One hundred fifty of Wichita’s best athletes to be featured in city’s 150th b-day bash
One hundred and fifty of the greatest high school athletes in Wichita’s history, including Lynette Woodard, Jim Ryun, and possibly Barry Sanders, will be in one place at one time to celebrate Wichita’s 150th birthday next summer.
League 42, along with partners at Visit Wichita, Wichita State Athletics, the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame and It Takes a Village, announced plans on Monday for “150 for 150: A Celebration of Wichita’s Best High School Athletes.” The event will be held August 15, 2020 at Koch Arena, with Sanders, Woodard and Ryun as keynote speakers.
“We feel like Barry Sanders is arguably the best football player in the history of the world; we feel like Lynette Woodard is arguably the greatest female basketball player in the history of the world; and we feel like Jim Ryun is arguably the greatest high school middle-distance runner in the history of the world,” said League 42 founder and former longtime Eagle columnist Bob Lutz.
“They’re all here from Wichita. It’s truly amazing. We really believe this is a once-in-a-lifetime event to get this group of athletes together all in one place. It will be a night to remember.”
Lutz has spent the last two months compiling a wish list of athletes and building a spreadsheet of their contact information. He said he has more than 90 commitments already for next summer’s event and hopes to attract even more big names following Monday’s announcement.
Four of Wichita’s finest were in attendance for the announcement Monday, in Mike Pelfrey (12-year MLB veteran), Kareema Williams (all-time City League girls basketball scorer), Caroline Bruce McAndrew (2004 Olympian) and Mike Bell (Kansas City Chiefs).
“My first impression was, ‘Wow, it’s an honor to even be in the category with so many amazing athletes,’” Williams said. “It’s going to be exciting to see some people I haven’t seen in forever and meet some I don’t know, but I’ve only read about.
“Most people look at Wichita as a small town, but we have some amazing athletes who have gone on to do some amazing things.”
Bruce McAndrew is one of the most decorated athletes to hail from Wichita. The Trinity Academy graduate was a 15-time swimming All-American at Stanford and represented the United States at the 2004 Olympic Games.
She said she’s always been proud of her Wichita heritage and is excited to celebrate the city’s rich history with so many other great athletes.
“When I went to the Olympics, I feel like the whole city rallied around me and came together to support me,” Bruce McAndrew said. “People on the Olympic team often commented, ‘Man, I wish I was from a town like that. I wish I had people supporting me like you do.’
“It’s an incredible opportunity to get this many great athletes from so many different sports and so many different walks of life all in one place. I’m really excited to meet the other athletes and talk to them about their experiences.”
Tables and sponsorships, including title and presenting sponsorships, are by contacting league42wichita@gmail.com. General admission tickets, starting at $20, for seating in the Koch Arena bowl will go on sale this spring. Lutz will also compile a thorough printed event-day program that will feature information on all of the athletes, which he said will be a collector’s item.
This story was originally published November 18, 2019 at 4:12 PM.
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