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Christine Ridenour Boothby

Christine Ridenour Boothby was so rambunctious as a child, she would often come home from elementary school with blisters on her hands from playing on the jungle gym. “I was always trying to achieve some feat,” she said. “I would also see how far I could jump out of the swings. I always tried to… Read more »

Pat Colon

The crazy thing about her career is that, while her resume eventually would feature All-State status and later 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in college, there was a winter when the game went on without her. Pat Colon, you see, got cut during tryouts ahead of her freshman season of high school. And you think… Read more »

Richard Hantak

In addition to his many years officiating high school basketball and college and high school football, Rich Hantak’s NFL career as an official has spanned 25 years, working as a Line Judge, Back Judge and Referee. His accolades in the NFL are numerous and include such assignments as the 1985 and 1997 NFC Championships, the… Read more »

Eddie Moss

It’s amazing how one idea can change an athlete’s life. In Eddie Moss’ case, there were two: His Poplar Bluff High School football coach moved Moss from the defensive line to the offensive backfield for his senior season. Then, after college, Moss returned home to assist the football program, where one player encouraged him not… Read more »

Otto Porter, Sr.

For every successful athlete, there are those in the shadows who deserve the credit. For Otto Porter, Sr. – one of the best to ever set foot on a basketball court in southeast Missouri – there were many who set him up for success. “I don’t know if you would say I loved the game… Read more »

Lana Richmond

Long before her team would ever secure the first of 884 wins, long before the conference championships and the NCAA Tournament appearances, Lana Richmond had one demand. As coach of the Southeast Missouri State softball program, academics would be priority No. 1, as it would create the foundation to all other successes. And now look.… Read more »

Carl Ritter

Carl Ritter is the all-time leading scorer in Southeast Missouri State University basketball history with 1,916 points. A member of the Missouri Basketball Hall of Fame, Ritter was an All-American who had his number 32 retired in 1994. Ritter’s jersey number is the only retired number in Southeast Missouri State University men’s basketball history.

Kerry Robinson

He had grown up in the shadow of the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, playing on baseball sandlots in the summers years before willing his way into professional baseball. So in 2001, when in Triple-A, Kerry Robinson got the call of a lifetime. Sure, he had made his big-league debut three years earlier for Tampa… Read more »

Miles Smith

Looking back on a storied career in track, Miles Smith himself cannot believe some of the things he achieved. After all, Miles missed most of his high school career because of injuries, had a modest senior season at St. Louis’ Riverview Gardens High School and yet became arguably the greatest athlete, in any sport, at… Read more »

Emmett “Abe” Stuber

During his tenure as Southeast Missouri State University’s football coach from 1932-1946, Abe Stuber’s teams won 17 Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association titles in football, track, and basketball. He captured more championships than anyone in the school’s history. In the fall of 1986, the Board of Regents named the university’s track complex in his honor. In… Read more »

Linda Wells

She grew up on a dirt road outside of Pacific, a rural community just west of St. Louis, and played just about every sport imaginable. So when Linda Wells was about to enter high school, a neighbor walked over to the house and asked her dad if she might be interested in playing in the… Read more »

“Red” Williams

Lorenz C. “Red” Williams was SEMO’s first full-time athletic trainer, serving from 1967 to 1983. Williams worked in that position for 16 years supporting nine men and women’s athletic teams. He mentored and supervised 63 athletic training students during his tenure and was awarded National Athletic Trainers’ Association (NATA) honors for both 20 years and… Read more »