WICHITA – The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame has announced their induction class of 2022 Monday.
There will be 10 new members that will be inducted this year, bringing the total number of people in the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame to 317.
The Induction Ceremony will take place on Sunday, October 2nd at the Kansas Star Casino. Tickets go on sale August 1st on the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame website.
The Induction Class of 2022 includes the following:
Clint Bowyer – Emporia HS, 1997 | Flint Hills
Technical College
Began racing motocross in 1985. Won over 200 races in motocross as an amateur.
Began racing street stocks and modified in 1996. Won the Modified championship
in 2000. Won the 2002 NASCAR Weekly Racing Series Midwest Championship, Signed
with Richard Childress Racing in 2003. Finished second in NASCAR Xfinity Series
in 2005; finished third in NASCAR Xfinity Series in 2006. Became a full-time
NASCAR Cup Series driver in 2006. Won the 2008 NASCAR Xfinity Series
Championship in 2008. NASCAR Truck Series career: three wins, ten top-ten in
fourten races. NASCAR Xfinity Series career: eight wins, 116 top-ten finishes in
181 races. NASCAR Cup Series career: 10 wins, 226 top-ten finishes in 541
races. Retired from racing in 2020. Currently works as a full-time analyst for
Fox NASCAR.
Emily Bloss Carpenter – Wellsville HS, 1997 / Emporia
State, 2001
All-state basketball selection at Wellsville. Four-year letterwinner in basketball
at Emporia State. All-American selection in 2001. Three-time All-MIAA
selection. Led Lady Hornets to four straight MIAA regular season and tournament
championships and four straight NCAA Division II Tournament appearances. NCAA
Division II National Player of the Year and MIAA MVP in 2001. Won the Ken B.
Jones Award from the MIAA as the conference’s top female athlete in 2001. Named
NCAA Top VIII Student-Athlete in 2001. Finished Emporia State career as the
school’s all-time leader in points scored and steals and fourth in rebounds.
Also earned All-America honors as part of the Emporia State 1600 relay team in
1998. Three-time Academic All-American selection. Inducted into the Emporia State
Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011 and the MIAA Hall of Fame in 2012.
Tara Holloway Churchill – Moundridge HS, 1996 | Emporia
State, 2000
All-state basketball selection at Moundridge. Led Wildcats to a state
championship during her senior season. Four-year letterwinner in basketball at
Emporia State. All-American selection in 2000. NCAA Division II National Player
of the Year and MIAA MVP in 2000. Two-time All-MIAA selection. Finished Emporia
State career as the school’s second all-time leader in points scored, fourth in
rebounds and leader in steals. Led the Hornets to four-straight NCAA Tournament
appearances, three regular season MIAA titles, three MIAA Tournament titles, two
NCAA II Final Four appearances and one NCAA II Elite Eight appearance. Inducted
into the Emporia State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.
Elwood “BINGO” DeMoss – Born in Topeka, 1889
Negro League Baseball player, Played shortstop for the Topeka Giants in 1905.
Also played for the Indianapolis ABC’s before moving on to the Chicago American
Giants. Played second base for Chicago from 1917-1925. Named captain of the
team in 1919, serving in that role for six seasons. Hit over .300 for times
during his career. Coached the Detroit Stars for six seasons as player-manager.
Also served as coach for the Indianapolis ABC’s, Brown Bombers and the Brooklyn
Brown Dodgers. One of three finalists at second base for the Negro League Baseball
Museum Gold Glove Award. Inducted to the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame in 2012
and the Shawnee County Baseball Hall of Fame in 2013
Kendall Gammon – Rose Hill HS, 1988 / Pittsburg
State, 1991
Three-time All-MIAA football player at Pittsburg State. First-team All-American
selection in 1991. Member of the 1991 NCAA Division II national championship
football team. Won three MIAA titles in football. Played for KSHOF inductee
Chuck Broyles at Pitt State. Drafted in the 11th round of the 1992 NFL Draft by
the Pittsburgh Steelers. Played 15 NFL seasons as a long-snapper and lineman
for the Steelers, New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs. Won Super Bowl XXX
with the Steelers. Named to the 2004 NFL Pro Bowl. Named to the Pittsburg State
100th Anniversary Team in 2003. Inducted into the Pittsburg State Athletic Hall
of Fame in 2007 and the MIAA Hall of Fame in 2014.
Bill James – Mayetta HS, 1967 / Kansas,
1971 (Contributor)
Baseball writer, historian and researcher. Wrote and published the Bill
James Baseball Abstract in 1977-98, which presented an in-depth analysis of
baseball statistics from the proceeding season. Wrote several other baseball
books and abstracts including The Baseball Book, the Bill James Historical
Baseball Abstract, The Bill James Handbook. Created new statistical
categories including Runs Created, Win Shares and Major League Equivalency for minor
league players. Coined the team “sabermetrics” for his statistical analysis and
to honor the Society of American Baseball Research (SABR). Served as senior
advisor for baseball operations for the Boston Red Sox from 2002-19, winning
four World Series titles.
Jesse Nelson – Emporia HS, 1970 / Emporia
State, 1974 (Coach)
Four-year letterwinner in basketball at Emporia State under KSHOF inductee Ron
Slaymaker. Scored 640 points in 98 career games for the Hornets. Named head
coach of Olpe girls basketball in 1978. Finished career as the all-time
winningest coach in Kansas high school basketball history, girls or boys, with 951
wins. Career win percentage of 89.5% (951-111). Won four state championships at
Olpe in 1981, 2010, 2011 and 2021. Made the state tournament 30 times. Named
the 2014 USA Today America’s Girls Basketball Coach National Champion,
2016 McDonald’s All-American head coach and the 2021 National Federation of
High School Associations (NFHS) girls basketball Coach of the Year. Inducted
into the Emporia State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003.
George Toma – Edwardsville (PA) HS 1947
(Contributor)
Groundskeeper over seven decades in professional sports. Groundskeeper for the Kansas
City Athletics 1957-67; Kansas Cit Royals 1969-99; Kansas City Chiefs 1963-91. Has
worked the grounds for over 50 Super Bowls, two U.S. hosted Olympic games and
37 Pro Bowls. One of four that founded the Sports Turf Managers Association
(STMA) in 1981; namesake of STMA’s George Toma Golden Rake Award, NFL Dan
Reeves Pioneer Award recipient in 2001. Inducted into the MLB Groundskeepers
Hall of Fame in 2012, Kansas City Royals Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Missouri
Sports Hall of Fame in 2016.
Gordan Vadakin – Wichita Southeast HS, 1971 /
Wichita State, 1982 (Coach)
Head bowling coach at Wichita State 1977-2019. Won 18 bowling national
championships at WSU; 11 men’s team titles and seven women’s team titles.
Coaches men’s and/or women’s team to the Intercollegiate Bowling Championships
every year as a coach. Coached nine individual national champions; four men and
five women. Member of the Team USA bowling coaching staff 1991-2008. Namesake
of the National Collegiate Bowling Coaches Association Men’s Coach of the Year
Award. Inducted as a competitor to the Great Plains Bowling Association Hall of
Fame in 2004, the United State Bowling Association Hall of Fame in 2007 and the
Bowling Coaches Hall of Fame in 2012.
Roy Williams – T.C. Roberson (NC) HS, 1968 / North
Carolina, 1972 (Coach)
Began coaching career at Charles D. Owen (NC) High School in 1973 before being
hired as an assistant coach for KSHOF inductee Dean Smith at the University of
North Carolina in 1978. Helped the Tar Heels win the 1982 NCAA national
championship. Named head coach at the University of Kansas in 1988 where he coached
for 15 years. KU coaches record: 418-101. Won five Big Eight and four Big 12
regular season titles; four NCAA Final Four appearances. Coached KSHOF inductees
Nick Collison, Drew Gooden, Raef LaFrentz and Wayne Simien. Named the head
coach at the University of North Carolina in 2003. Won three NCAA national championships;
made five NCAA Final Four appearances. Career coaching record: 903-264. Only
coach in NCAA history to win 400 or more games at two different schools.
Inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Basketball
Hall of Fame in 2007.