Sept. 24, 1999
COLUMBIA, MO. __ - Ten more of the University of Missouri's best and brightest athletic stars, including three basketball players who were Big Eight Conference "players of the year" and the winningest baseball coach in school history, have been chosen for induction into the MU Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame. They represent the 10th induction class since the Hall was initiated in 1990.
The induction dinner will be held Fri., Jan. 28, at the Holiday Inn Select Executive Center in Columbia. A reception will begin at 6:00 p.m., followed by dinner and induction ceremonies at 7:00 p.m. Tickets are $35.00 per person and may be purchased by contacting Brenda Baker in the Tiger Development Office, at 573/884-0742. The class will be further honored during halftime ceremonies at the next day's basketball game, Jan. 29, against Texas A&M.
As called for in the Hall of Fame bylaws, the inductees are selected from two eras -- PIONEER (1890-1966) and MODERN (1967-1994). Former student-athletes are not eligible for consideration until five years after they complete their competitive career at Missouri. Coaches and staff members must have spent at least five years working at Missouri, and also have a five-year waiting period.
This year, three persons were selected from the Pioneer Era, and five were chosen from the Modern Era. They are:
PIONEER ERA
Woody Hatfield, football, basketball, track & field, 1931-33
Conrad Hitchler, football, 1960-62
Clair "Butch" Houston, football, baseball, track & field, 1931-35
MODERN ERA
Kim Anderson, basketball, 1974-77
Melvin Booker, basketball, 1991-94
Rosalyn Dunlap, track and field, 1980-84 Ricky Frazier, basketball, 1980-82
Shaon Fry, wrestling, 1991-94
Gene McArtor, baseball, 1961-63, asst. baseball coach, 1969-73, head baseball coach, 1974-94
Kris Schmidt, softball, 1985-88
Anderson (1977), Booker (1994) and Frazier (1982) were each honored as players of the year in the Big Eight Conference. Anderson was the league's leading scorer in '77. Booker paced the Tigers to a 14-0 run through the league in '94, and Frazier was a vital cog of MU's league title team in '82 - the third of four straight conference crowns won by the Tigers. McArtor, now the senior associate director of athletics at Mizzou, won 733 games as head baseball coach from 1974-94.
The Hall's constitution and bylaws express its purpose - "... to recognize and honor those individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the achievements and prestige of the University of Missouri in the field of athletics, and who have continued to demonstrate in their lives, the values imparted by intercollegiate athletics."
There are now 111 individuals and two national championship teams in the Hall of Fame, which was made possible by the 1989 bequest of $100,000 from the estate of the late A.C. (Ace) and Mary Stotler. It is located on the northwest side of the main concourse at Hearnes Center.
PIONEER ERA (1890-1966)
WOODY HATFIELD - A native of Lamar, Mo., Hatfield starred at MU in three sports, then went on to a long and distinguished career as a high school coach and athletic administrator. As a halfback and kicker on the Mizzou football team, he picked up the nickname "Iron Man" from Big Six Conference sportswriters. He seldom left the field, playing halfback on offense and linebacker on defense, and was the Tigers' regular punter and placekicker for three years. As a senior he was the team's most valuable player and an all-Big Six selection. Hatfield lettered in basketball and track as a junior and senior. He held the school record in the 100-yard dash - 9.6 seconds - for many years. Following graduation, he coached football for two years at Lamar, then 12 at Columbia Hickman, before moving to St. Louis. From 1947 until his retirement in 1978, he worked in the St. Louis Public School System. He coached at Soldan High School and was the manager of the St. Louis Public High League. Currently lives in Webster Groves.
CONRAD HITCHLER - Was a standout two-way end for Coach Dan Devine, lettering from 1960-62. He led Mizzou in receiving in 1961, and was an all-Big Selection in both 1961 and '62. Hitchler earned all-America status as a senior, then went on to play in the East-West Shrine Game, the Hula Bowl, and the Coaches All-America Game. He played three years in the Canadian Football League as a member of the Calgary Stampeders. His son, Conrad Goode, was an all-America offensive tackle for the Tigers in 1983. Currently lives in Kansas City.
CLAIR "BUTCH" HOUSTON - Earned nine letters at Ol' Mizzou - three each in football, baseball and track. Also played two years of basketball but did not letter. A native of Maywood, Ill., he was the captain of Coach Don Faurot's first team at MU in 1935, and earned honorable mention honors as a fullback. He was also the Tigers' starting fullback in 1932 and '33. In track, Houston threw the shot and discus, and as a freshman, placed second in the M-Men's boxing tournament as a heavyweight. He was the freshman football coach under Faurot in 1939-40, then began a high school coaching career that took him to Lamar, Higginsville and St. Louis, where he coached at both McKinley and Roosevelt High Schools. Moving into administration, he was the principal at Stix Elementary School, Cleveland High School and Northwest High School. He was president of the Missouri State High School Activities Association Board of Control in 1972-73, then was assistant executive director of MSHSAA from 1973-79. He was a high school official for 32 years and in that role helped organize the Greater St. Louis Athletic Association. Deceased.
MODERN ERA (1967-1994)
KIM ANDERSON - Was a junior forward on Norm Stewart's first Big Eight Conference championship team in 1976, then led the league in scoring and was it's "Player of the Year" in 1977. The Sedalia product was Academic All-Big Eight in 1975 and '77, and won Missouri's George Edwards Award for basketball excellence, academic ability, citizenship and character three times. He tallied 1,289 points in his career to rank among Missouri's top-20 alltime scorers. Anderson was a first-round pick of the NBA's Portland Trailblazers and also played professionally in Italy and France. From 1982 until earlier this year, he was an assistant basketball coach - 12 years at MU and six years at Baylor. He's currently the director of basketball operations for the Big 12 Conference.
MELVIN BOOKER - He was the catalyst for Missouri's 14-0 run through the Big Eight Conference in 1994, and eventual advancement to the "Elite Eight" round of the NCAA Tournament. He was an all-Big Eight selection as a junior and senior, averaging 15.8 and 18.1 points per game, respectively, and was a first-team all-American in 1994. He ranks fifth in school history in scoring (1,697 points) and second in both three-point field goals (183) and assists (488). He scored his career high of 35 points in two of Mizzou's biggest victories of the 1993-94 season - 81-74 over fourth-ranked Kansas in Lawrence, and 109-96 over Wisconsin in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Moss Point, Miss., native set a school record with 13 assists in the Tigers' triple-overtime victory over Illinois in St. Louis in 1993. Since completing his college career, Booker has played professionally in both the NBA and CBA.
ROSALYN DUNLAP - The second Maywood, Ill., native in this year's Hall of Fame class, along with Butch Houston. Dunlap was a quarter-miler at Missouri from 1980-84 and was a five-time all-American - three times indoors in the 600-meter run and twice outdoors at 400 meters. A four-time Big Eight Conference champion, she still holds two MU indoor records and was a member of two record-setting relay records outdoors. Indoors, she placed second in the nation in the 600 in 1980, third in 1982 and sixth in 1981. Outdoors, Dunlap placed seventh nationally in the 400 meters in 1984 and eighth in 1982. Her time of 1:18.56 in 1982 in the 600 was the U.S. and Big Eight Conference record. She's worked in athletic administration since completing her competitive career, and recently spent a year as director of compliance at the University of Missouri. RICKY FRAZIER - Played on three Big Eight Conference championship and NCAA Tournament teams at Missouri from 1980-82 after transferring from St. Louis University. He was all-Big Eight and all-District in 1981 and '82, and Big Eight "Player of the Year" and all-America in 1982. He led the Tigers in scoring in 1980 and '81, and formerly held the school record for field goal percentage in a season. He was selected to Missouri's "Team of the Decade" for the 1980s, and was drafted by the Chicago Bulls in the second round of the 1982 NBA draft.
SHAON FRY - The only Missouri wrestler ever to win two Big Eight Conference championships (1993 and '94) and the only Tiger ever to make it to an NCAA Championship match (1993 in Ames, Iowa). He placed third at the NCAA Championships in 1994. Fry had a career record of 127-36, for the second most wins in MU history. As a senior, he went 38-3. Fry was a three-time Academic All-Big Eight and two-time Academic All-America selection. He had a 3.8 cumulative grade-point average and graduated with honors from MU's physical therapy department. In high school, he was a three-time state champion at Oak Grove High and the Kansas City Star's Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1990. He is now the site coordinator for Peak Performance in Jefferson City, and his wife, Shannon, a former MU Golden Girl, now coaches that group for the athletic department.
GENE McARTOR - As a player at Missouri, won all-conference and all-district honors as a decorated first baseman from 1961-63. Played on two Big Eight Conference championship teams and two squads that advanced to the College World Series. Team captain as a senior. Returned to MU as assistant baseball coach in 1969 after coaching and teaching at the high school level in his hometown St. Louis. Served in that role until 1974 when he succeeded John "Hi" Simmons as the Tigers' head coach. During his 21 years at the helm, compiled a 733-430-3 record and won Big Eight championships in 1976 and '80. Took six teams to the NCAA Tournament and coached 13 all-Americans and 41 all-conference players. McArtor served on the NCAA Baseball Committee from 1987-92, including two years as chairman, during a period of unprecedented growth for the CWS. Former president of the American Baseball Coaches Association and a member of the ABCA Hall of Fame, the Webster Groves High School Hall of Fame and the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Hall of Fame. Since retiring as MU baseball coach, has continued to serve the department as senior associate director of athletics and was interim director of athletics for several months in 1998.
KRIS SCHMIDT - An infielder on the Missouri softball team from 1985-88, who set school season records for hits (77), batting average (.410) and putouts. Also established career marks for hits (212), batting average (.350) and slugging percentage (.438). Was a three-time all-Big Eight selection, who twice earned all-Midwest honors, and was an all-American in 1986. Continued to play after her days at Mizzou and was a member of the Ballwin Saints team that won the Women's Class A national championship in 1990, and the Raybestos Brackettes team that won the Women's Major national championship in 1991 and '92. Played for the U.S. team that won a gold medal at the Pan American Games in 1991, and at the International Cup in Beijing, China, in 1992. A native of St. Louis, Schmidt was an assistant coach at Missouri for four years, and now is a special agent with the U.S. Secret Service.