Don Claxton knew Jerry Mallonee needed something to do. Mallonee had recently started his own business and had gone through a divorce. A way to spend some time outdoors and make some extra money seemed perfect. Claxton had already been officiating high school and college football games for more than a decade and had been… Read more »
News
Sport: Football
Ray Cliffe
While Ray Cliffe’s name is well known in the football circles around the state, what is most impressive is the number of years he spent officiating and umpiring. Ray spent a cumulative 114 years with a whistle in his mouth. He has logged hours mat side, pool side, behind the plate, on the hardwood and… Read more »
Chase Coffman
First and foremost, Chase Coffman thanks his dad for the hard work and leadership skills that propelled his rise to NCAA All-American and National Football League player. “Growing up, I was a hot-head,” Coffman said, laughing. His dad, Paul, was in the NFL 11 seasons, eight with the Green Bay Packers. “I would get after… Read more »
David Colt
For the past 24 years, David Colt has held the position of Head Athletic Trainer and Assistant Professor at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville. Responsible for the health care of 390 athletes in 15 sports, he also devotes much of his time to the classroom teaching various college courses. Colt became a Certified Athletic… Read more »
Dewey Combs
Coaching 29 years at four different high schools, Dewey Combs compiled an impressive overall record of 213-65-14. Along the way, Coach Combs garnered four state championships. His first came in 1966 as he and his Trenton Bulldogs were named Class M State Champs by sportswriters. His 19 year tenure in Joplin, which began in 1967,… Read more »
Al Conway
Al Conway was born in North Kansas City, MO in 1930. His God-given athletic abilities made him a versatile athlete who seemed to succeed no matter which sport he chose to participate in. He was an excellent track and field athlete, basketball and baseball as well but his sport was football. Many regarded him as… Read more »
Jim Conzelman
St. Louis native Jim Conzelman was a football player and coach, baseball executive, and advertising executive. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1964 and was selected in 1969 as a quarterback on the National Football League 1920s All-Decade Team. Conzelman played college football for the 1918 Great Lakes Navy Bluejackets… Read more »
Bob Costas
Bob began his professional career at WSYR-TV & Radio, while studying journalism at Syracuse University in 1973. At age 22, he landed a job at KMOX Radio in St. Louis, one of America’s most prominent radio stations. He broadcast a wide variety of live, play-by-play and studio programs for KMOX from 1974 through 1981. One… Read more »
Larry Cowger
Sometimes, life grabs you by the coattails and pulls you in another direction. And sometimes they aren’t coattails at all but your eyes, ears and voice so that the athletic events of smalltown high school athletes can be broadcast on air. That’s exactly what happened to Larry Cowger. “In 1998, a gentleman from the radio… Read more »
Curley Culp
Decades before the Pro Football Hall of Fame would welcome him with open arms, Curley Culp was facing quite a challenge entering his second season in the National Football League. This was in preseason 1969, the start of a path that ultimately led to the Kansas City Chiefs’ first Super Bowl victory. Culp had been… Read more »
Frank Cusumano
After 25 years covering sports for KSDK TV, after tons of awards and numerous World Series and two Super Bowls – after everything – you would assume Frank Cusumano would put it on cruise control. Hardly. In October 2018, there he was on assignment at inner-city Roosevelt High School, reporting on a Public High League… Read more »
Eric Czerniewski
Shortly after quarterbacking his high school football team to a state championship game, the chances to play in college came into focus. Yes, NCAA Division I programs had sent letters but extended no official offers other than to ask if being a walk-on piqued his interest. But an NCAA Division II school in Warrensburg kept… Read more »
Chase Daniel
As one of the top quarterback recruits in the early 2000s, Chase Daniel could have gone anywhere. Some 75 scholarship offers poured in from all over. The first? It came from the University of Missouri. “That stood out to me,” Daniel said. “And my dad was really black and white. He didn’t want any distractions… Read more »
Len Dawson
Len Dawson played 19 years, 13 years with the Chiefs from 1963-1975. At the time of his retirement, Dawson was the first on the list of all-time National Football League passers and was second in the AFC in touchdown passes. Dawson established a pro football record in 1967 with 15 consecutive pass completions against Houston. … Read more »
Earl Denny
An outstanding athlete at Golden City High School, Denny attended the University of Missouri on an athletic scholarship form 1963 – 1966, where he lettered in football all four years. In the 1966 Sugar Bowl, Earl helped propel the Tigers to a win over the University of Florida. Denny was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings… Read more »
Oliver DeVictor
Oliver DeVictor served as an athletic trainer at Pennsylvania State University, University of Pittsburgh, Washington University-St. Louis and University of Missouri. During his career, his teams made 10 bowl trips, including three to the Rose Bowl. He retired as head athletic trainer at the University of Missouri in 1958 after 23 years of service