He was one of the best tennis players in Missouri State University history, plus grew the game as the tennis teaching pro at a local country club and, later in life, piloted Springfield’s professional tennis franchise for 14 years. For Tom Adams and tennis, however, it wasn’t exactly love at first sight. “My brother had… Read more »
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Team: Missouri State University
Bobby Allison
To hear leaders across Springfield describe him, Bobby Allison walks around with a halo and a pair of heavenly wings. Not convinced? In south Springfield, there is Miracle League Ball Field where developmentally disabled kids can play baseball. A mile west sits Harmony House, a shelter for domestically abused families. Over at Missouri State University,… Read more »
Jerry Anderson
Jerry Anderson came to Missouri State University from Marshfield and lettered four years each in basketball and track between 1951 and 1955. He was a standout track performer as a broad jumper, high jumper, and sprinter. But it was in basketball that he achieved the most acclaim, both for himself and for his school. He… Read more »
Mark Bailey
In baseball, everybody’s got a story – some better than others. And, for Mark Bailey, his is the stuff that Little Leaguers dream of. Sure, he was often one or two years younger than most of his classmates while playing on ball fields and public parks in Springfield during the 1970s. In fact, he was… Read more »
Howard Bell
He might have played pro baseball if not for a car wreck in his early 20s, and who knows where his journey would have taken him. Fortunately, the baseball gods had a great plan for Howard Bell as a high school baseball coach. “He was a kid magnet,” said Mark Stratton, the longtime Glendale High… Read more »
Jesse Branch
When Jesse Branch arrived as head football coach of then-Southwest Missouri State University, there weren’t a lot of frills – just the way he liked it. No, there was no fancy weight room like the major college football casinos, nor a plush practice field. Heck, he didn’t even have a field goal kicker until the… Read more »
Bryan Properties
Speak to anyone who runs a successful business, especially in Springfield, and they make one thing clear right away: If you don’t give back to your community, you’re not truly successful. A prime example is Bryan Properties. Not long after it launched in 1985, it began sponsoring a number of sporting events and organizations in… Read more »
Dr. Thomas H. Burnett
Under the direction of Dr. Tommy Burnett, the Missouri State University handball team has been crowned with National Collegiate Titles nine times during Burnett’s 20 year coaching tenure. Following his senior year at the University of Arkansas, the Pittsburgh Steelers drafted Burnett. He later joined the New York Jets and was a part of the… Read more »
Cheryl Burnett
Cheryl Burnett smiles and shakes her head when folks want to give her all the credit. Yes, her name will forever be associated with Lady Bears basketball. See the two Final Four banners hanging from the rafters at JQH Arena? And spot two of the retired jerseys hanging nearby of stars Melody Howard and Jackie… Read more »
Dr. Penny Clayton
Natural ability mixed with hard work and dedication helped turn Dr. Penny Clayton into one of the finest softball pitchers in Springfield history. But it took Clayton a while to focus on just one sport. Growing up in the Queen City, Clayton was involved in nearly every activity or sport offered to a young girl… Read more »
Carly Deer Stubblefield
Her destiny was to be a Missouri State Lady Bear. How else to describe it? After all, when Carly Deer Stubblefield was in the sixth grade, her dad returned home from a coaching clinic inspired by a college coach. “That coach was Cheryl Burnett,” Stubblefield said of the Lady Bears’ longtime leader (MSHOF Legend 2015),… Read more »
2021 Class – Diamond Nine
CLASS of 2021 Mannie DeCastro (Carl Junction High School/Pittsburg State University) Judy Straatmann Hadsall (Washington High School/East Central College/Springfield Slow-Pitch) Gage Jacobs (Bolivar High School/Drury University) Catlin Evans Jones (Pleasant Hope High School/Southwest Baptist University) Alan Mahaffey (Kickapoo High School/Three Rivers Community College/University of Arkansas/Minnesota Twins) Justin McMillin (Hillcrest High School/Missouri State University) Willy Morgan… Read more »
2020 Class- Diamond Nine
CLASS of 2020 Heather Anderson – Missouri State University Johnny Eierman – Warsaw High School/Tampa Bay Rays Kelli Wenberg Eierman – Warsaw High School/Park University Bill Fischer – Springfield Cardinals Dallas Hord – Ozark High School/Missouri State University/Miami Marlins Robert Murders – Southwest Baptist University Justin Skinner – Hillcrest High School/Drury University Ryan Vincent –… Read more »
2022 Class – Diamond Nine
CLASS of 2022 Dr. Mark Baker — Webb City High School/Missouri Southern State University Charlie Burt — Truman High School/Ban Johnson League/Missouri State University Tim Clubb — Eureka High School/Missouri State University Mary Stratton-Johnson — Hillcrest High School/Slow-Pitch Softball Jordan Logan — North Callaway High School/Jefferson College/Columbia College Renay Ries Spilker — Blue Springs High… Read more »
2015 Class – Diamond Nine
Class of 2015 Jack Burrell — Humansville and Southwest Baptist Brad Simmons — Glendale High School and the Kansas City Royals Kelly Snider — Hillcrest High School the Oklahoma Sooners and the Los Angeles Dodgers Barry Short –Mansfield High School, Three Rivers Community College and the New York Mets Jim Lumpe — Glendale High School,… Read more »
2017 Diamond Nine
CLASS OF 2017 Doug Bennett (Hillcrest High School/University of Arkansas/Los Angeles Dodgers) Dan Bishop (Springfield Central High School/Baltimore Orioles/New York Yankees) Jack Funderburk (Southwest Baptist University) Chelsea King Goodin (Strafford High School/Drury University) Kellie Becher Kessler (Missouri State University) Danny Powers (Carl Junction High School/University of Central Missouri/Minnesota Twins) Kyle Rapinchuk (Branson High School/College of… Read more »