Missouri Valley Conference Commissioner Doug Elgin is one of 15 individuals that will be included in the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame’s Enshrinement Ceremonies of 2018 presented by Killian Construction, set for Sunday, January 28 in Springfield.
President & Executive Director Jerald Andrews announced Tuesday the Class of 2018, in which the Hall of Fame will induct 15 individuals, a sports broadcasting company, a high school football program and a parks and recreation department. The John Q. Hammons Founders Award will be bestowed on Springfield-based Independent Printing, while Rick Todd of the Herschend Family Entertainment Corporation will receive the President’s Award.
Festivities begin with an 11 a.m. reception presented by Meek’s The Builder’s Choice at the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, 3861 E. Stan Musial Drive in Springfield. The remainder of events will be held at the University Plaza Hotel & Convention Center in downtown Springfield, with a 4 p.m. reception followed by the 5 p.m. dinner and ceremony.
Elgin is in his 30
th year with the Missouri Valley Conference and is its longest-serving commissioner in its 111-year history. In the 1990s, he oversaw the league’s realignment and stabilization in Valley membership and also brought women’s sports programs under the conference’s umbrella. Elgin also established St. Louis as the long-term site for the Valley men’s basketball tournament, which in 2018 will mark its 28
th year there. In the early 2000s, he led Valley men’s basketball in securing multiple bids to the NCAA Tournament, including four in 2006. Under his leadership, the Valley also has hosted 12 NCAA basketball events in St. Louis since 1998, including a men’s Final Four in 2005 and women’s Final Fours in 2001 and 2009. He previously worked for Frostburg State University, Miami-Dade Community College South, Lafayette College and the University of Virginia as well as the Sun Belt Conference. A native of Hagerstown, Maryland, he is a 1973 graduate of Lafayette College and has a master’s from Ohio University.
Sponsorship tables of 10 are $1,500 and include an autographed poster (a rendering by renowned artist Dayne Dudley), recognition in the printed program and at the table. Individual tickets are $150. Numerous opportunities are available, including congratulatory ads, trading cards and 20-month calendars. Call the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame at 417-889-3100.
The Class of 2018 features:
- Mike Garrett, Kansas City Chiefs running back
- Lee Smith, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher
- Howard Richards, University of Missouri football standout
- Jim Otis, St. Louis Football Cardinals & Kansas City Chiefs running back
- Martin MacDonald, Conservationist & Outdoorsman
- Gary Barnett, former Mizzou player and successful college football coach
- Holly Hesse, Missouri State University softball coach
- Doug Elgin, Commissioner of the Missouri Valley Conference
- Dr. Brian Mahaffey, a doctor with the St. Louis Cardinals & a former MSU baseball standout
- Christian Cantwell, Eldon native & U.S. Olympic silver medalist in the shot put
- Kerensa Barr Cassis, West Plains High School & Mizzou basketball standout
- Dan Lucy, KOLR 10 TV Sports Director
- Tony Severino, Rockhurst High School football coach
- Steve Tappmeyer, a longtime basketball coach for Northwest Missouri State University
- Rick Grayson, PGA teaching professional named one of the sports’ top 100 teachers
- Learfield, a leading sports broadcasting company in the United States.
- Lamar High School Football Program
- Springfield-Greene County Park Board
- Independent Printing – John Q. Hammons Founders Award
- Rick Todd of Herschend Family Entertainment – President’s Award