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament – and so Fontleroy ratcheted up his offseason workouts. The Bears had lost 16 games, nine by nine points or less.

The Sweet Sixteen eventually was that team’s destiny, with Fontleroy dedicated to guiding the team to a history-making season.

“That’s the beauty of the NCAA Tournament. It allows you to dream! All you have to do is get in,” Fontleroy said, noting the team’s No. 12 seed fueled the fire. “Thinking about it now, I still get goose bumps.”

Looking back, he thanks so many for making him a standout player: his parents, coaches, teammates. And these days he’s a successful dad, thanks to his wife, Carolyn. They are the parents of Niekie, Ysabella and William III (Trip).