St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame

St. Joseph, Missouri and Buchanan County boasts a rich tradition of sports history dating back more than a century. Numerous legends have graced our areas fields, courts, courses, pools and arenas competing or contributing in numerous feats setting unprecedented benchmarks that have left lasting memories for a lifetime.

Created in November of 2020 with the inaugural induction taking place in September of 2021; these individuals, administrators, contributors and teams have a place to be honored as part of the St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame. The Hall of Fame is founded and owned by the St. Joseph, Missouri Sports Commission.

“When the commission reformed, one of the top priorities was to develop a platform to recognize the wide range of sports history in our area,” said Brett Esely, Director of the commission. “When you think of the many individuals that were either born here, began or made their careers here, that list is extremely impressive and rivals anywhere in the country.”

Nominations

To qualify for induction, nominees must meet one of the following requirements:

• Individual must have been born in Buchanan County
• Must have made their sports career or accomplished their feats in Buchanan County
• Must be contributing to sports in Buchanan County at the present time

Nominees will be considered from the following categories: athletes, teams, coaches, athletics administrators, officials/referees, media members, sports medicine personnel, doctors, personal trainers, contributors/meritorious service and support personnel.  Individuals not fitting into any of the categories may also be considered.

Anyone may submit a nomination which are accepted throughout the year to which anyone with a candidate(s) is encouraged to take part.  Nominators may submit the form which will include all required supporting information either by mail or via the online nomination form at https://stjomosports.midcoast.dev/hall-of-fame/nominations/.

Nominations will close in late March for consideration in the current year’s class to which the selection committee will convene shortly thereafter to identify the class which will consist of up to 10 individual inductees, 1 team induction and the Special Olympics Area Athlete of the Year.  The annual induction takes place in September.

“This is a big deal for our area and we hope that numerous individuals will participate in the nominating process as that’s what makes this endeavor so much fun and intriguing,” Esely commented.

Long term plans for the Hall of Fame will include a permanent shrine to the inductees to which different options/locations are being discussed.  Traveling displays will be showcased beginning in the spring of 2022.

Make A Nomination