In almost every community across America, a unique connection exists between sports fans and their local sports reporters. Nowhere is that more pronounced than in mid-Missouri. In 2008, at the height of the Great Recession and its layoffs, longtime KRCG-TV 13 Sports Director Rod Smith was among the casualties, for financial reasons like so many… Read more »
News
Sport: Football
Justin Smith
They called him by the lovable and respected nickname “Cowboy” in the National Football League, and one West Coast newspaper described him as “the iron-clad backbone” of the San Francisco 49ers’ standout defense. High praise for a highly respected professional. Then again, perhaps that was to be expected of Justin Smith. He was once just… Read more »
Phillip Snowden
Talk about a student-athlete who didn’t just enjoy sports but was proud to call himself a University of Missouri Tiger. Kansas City native Phil Snowden not only declined offers to play for mighty Notre Dame and Army – despite West Point even dispatching Heisman Trophy winner Doc Blanchard for a recruiting pitch – but he… Read more »
Bill Snyder
A native of St. Joseph, Snyder was a standout football player at William Jewell College for Coach Norris Patterson. Coach Snyder revived a losing Kansas State University football program and guided them to 11 consecutive bowl game appearances and 136 wins during his 17 year career. During his tenure, Snyder was named Coach of the… Read more »
Donn Sorensen
Years ago, recruiters would come calling and, in all honestly, everybody would have understood had Donn Sorensen declined. After all, his career had taken him to sunny San Diego, the complete opposite of his childhood on the snow-covered northern plains. Yet one offer piqued his interest. It was as the top executive of the Mercy… Read more »
Gary Spani
Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Famer Gary Spani finished his impressive nine year career with the Chiefs as the teams all-time leading tackler (999), a record he still holds. He was voted NFL Man of the Year in 1983 and helped guide the team to its first playoff berth in 15 years in 1986. Spani… Read more »
1997 Springfield Catholic High School Football Team
In the nearly suffocating heat of late summer 1997, on a concrete-like dirt surface subbing as a football practice field, the Springfield Catholic Fightin’ Irish began their march toward history. So the cuts, bumps and bruises inflicted from that field? Call them a badge of honor. After all, with a ton of talent still around… Read more »
1998-2002 Era St. Pius X High School Football
The sign on their football coach’s desk simply read, “Win A State Championship,” but it had been gathering a thick layer of dust by October 1998. This was at St. Pius X High School, where earlier 1990s teams had been playoff casualties. And so the inspirational note was fuel for the Warriors. So was something… Read more »
Jan Stahle
A little bit of miscommunication – and perhaps some cultural misunderstanding – helped lead Jan Stahle on a journey which resulted in one of the more fascinating sports careers in the history of our state. The year was 1974, and Stahle was arriving in Springfield as an exchange student from Sweden. Before he set foot… Read more »
Jan Stenerud
Jan Stenerud served 19 years in the NFL as a place kicker. he played 13 of those seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs, 1967-1979, four seasons with the Green Bay Packers, 1980-1983, and two seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, 1984 and 1985. He holds the NFL record for the most field goals in NFL history… Read more »
Bob Steuber
Steuber grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and attended the city’s Christian Brothers College High School, where he starred as a halfback on the school’s football team. He attended the University of Missouri and played as an end on the Missouri Tigers football team under head coach Don Faurot starting in 1940. In 1941, he… Read more »
Norris Stevenson
Norris became the first African-American to receive a football scholarship at the University of Missouri. He lettered from 1958-1960 and played on teams that went a combined 22-9-1 and won the Big Eight Conference Championship in 1960. An outstanding athlete, Stevenson played on both sides of the ball. After his collegiate career, he was drafted… Read more »
Art Still
Born and raised in Camden, New Jersey, Art Still was a star on the gridiron at Camden High School before signing to play at the University of Kentucky. He was the Southwestern Conference Player of the Year as a senior at Kentucky, where he was a four year starter. He was the second overall player… Read more »
Mark Stillwell
In his 40 years covering and writing about college athletics, 2016 Missouri Sports Hall of Fame inductee Mark Stillwell steered a different course from his fellow sports information professionals. Working as Sports Information Director at Missouri State University, Stillwell shared his Bears’ weekend sports competition assignments with active participation in the U.S. Navy Reserve. From… Read more »
Bob Stolzer
There’s an old saying in sports that goes something like this: Never forget who helped get you here. Whenever former Ste. Genevieve High School football coach Bob Stolzer kicks backs and reminisces about times gone by, rest assured that he lives by that motto. Names of former assistants, players, administrators and community leaders crop up… Read more »
Hank Stram
Hank Stram can easily be labeled one of the most successful coaches in the history of professional football. Stram served as the Head Coach and Vice President of the Kansas City Chiefs for 15 years, leading them into two Super Bowls. Stram has been honored numerous times for his successful coaching career including: the AFL,… Read more »