Where the Game Lives On

Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

2 days ago

Lauren Standlee Peterson – Thomas Jefferson Independent Day School/Hendrix College

Peterson was a standout athlete in volleyball and basketball for Thomas Jefferson, a private school in Joplin. Before graduating in 2001, she had earned All-State twice in volleyball, three times in basketball and was voted the Ozark 8 Conference Player of the Year once in volleyball and twice in basketball. Additionally, she was four-time all-conference selection in each sport. In volleyball, Peterson finished her career with 1,115 kills, as well as 2,563 attacks, 204 aces, 647 digs and 290 blocks. The gym became her second home, as her winters saw Peterson score a career 2,087 points, or a 19.7 scoring average. She made 142 3-pointers and 539 free throws (she was a 78.2 percent free-throw shooter). After one season at Trinity College in San Antonio, she transferred to Hendrix College in Arkansas, playing one season in basketball and three in volleyball. These days, Peterson lives in Joplin, working for an attorney and will coach volleyball next season at Thomas Jefferson. ... See MoreSee Less

Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

2 days ago

Kelly May – Kickapoo High School/University of Tulsa

A mid-1970s athlete at Kickapoo High School, Stevens made her mark in basketball, volleyball and track & field. Playing for Sue Schuble (MSHOF 1998) in basketball, she became a go-to scorer as a center, ultimately finishing with 1,011 career points. She also played volleyball there as a middle blocker and was part of the Junior Miss Softball and Queen City kids softball team. She also was a three-year letterwinner in track. May’s athleticism caught the attention of several colleges, including the University of Tulsa, where she signed with a full scholarship to play volleyball. There, she was a solid middle blocker on the volleyball team and letterwinner as a center/forward on the basketball team. She earned all-tournament honors throughout her career, playing on volleyball teams that were a combined 88-64. As a junior and senior, she was voted the team’s MVP and Best All-Around Player. In 1995, May was named to the University of Tulsa’s Athletics Hall of Fame – the first volleyball player to earn such distinction. She ultimately turned her attention to fitness, owning several Jazzercise studios for 40-plus years in Springfield and Kansas City and was the Vice President and Chief Sales Officer for more than 20 years ... See MoreSee Less

Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

3 days ago

Molly Creach Terry – Logan-Rogersville High School/Drury University

Terry was a two-time All-State selection in volleyball for Rogersville in the early 2000s. She was a member on the 2000 state runner-up team as a sophomore, and then made an impact on the varsity for the Lady Wildcats, helping fuel their run back to the Final Four – this time placing third in 2001. She also was a 1,000-point scorer in basketball as a four-year starter, earning all-conference honors. At Drury, she was the Heartland Conference Player of the Year and was a four-year letterwinner, finishing with 1,000 career kills. Terry has been in coaching every since. She started as the freshman volleyball and junior varsity basketball coach at Rogersville, then spent a year at Hollister before eventually returning to Rogersville from 2012 to 2019. As an assistant coach there, Terry helped the Lady Wildcats reach three Final Fours, including a state championship in 2018 while working for coach Tammy Miller. She has been back in Hollister the past five years, taking over as head volleyball coach five years ago. Her first team was 5-21 but this past season finished 29-5. ... See MoreSee Less

Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

3 days ago

Karen Gordon – Bronaugh High School/Missouri Southern State University

Three years after passage of federal Title IX legislation, Gordon earned All-State honors in 1975 at Bronaugh High School, just southwest of Nevada in rural Vernon County. She also competed in softball and track. She went on to be a three-sport athlete for Missouri Southern, competing in basketball and softball from 1975-1979 and in volleyball in 1975. She was one of two original women’s athletics scholarship recipients, and did not disappoint, as she earned First Team All-CSIC honors in basketball. Gordon was voted the basketball team’s MVP and was named to the MAIAW All-Tournament Team. She later was inducted into the Missouri Southern Athletics Hall of Fame. Gordon then went into public education and teaching. She was a Verona (1979-1982), Purdy (1982-1985) and Pleasant Hope (1985-1989) high schools before working for Springfield Public Schools. Gordon was as the head basketball coach of Reed Middle School (1989 to 2000) and as a varsity assistant for Hillcrest High School girls basketball and track. These days, she serves on the Ozarks Pickleball Club Board, participating in and helping organize tournaments in the Springfield area. ... See MoreSee Less

Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

3 days ago

Janell Hackman Duncan – Licking High School

In Texas County in south central Missouri, in the town of Licking, the mid-1980s saw the surgence of an interesting athlete. Duncan’s sophomore season saw her win the Class 1-3 state cross country championship in 1984, finishing in 20 minutes, 5 seconds. But she wasn’t done. The following spring, she won the Class 3 state championship in the 3200 meters, crossing the line in 11 minutes, 30 seconds. Her time has been better than 71 other state champions regardless of class in that event, which MSHSAA began offering in 1981. Her running began with her military dad, Wayne, on his weekend runs. In the fourth grade, she joined the high school cross country team on a U.S. base in Vicenza, Italy, competing as an exhibition runner. In the mid-1980s, her family moved to Licking when her dad was stationed at Fort Leonard Wood. Duncan joined the high school boys cross country team because there was no girls team at the time. As a freshman, she placed fifth in Class 1-3 state cross country meet. The family returned to Germany after her sophomore year, but she later returned to Missouri, teaching high school business classes in Plato, Salem, Rolla and Licking school districts. She later became a high school guidance counselor and worked in that capacity at Licking High School and Rolla Technical Institute/Center. Duncan and her husband, Matt, are parents to Brandi (James) Huff, Sidney and Lane (Hannah), and grandchildren Axel and Sloan Huff. ... See MoreSee Less

Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

4 days ago

Kelly Brueggemann Clift – Ozark High School

When sports fans of southwest Missouri talk about the rise of high school girls soccer over the past 25 to 30 years, one of the athletes who helped further it along was Clift. She was a standout midfielder at Ozark High School, earning All-State from the Missouri Soccer Coaches Association in 2001 and 2002. In 2001, she helped Ozark to the Final Four, where the Lady Tigers placed fourth. She also earned All-District and All-Region those seasons, and was the Southwest Region Player of the Year in 2001. She played her first season for Cheryl Hurst, and then Chris Miller her final three seasons – all after starting out in soccer in the second grade. The daughter of Mark and Debbie Brueggemann, she went on to play one season at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar and then earned a degree from Missouri State University. Since graduating, she has been a longtime investment adviser for Trend Management in Springfield. ... See MoreSee Less

Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

4 days ago

Gail Peak Brown – Marshfield High School

Brown owns a little known historical fact, in that she was the first ever state champion and All-American from Marshfield High School. In track & Field, she missed securing Marshfield’s first-ever state medal by merely an inch. But, after that competition, she remained undefeated in discus in 1985 and 1986, winning the Class 3 state championship both years. Her winning state title throw as a junior traveled 128.6 feet, and she did even better a year later, with a heave of 135.3 feet for a Class 3 record. She competed in AAU Nationals, winning the region, and then placing sixth overall in the U.S. That led to an opportunity to join the AAU Olympic training team and travel to Germany in the summer. She also received scholarship offers from NCAA Division I schools such as Stanford, Illinois and Wisconsin. Brown also played guard for the Marshfield Lady Jays Basketball Program (MSHOF 2019), with the 1984 team winning the program’s first Central Ozark Conference title. She later became a registered nurse through the Burge School of Nursing and established Spirit 522 INC, a local, faith-based not-for-profit that has played a significant role in the Marshfield community, helping with the Foster Care Program, School Backpack Program, food insecurities, Christmas giving, along with many other anonymous donations. She currently serves as a board member of Spirit 522 INC, and the Marshfield Community Foundation. ... See MoreSee Less