Bob Davis, Jaime Mendez head 2016 Kansas Sports Hall of Fame induction class
Baseball, basketball, football and track and field are well-represented on the 12-person Kansas Sports Hall of Fame induction class for 2016, announced Wednesday.
Steve Anson was a standout baseball player at Kansas State, named to the Wildcats’ all-century team in 2000, before coaching Washburn to 844 victories over 24 seasons. Anson died in 2014 at the age of 60 in a tree-trimming accident.
Bill Bridges was a three-time All-Big Eight basketball pick at Kansas in the late 1950s and early ’60s. Originally from Hobbs, N.M., Bridges was named an All-American in 1961 and played 13 NBA seasons, becoming a three-time All-Star.
Bob Davis, a native of Iola who grew up in Topeka, was the radio voice of teams around Kansas for 48 years before retiring this spring. He called Jayhawk basketball and football for 32 years and Royals radio and TV for 16 years. He was a 13-time Sportscaster of the Year by the Kansas Association of Broadcasters.
Tamecka Dixon came to KU from Linden, N.J., and was a two-time conference player of the year in women’s basketball (1996, 1997). She led KU to four NCAA Tournament appearances, scoring more than 1,600 career points, and was a three-time WNBA All-Star in the late 1990s.
Bill Dotson, of Concordia, was a two-time All-American for Kansas in distance running and became the first Jayhawk to break the four-minute mile in 1962. He set the American mile record three times.
Scott Huffman grew up in Quinter and became a standout pole vaulter at KU. He set the American record of 19 feet, 7 inches in 1994 and competed in the 1996 Olympics. He was known for a self-invented “Huffman Roll” technique.
Jerry Kill grew up in Cheney and played at Southwestern College, then was an assistant coach at Pittsburg State. Once he left Kansas, he became a head coach at Saginaw Valley State before going to Emporia State for two years. He also coached at Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois and Minnesota before he resigned last fall because of health reasons. His record was 152-99.
Deandra Doubrava-McBride was a four-time track champion at Scott City High, then won the 400 meters and heptathlon at the 1999 NCAA Division II championships. She was named D-II female athlete of the year. and is in the MIAA Hall of Fame.
Jaime Mendez became Kansas State’s first defensive consensus All-American under Bill Snyder in 1993. Playing safety, Mendez was a three-time All-Big Eight player who helped the Wildcats to their first bowl in the Snyder era. He came to K-State from Youngstown, Ohio.
Lafayette Norwood graduated from Wichita East in 1952 and played at Cowley College and Southwestern. An assistant to Ev Wessel at East in the 1960s, Norwood was named coach at Heights and became the first African-American head coach in the City League. He coached the 1976-77 Falcons, generally regarded as Kansas’ best team, to a state title. He was also a KU assistant for four years and a successful collegiate golf coach.
Austra Skujtye, from Lithuania, became K-State’s first woman to win two NCAA championships when she claimed the the 2001 and 2002 outdoor heptathlon crowns. She competed in four Olympics for Lithuania, becoming the first woman to compete in the hepathlon in four Games.
George Sweatt, from Humboldt, lettered in three sports at Pittsburg State before becoming a Negro Leagues standout second baseman with the Kansas City Monarchs and Chicago American Giants. In the 1920s, “Sharky” played in the first four Negro Leagues World Series and won three titles.
The induction ceremony will be held Oct. 2.
This story was originally published June 8, 2016 at 12:06 PM with the headline "Bob Davis, Jaime Mendez head 2016 Kansas Sports Hall of Fame induction class."