ST. JOSEPH SPORTS COMMISSION ANNOUNCES

2024 ST. JOSEPH AREA SPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASS

PRESENTED BY ATHA BROS AG

INDUCTION CEREMONY IN MEMORY & HONOR OF MR. FRANK O’MALLEY SET FOR SUNDAY, AUGUST 25

For Immediate Release: Thursday, May 30, 2024

The St. Joseph Sports Commission, a division of the St. Joseph Convention & Visitors Bureau is pleased to announce the 2024 St. Joseph Area Sports of Hall of Fame Class!

The 2024 Hall of Fame Class includes:

Bobby Blakley – Baseball and Men’s Fastpitch Softball Star

Ryan Bradley – United States Figure Skating Star

Dirck Clark/Charlie Shields – Chiefs Training Camp Pioneers

Heavin (Warner) Douglas – Multi-time NCAA Track & Field National Champion

Brice Garnett – MWSU Legend/PGA Tour Golfer

Dan Gerson – St. Joseph Mustangs Owner/Founder

Dr. Pat Lipira – Missouri Southern Softball Coaching Legend

Doug Minnis – Legendary Missouri Western Baseball Coach

Bill Scott – Local and State Sportswriter

2007 Benton High School Girls Basketball Undefeated State Champions

Charlie Phillips – Special Olympics Area Athlete of the Year

For the second straight year, the enshrinement ceremony will be presented by Atha Bros Ag.

Officially created in November of 2020, the St. Joseph Area Sports of Hall recognizes those individuals, families, teams, entities or significant feats/accomplishments that have made a significant impact on sports history in Buchanan County in which the inaugural induction class was enshrined in September 2021.

To be eligible for selection, the individual or team must have been born in Buchanan County, must have made their sports career or accomplished their feat in Buchanan County or must be contributing to sports in Buchanan County at the present time.

In addition, the Third Annual Coach Bill Snyder Woman of Impact Award will be presented by Coach Snyder.  The award recognizes a female athlete, coach, administrator or other outstanding feat accomplished in Buchanan County over the past year.  The award is named in Coach Snyder’s honor as a tribute to not only the impact that his mother made on his life and upbringing in our community but the impact of women in all levels of sport in celebration of Title IX.

The 2024 St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony presented by Atha Bros Ag, being in held in memory and honor of the St. Joseph Sports Commissions’ founder and first chairman Frank O’Malley will be held on Sunday, August 25 at Stoney Creek Hotel & Conference Center.  Social hour presented by Ellison-Auxier Architects begins at 4 PM with the enshrinement and presentation of awards beginning at 5 PM.

A limited amount of tickets for the event will go on sale in late June for $25 per person and may be purchased at stjomosports.com.

To inquire about sponsorship of the event, congratulatory program ads and other engagement opportunities, contact the commission at besely@stjomo.com or call 816-233-6688.

Bobby Blakley – Baseball and Men’s Fastpitch Softball Star

 Many St. Joseph fastpitch softball historians coined Bobby Blakley the best there ever was.  Bobby was a three-sport star who graduated from Central High School.  He played collegiately at Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State) and was one of the top two-sport athletes in recent history, lettering in football and baseball.  Blakley was the Bears’ centerfielder for four years, starting what was, at that time, a record 138 consecutive games for MSU. He was the only MSU player and only one of two in the MIAA to gain all-conference first team honors in baseball four years in a row and was selected to the NCAA Division II All-American first team as a freshman in 1974. He hit .440 his freshman season to become the only MSU baseballer ever to be selected as the team’s Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year in the same season. He was also the MIAA Rookie of the Year in ’74 and was on the all-regional team three times. Blakley’s four-year totals saw him rack up 171 hits, score 121 runs and drive in 130 runs with a .366 batting mark. He had 20 doubles, 12 triples, 30 homers and 41 stolen bases and which still ranks among the Bears’ all-time top five in a dozen different offensive categories. Blakley played professionally in the San Diego Padres organization for three seasons after his MSU graduation.  Following his baseball career, Bobby became a world class softball player.  He is a member of the ASA Hall of Fame participating in twelve state, ten regional, and eight national championships. He was selected as an All-American in 1986 and 1987, and played on bronze medal teams in U.S. Sports Festival teams in Charlotte, North Carolina (1987) and in St. Louis, Missouri (1994).

Ryan Bradley – United States Figure Skater

No matter the climate, Ryan Bradley has always been home on the ice.  Born in St. Joseph, Bradley has been a well-known figure skater both nationally and internationally.  Skating since age two, Bradley’s career on the ice has been highly decorated at all levels of his career in singles skating.  He was a two-time silver medalist at the Junior Olympics in 1994-95 and 1997-98 which earned him a trip to the Triglav Trophy, which he won.  From 1998-2001, Bradley starred on the ISU Junior Grand Prix winning six medals including two first place medals which earned him a spot at the World Junior Championships where he finished second in 1999.  Additionally, during the 1999 season, he won the title at the United States Championships.  His international debut came in 2001 at the Golden Spin of Zagreb, which he won.  Over the next decade on the senior circuit, Bradley consistently competed at a high level in the United States Championships, World Championships, Skate America, Skate Canada, Four Continents and United States Olympics Trials.  He medaled twice in singles in the United States Championships earning the silver in Spokane in 2007 and in a performance that most can only dream of, competing in one of his last competitions at the 2011 United States Championships, Bradley won the short program and placed fourth in the free skate to win the overall competition and become the U.S. National Champion for the first time.

Dirck Clark/Charlie Shields – Chiefs Training Camp Pioneers

 2024 will mark the 15th consecutive season the World Champion Kansas City Chiefs have hosted their summer training camp in St. Joseph. The camp has brought numerous benefits to St. Joseph, spurred infrastructure and growth on campus at Missouri Western which included the construction of the Griffon Indoor Sports Complex and also provided motivation for the complete demolition/reconstruction of the new Spratt Stadium. Whereas many worked behind the scenes to make Chiefs Training Camp in St. Joseph a reality, the camp would not have relocated to St. Joseph without the work of Dirck Clark & Charlie Shields. Shields who was serving as a Missouri State Senator in the 34th District as well as President Pro Tem and Clark who was the Chair of the Missouri Western State University Board of Governors at the time, were motivated by their commitment to economic development of the region and betterment of Missouri Western State University and the St. Joseph community. They demonstrated vision and invested tireless efforts on behalf of the regional community and University. The plan included securing $25 million in tax credits which helped the Chiefs continued improvements at Arrowhead Stadium and as part of the plan, the Chiefs would donate $10 million to MWSU to construct the indoor sports complex to put the finishing pieces on luring the Chiefs Camp back to Missouri from River Falls, Wisconsin. Camp has annually drawn 40,000 to 60,000 visitors to St. Joseph each July/August in which the earned media exposure is immeasurable nationally/globally.

Heavin (Warner) Douglas – Multi-time NCAA Track & Field National Champion

 A 2011 graduate of Benton High School, Heavin Warner is one of if not the best track & field athlete in St. Joseph history as is evident by her career accolades. Warner competed on the track & field team at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg for four seasons. While there, she set the NCAA Division II All-Time record in the hammer throw, an event she won three straight National Championships in and finished her career with 10 All-American awards between the hammer throw, shot put, weight throw and discuss. Her three straight hammer throw national titles were the first three-peat in UCM Track and Field history. She is the Jennies all-time record holder in five throwing events (hammer throw, discus, weight throw, indoor and outdoor shot put). Warner still holds the top-seven hammer throw marks in NCAA Division II history. In 2016, she placed fifth at the US Olympic Trials in the hammer throw and was sixth at the United States Championships in 2017. She was the Dr. Peggy Martin Award winner as a senior as the top female student-athlete at UCM. She earned a prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship in July of 2016 and ended her collegiate career as a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American. She was inducted into the University of Central Missouri Athletics Hall of Fame individually in 2021 and as a member of the National Champion track team in 2020. She was also inducted into the MIAA Hall of Fame in 2023.

Brice Garnett – MWSU Legend/PGA Tour Golfer

 Brice Garnett is the most decorated golfer to ever play at Missouri Western.  Originally from Gallatin, Missouri, Garnett played for the Griffons from 2003-2006 and was a three-time NCAA Division II All-American (2004, 2005, 2006).  He was the MIAA Tournament Champion three times and the NCAA Division II Super Regional Champion twice (2004 and 2005).  In 2006 he was named the MIAA Player of the Year.  While playing for the Griffons he won 12 career tournaments which included six in a row.  In 2005, he placed 4^th at the NCAA Division II National Championships in Savannah, Georgia.  Upon graduation in 2006, Garnett turned professional and played on the Adams Pro Tour from 2007 to 2009.  From 2010 to 2013 he played on the Web.com Tour in which he improved his money list ranking each season, culminating with a 14^th place finish in 2013 which earned him his PGA Tour card for the 2014 season.  During his rookie year on the tour, he made 20 cuts in 28 events highlighted by a tie for seventh in the Shell Houston Open.  He qualified for the 2014 Fed Ex Cup Playoffs, one of only two rookies to do so that year.  Garnett has been a steady fixture on tour for the past decade.  He has seven career victories as a professional including two on the Korn Ferry Tour, one on the Adams Tour, two on the eGolf Tour and two PGA Tour victories which included the 2018 Corales Puntacana Resort Championship and this past March’s Puerto Rico Open.  He’s played in two of golf’s major championships including twice in the US Open and twice in the PGA Championship.  He’s also played in the coveted Players Championship seven times making the cut in four.  Garnett is a member of the Missouri Western Athletics Hall of Fame and MIAA Hall of Fame.

Dan Gerson – St. Joseph Mustangs Owner/Founder

Spending nights at Phil Welch Stadium watching the St. Joseph Mustangs play is a summertime tradition and one that thousands of fans annually enjoy. The Mustangs, who are widely known for promotions, in-game entertainment, theme nights and post-game fireworks extravaganza’s in addition to excellent play on the field, consistently rank in the top 10 in attendance of all summer collegiate wood bat teams across the country.  While baseball has had a major footprint in our town for decades, the Mustangs tradition was created and fueled by Dan Gerson.  Gerson founded the Mustangs in 2008 in which the team began play a year later.  Under Gerson’s ownership, the team brought seven MINK League Championships to the community.  With the Mustangs arrival, he was highly instrumental in working with city leadership to bring much needed upgrades to Phil Welch Stadium in he which he provided a large sum of his own money to help fund.  The upgrades included: an updated press box, party deck area, concrete patio areas and more.  Gerson passed away in September 2023 but his footprint and impact on the community will remain as the Mustangs have gone on to achieve success that could only be predicted by few.

Dr. Pat Lipira – Missouri Southern Softball Coaching Legend

 Born and raised in St. Joseph, Dr. Pat Lipira is a softball coaching legend.  A graduate of Central High School and Northwest Missouri State University, Lipira arrived on the campus of Missouri Southern State University in Joplin in 1981 and began what would become a Hall of Fame career recognized by multiple entities.  She is the winningest coach in Missouri Southern history across all sports in coaching Lions Softball for 18 years where she compiled a 632-275 overall record which included four MIAA Championships, six NCAA Tournament appearances, two NCAA Regional Championships and led the Lions to the 1992 NCAA National Championship. For her accolades, she has been named the MIAA Coach of the Year five times, Region Coach of the Year twice and National Coach of the Year one time.  She ranks 18^th all-time in winning percentage (.697) and her 632 wins rank 29^th all-time in NCAA history.  Dr. Lipira also spent seven seasons coaching the volleyball team at MSSU racking up another 265 wins.  She is a member of the Missouri Southern Athletics Hall of Fame, MIAA Hall of Fame and Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

Doug Minnis – Missouri Western Baseball Coaching Legend

 Architect, founder and baseball ambassador for the area, Coach Doug Minnis touched the lives of many.  Minnis began his coaching career at Bishop Ward High School in Kansas City in 1956, becoming the first coach to win an undefeated state title in Kansas state history.  He made the move to St. Joseph in 1969 and founded the Missouri Western State University Baseball program in which he coached for 30 seasons.  While at the helm, Minnis compiled 683 wins, won six NAIA District 16 Championships and qualified for the 1975 NAIA World Series.  Coach Minnis is a member of nine Halls of Fame which include: American Baseball Coaches Association, NAIA, Missouri Western Athletics, Emporia State Athletics (his alma mater) and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.  Coupled with his career at Bishop Ward, Minnis won more than 800 career games in the dugout and was among the top 15 active NCAA Division II coaches in wins when he retired.

Bill Scott – Local and State Sportswriter

 A must read in print for more than four decades, Bill Scott becomes the first member of the media inducted into the St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame.  Scott, a member of the Missouri Sports Writers Association, was the ultimate cheerleader/advocate for St. Joseph Sports and Athletes.  In his 40 years with the St. Joseph News-Press, he began as an intern newsboy and retired as City Editor.  For 15 years (1952 to 1967), Bill was the face of The Wise Owl, a sports column that honed into a must read for St. Joseph’s high school, college and professional sports fan base.  He covered many topics in his column which included personal interviews with: famous sportscaster Harry Caray, boxer Archie Moore, Missouri Football Coach Dan Devine, winner of the 1960 Indianapolis 500 Rodger Ward, golfer Jack Nicklaus and legendary track & field star Jesse Owens.  In addition to his daily columns, Bill worked closely with famous boxing/wrestling promoter Gust Karras to write the outcome of Friday night wrestling events for the News-Press from City Auditorium for the next days edition.  Scott was also a charter member of the Sideliners Club, an organization created and devoted to promoting sports interest in the area by bringing in sports dignitaries to speak to St. Joseph youth and enthusiastic fans.

2007 Benton High School Girls Basketball Undefeated State Champions

 2006-07 was a historic season for the Benton High School Girls Basketball Team. The Cardinals steamrolled their way to a 30-0 mark and defeated Farmington 52-37 to claim the Class Four Missouri State Championship. It was apparent this team had a chance to be special given it defeated two other to-be state champions during the regular season (class 5 – Liberty – 44-37, class 4 Kansas Holton – 53-27). In addition to being the then first ever state championship team in Benton Girls Basketball history, they also became the first and then only (2016 Benton Girls State Championship team did the same) area high school team (boys or girls) to go undefeated in a season. Team members included: Alicia Bell, Jenni Musser, Melissa McIntosh, Claire Brown, Delissa Hall, Charnelle Starling, Blair Brown, Chelsie Strong, Nicole Wilkerson, Meghan Curtis, Holly Switzer, Kerstyn Bolton, Shelbee Cox, Hannah Moore and Karli Sample. Coaching staff included: Head Coach: Brett Goodwin Assistant Coach: Adam Willard, Byrce Mereness – Student Manager.

Special Olympics Area Athlete Of The Year presented by the Hook Family – Charlie Phillips

Coming off a highly impressive appearance in his first appearance competing for Team USA in the Special Olympics World Games in summer of 2023 in Berlin, Germany, Charlie Phillips is this year’s Special Olympics Area Athlete Of The Year.  Phillips was a top-three finisher in four separate powerlifting events which included: Men’s Squat – Silver Medal, Men’s Bench Press – Silver Medal, Men’s Deadlift – Bronze Medal and Men’s All-Around – Silver Medal.  Phillips has participated in Special Olympics for 15 years in various events which include in addition to powerlifting: basketball, flag football, soccer and short track speed skating. His Special Olympics journey began in Pennsylvania, then continued in Oklahoma. For the past eight years, he has focused on powerlifting in Missouri where he trains at Strong Barbell Club. He is a Polar Plunge ambassador and promotes local events through his volunteer role at the area Special Olympics office. Being active in Special Olympics has made Charlie healthier and stronger, as he was told he would use a wheelchair for the rest of his life and is now fully mobile.  He attended the Special Olympics Unified Cup in 2018 and competed in the Special Olympics USA Games in 2010 and 2018.