Missouri Sports Hall of Fame To Honor
Potosi High School Boys Cross Country Program Reliable Toyota-sponsored Event ,Set for March 15 in Springfield

The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame will celebrate its third annual Outdoor Sports Luncheon presented by Reliable Toyota on Tuesday, March 15. The ceremony is at 11 a.m. at the Ozark Empire Fairgrounds in Springfield.

CEO & Executive Director Jerald Andrews has announced the upcoming honorees and the Potosi High School Trojans Cross Country will be among those honored.

Potosi High School Boys Cross Country Program

The Potosi High School Boys Cross Country Program has been among the most successful in the Show-Me State, having earned nine top four finishes at the Class 3 state meet since 1999. That includes Potosi winning seven state championships, which cover the years 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2013. The 2004 team was a state runner-up, and the 2008 team placed third. The 2006 team still holds the state record for the lowest boys team score (16), and that team earned the right to compete at the Nike National Cross Country Meet, where it placed eighth. Overseeing the success was coach Steve Davis, who is now at Mineral Area Community College. Additionally, the program has accounted for six individual state champions: Walker Eye (1999), Kyle Davis (2003), Josh Mathis (2005), Josh Thebeau (2006) and Jacob Swearingen (2007, 2008).

Among the honorees will be included the first horse ever to be inducted. Snap Krackle Pop has twice earned Superhorse status at the American Quarter Horse Association Championships.

The horse will make an appearance on a day when the Hall of Fame also will induct fishing’s Lynn Reeves, shooting’s Chris Stark, outdoor journalist Ken White, golfer Mark McBride, cyclist Brad Huff, skeet shooting’s Judy Warden Brown and the Potosi High School Boys Cross Country Program. Additionally, the Hall of Fame will honor PGA Korn Ferry Tour Rules Official Rico Pierson with the President’s Award and bestow the Summit Award on Marty Willadsen, the Executive Vice President of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.

A sponsorship table of eight is $400 and includes recognition at the table and in the printed program, as well as an event poster autographed by individual honorees. A head table ticket is $100 and includes the same perks. An individual ticket is $50 in advance, or $60 at the door. Numerous sponsorships are available, including congratulatory ads. Any support is appreciated, considering the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit. Call 417-889-3100 for tickets and sponsorships.

Lynn Reeves – Fishing

Lynn Reeves purchased Lew’s, a fishing rod and reel company, in 2009 from Casey Childre of Foley, Alabama and successfully grew the brand. A graduate of Parkview High School who studied at Missouri State University, Reeves previously worked for Bass Pro Shops for 27 years beginning in 1980. Lew’s was a finalist for the Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Award. A year later, Reeves transitioned from CEO to Chairman. The company has since been purchased by Peak Rock Capital.

Chris Stark – Shooting

Chris Stark was a competitive shooter from 1962 to 1999 with an air rifle, smallbore rifle (22LR), service pistol and high power rifle. He shot on the Oklahoma and Missouri State Teams and was All-Big Eight Conference with the University of Kansas rifle team. Stark is the co-founder of Honor Flight of the Ozarks and serves as its Board President.

Ken White – Outdoor Journalist

Once the personal photographer of President Harry S. Truman, Ken White has been a longtime outdoors columnist for six southwest Missouri newspapers and continues to hunt and fish. He certainly has the background, having won 17 major fishing tournaments. A 1947 graduate of Carrollton High School, White won the World Series of Fishing in 1963, a three-day event at Bull Shoals Lake, Table Rock Lake and Lake Taneycomo. He also won the Missouri State Championships in 1967, 1968 and 1970, and won the U.S. Open championships those same years.

Mark McBride – Lebanon High School/University of Missouri

Mark McBride was among the state’s top golfers in the late 1990s and early 2000s. A Lebanon native, he is one of only seven golfers to win consecutive Missouri Amateurs, with McBride turning the trick in 2000 and 2001.

McBride lives in Lee’s Summit and is a State Farm Insurance agent in Belton.

Brad Huff – Cyclist

A 1997 graduate of Fair Grove High School, Brad Huff enjoyed a tremendous career in professional cycling from 2006 to 2018. He raced for three teams: TIAA-Cref/Slipstream Sports, Jelly Belly Pro Cycling and Rally Pro Cycling. Overall, he was a nine-time U.S. national champion on the road and track.

Snap Krackle Pop – American Quarter Horse Superhorse

For the first time in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame's 28-year history, a horse will be inducted. However, the animal is not just an ordinary horse. Under the training of Kendra Weis and Blake Wies at Twin Acres Ranch in Moberly, Snap Krackle Pop won two Superhorse championships at the American Quarter Horse Association World Championships in Oklahoma City in 2015 and 2016.

Judy Warden Brown – Skeet Shooting

A 1967 graduate of Villa Duchesne High School in St. Louis, Judy Warden Brown was one of the world’s best skeet shooters. Overall, she won 13 world championships between 1965 and 1968 and also was a four-time All-American. Since the early 1970s, she has been a real estate agent in Chesterfield, where she has coached Keller Williams agents and now coaches agents across the country through Forward Coaching.

Rich “Rico” Pierson – President’s Award

Rico Pierson has been a longtime friend of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame and will be bestowed the President’s Award, presented to an individual who champions the Hall of Fame and sports in the state.

Marty Willadsen – Summit Award

Now in his 18th year with the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame – and set to retire at the end of March – Marty Willadsen will receive the Summit Award. It is bestowed on those whose tireless work inspires and fuels the success of both the Hall of Fame and the PGA Korn Ferry Tour’s Price Cutter Charity Championship presented by Dr Pepper. A 1975 graduate of Lebanon High School and a 1979 graduate of Missouri Valley College, Willadsen has been the Hall of Fame’s Executive Vice President since 2015.