Sporting Club co-owner Cliff Illig and Sporting Legend Matt Besler will be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, the group introduced right now.
Illig and Besler will be honored on August 16 throughout an induction ceremony held in the Huhtamaki Shield Club at Sporting Park with Nate Bukaty scheduled to interview the following inductees:
- Ray Bechard – Native of Grinnell, performed basketball at Barton County Community College. and graduated from Fort Hays State. Coached volleyball at Lewis High School and then at Barton County for 13 years the place he was nationwide coach of the yr two instances. Coached at KU 27 seasons and was five-time Big 12 Coach of the Year. His Jayhawk volleyball groups made 13 NCAA appearances, advancing to the second spherical 3 times and to the championship semifinals in 2015. A member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
- Matt Besler – Widely acknowledged as one of the finest defenders in MLS historical past. A five-time MLS All-Star and the 2012 MLS Defender of the Year. He anchored Sporting KC for 12 seasons and represented the USMNT in the 2014 World Cup. Played 4 seasons at Notre Dame, receiving All-American and Academic All-American honors as a senior. Led Blue Valley West to the Kansas 5A State Championship as a senior.
- Cliff Illig – Graduated from Shawnee Mission East High School and the University of Kansas. Brought skilled Major League Soccer to the state as the principal proprietor of Sporting Kansas City. He has additionally been a high driving power to place Kansas City as a premier soccer metropolis in North America, together with touchdown the 2026 World Cup in KC. 2026 Kansas Citian of the Year. Co-Chair of the KC2026 Board of Directors.
- John Martin – Graduated from Ottawa High School and the University of Kansas. His artwork can be seen throughout the world – identified for his work with Kansas Athletics, Kansas City Chiefs, Kansas City Royals, and athletes Buck O’Neil, Tom Watson, Jack Nicklaus and the creation of KC Wolf. Outside of Kansas, he has finished work for MLB, NCAA, Ryder Cup, Lee Trevino, Dean Smith, Bob Cousy, Stan Musial, Joe DiMaggio, and numerous colleges together with creating the emblem for West Virginia University.
- Dayton Moore – Sixth era Kansan, born in Wichita and lived in Coldwater. Played baseball collegiately at Garden City Community College earlier than ending at George Mason University. Joined the Kansas City Royals in 2006 as normal supervisor and president and remodeled the franchise from a last-place group into the 2015 World Series champion. Started the C You in the Major Leagues Foundation in January 2014 as a donor-advised fund to assist youth baseball, training, faith-based occasions, and households in disaster all through the better Kansas City space and past.
- Tracy Rietzke – A Smith Center native. NAIA All-America basketball participant at Kansas Wesleyan. Led the nation in FG pct. in 1976. Recorded 1,277 victories in 38 years as the volleyball coach at Kansas Wesleyan and Rockhurst. He had an .818 profitable proportion at Rockhurst; 2019 NCAA Division II National Coach of the Year. 206-45 report as ladies’s basketball coach at Rockhurst with 5 NAIA nationwide event appearances. Earlier this yr inducted into the AVCA Hall of Fame.
- Cassie (Wait) Valentine – At Gardner-Edgerton High School was 2013 Kansas City Star Scholar-Athlete, Kansas Gatorade Volleyball Player of the Year and three-time Kansas State Class 6A pole vault champion. Three-year starter and 2016 Big 12 Libero of the Year at Kansas. Starting libero for the Kansas 2015 championship semifinals look, a primary in program historical past. 2016 Big 12 Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Honorable Mention All-American as a senior.
- Earl Watson – As a senior basketball standout at Kansas City Washington highschool, he averaged 23.4 factors, 8.3 assists and 14 rebounds per sport. At UCLA was a four-year starter: most consecutive video games as starter in the historical past of UCLA basketball; He performed 13 seasons in the NBA with seven groups earlier than changing into a coach in 2014. He was the head coach of the Phoenix Suns from 2016 to 2017. Is an analyst for the Big Ten Network.
- Larry Wilcox – Served as Benedictine head soccer coach from 1979 to 2020 (42 years) with a report of 305–153 (.666); Second most all-time wins in NAIA; thirteenth all-time in wins in school soccer; First in all-time wins amongst Kansas four-year schools and universities; 14 NAIA playoffs, 3 last fours, 2 bowl video games, 4-time AFCA Regional Coach of the Year. Athletic Director 24 years (1982-2006).
- Zach Roberson – Owns the all-time finest report in Kansas highschool wrestling at 153-0 with 4 state titles (1996-97-98-99) at Blue Valley Northwest High School. His four-year report at Iowa State was 106-35, together with 82-20 his final three seasons. He was a three-time NCAA All-American and as a senior was the 1999 NCAA champion at 133 kilos.
This yr’s class brings the whole quantity of Inductees to 379, with the top quality in 1961 together with such legends as Dr. James Naismith, Mike Ahearn, Glenn Cunningham, Walter Johnson and Jess Willard. The Hall was created by the Kansas State legislature in 1961 throughout the state’s Centennial Celebration. For extra info, go to www.KSHOF.org.
The mission of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame is to honor people who contributed to the historical past of sports activities in Kansas and to educate and encourage the public concerning the worth of athletics and Kansas athletic historical past by offering the requisite management and assets.