The Missouri Basketball Coaches Association is proud to release their 2014 Hall of Fame class.
Tony Armstrong Click here to view Induction Speech
Coach Armstrong is one of the most successful coaches in Missouri in recent years. He has a career record of 486-274 in 27 years while coaching at Marionville, West Plains, Aurora, Lamar, Stockton, Blue Springs, Odessa, and Springfield Catholic. He has been a 7 time conference coach of the year, 4 time MBCA state coach of the year, and was a 2004 nominee for National High School Coach of the Year. His teams have won 10 conference championships, 8 district championships, and have been to 5 final fours. Coach Armstrong has led his teams to State Championships on 4 of those 5 trips winning state titles in 1982 at Marionville and 2001, 2003, and 2004 at Stockton.
Jay Farris Click here to view Induction Speech
Coach Farris compiled an overall record of 400-230 during a Hall of Fame career that included stops at Westran, Southern Boone, St. James, and Eldorado Springs. His teams won 8 conference championships, 3 district championships, and made it to a final four. Coach Farris was a two-time coach of the year.
Glen McDonald Click here to view Induction Speech
Coach McDonald won 472 games vs. 302 losses in his career. He patrolled the sidelines at Braymer, Mt. Ayr, Iowa, Platte County, Hickman Mills, Lee’s Summit, O’Hara, and Pembroke Hills high schools. Coach McDonald won numerous coach of the year awards, 8 conference championships, 9 district championships, and finished 2nd in the state in 1980 and 1988 in Class 4A. He is a member of the Greater Kansas City Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Roger Nimmo Click here to view Induction Speech
Coach Nimmo won 78% of the games he coached, 364-103 including Gorin, South Clay, Iowa, and Clark County high schools. He was a 10 time conference coach of the year including 9 in a row from 1980 – 1988. He was the coach of various all-star teams through out the years and was the Missouri Coach of the Year in 1983 and 1985. Coach Nimmo’s teams won 10 conference championships and 3 district titles.
Charles Childress
Charlie Childress was named the coach of the football, basketball, and track teams at Lee's Summit High School in 1937, after finishing a hall of fame career at Warrensburg Teacher’s College. During his time in Warrensburg he starred in both track and basketball. During his three years as a varsity basketball player he led the team in scoring and was named first team all MIAA every year. As track star he won the 1933 KU relays, defeating US Olympian Buster Charles in dramatic fashion. Once he came to Lee’s Summit all his teams did is win. In 1937, his first year as coach his basketball team went 17-6 capturing the Little Six Conference. That title was the first of six consecutive titles the boy’s teams won and first of 9 he would win in 16 years as a boys’ basketball coach. His best team was the 1945-46 team that finished the year 34-1, with its only loss coming to eventual state champions St Louis University High in the quarterfinals of the State Tournament. The 1945-46 school year was arguably the best in school history as the football team went undefeated, the basketball team when 34-1, and the track team won the first of 3 consecutive indoor state titles. The star of each all three teams was Forrest Griffith. He was the half back on the football team, leading scorer and first all-state basketball player, and two time individual state champ in track. He went on to have a stand out career at KU, leading the team in rushing during their 1948 Orange Bowl season before playing two seasons with the NY Giants. His recruitment to KU was controversial at the time as he was already enrolled at MU and listed on their football roster. The next year the Basketball team returned to state, the track team won state, and the football team finish 8-2 and ranked 10th in the final state polls. When Coach Childress stepped down as boy's basketball coach in 1952 he had amassed 322 wins, 9 conference titles, 5 district titles and two trips to the state tournament. His run as girl’s coach was equally impressive as he accumulated a 182 and 80 record with 4 conference titles. After stepping down as coach Childress served as the schools athletic director until is death in 1968. Since that time the top senior athlete at Lee's Summit receives the Charlie Childress Award each year.
Dave Gerdeman Click here to view Induction Speech
Coach Gerdeman had a career record of 358-228 over a 23 year coaching career. He led his Wright City High School team to a state championship as a player. He then returned to his alma mater after coaching at Winfield and led them to 5 district titles and the 1987 Final Four. Coach Gerdeman served as Athletic Director at Wright City for a number of years and then returned to the sidelines at Ft. Zumwalt North for 3 years.
Gregg Holifield Click here to view Induction Speech
Coach Holifield has led his teams to a 398-205 career record and he’s still going strong at Sikeston High School. He has been a 5 time conference coach of the year, 4 time Southeast Missouri Coach of the Year, and in 2011 following his team’s 30-0 perfect season he was the Missouri Coach of the Year. Coach Holifield’s teams have won 6 conference championships, 9 district championships, have been to 3 Final Fours, and in 2011 won the Class 4 State Championship. Their 30-0 team was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
Steve Hesser Click here to view Induction Speech
In 10 seasons as the head coach at Drury University, Steve Hesser has established the Panthers’ program as an NCAA-II national powerhouse. Hesser is 223-79 in his career at DU, where he guided the Panthers to the 2013 NCAA-II national championship – earning NABC National Coach of the Year honors for his efforts - and back to the Elite Eight this past season for a combined record of 59-8 over the past two campaigns. His Drury squads have won or shared the Great Lakes Valley Conference West Division title in six of their nine seasons as a league member, including overall GLVC championships captured in 2008 and ’13. Hesser joined the DU program in 2004-05 after a glittering career as a high school basketball coach in Oklahoma and Missouri, the latter spent at Glendale High School, where he posted a 97-39 record in five seasons. A 2013 inductee into the Oklahoma Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame, Hesser won nearly 300 games and three state championships.
Dale Miller Click here to view Induction Speech
Coach Miller spent his entire career at Clopton High School and in 16 short years compiled a 305-152 record, winning 4 conference championships, 11 district championships including 9 consecutive, and leading his teams to 5 Final Fours. His teams won 20 or more games in 9 consecutive seasons during the decade of the 80s. Coach Miller was named Area Coach of the Year 3 times, District Coach of the Year 6 times, and was twice named Missouri Coach of the Year. In 2002, Clopton High School named their new gym, “Dale Miller Gymnasium.”
Curt Riley Click here to view Induction Speech
Coach Riley assembled a career 449-248 record at Linn County, Pacific, Elsberry, Milan, Kirksville, Hickman, and Tolton Catholic. He also served as Columbia College’s assistant coach for 8 very successful seasons. His teams have won 7 conference championships and 9 district championships. Coach Riley has been named district coach of the year 6 times and Area Coach of the Year in 2004.
Eddie Ryan Click here to view Induction Speech
Coach Ryan compiled a 314-122 career record during a career shortened when he tragically passed away at age 44. He began his career a Mulberry, Kansas and moved on to Lamar, Rockhurst College, and eventually Pembroke Country Day School. (Pembroke Hill) His teams won 4 district championships and he led Pembroke to back-to-back state titles in 1956 and 1957. Annually the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association awards the Eddie Ryan Award to their coach of the year.