Legendary Class Inducted at ESHS Hall of Fame Ceremony

*ESHS Hall of Fame organizers and inductees celebrated together (photo submitted by Terri Irons).*

The Excelsior Springs High School Athletic Hall of Fame held their 2022 induction ceremony on August 10 at the ESHS Performing Arts Center. After a meet and greet with refreshments, attendees were welcomed to the PAC where Emcee, Jesse Hall guided them down memory lane and welcomed the latest class of legends into the Hall of Fame. Inductees included the Excelsior Springs Quarterback Club, Kristi Curry Wilson, Terri Irons, Kristal Reed Reeves, Sammy Triplett, and the 1989-1992 State Wrestling Teams.

Couldn’t make it? Watch the full Hall of Fame induction ceremony on the Excelsior Citizen YouTube Channel!

Excelsior Springs Quarterback Club

Established in 1946 the Excelsior Springs Quarterback Club is an organization formed to provide support and funding for local athletic programs for Excelsior Springs children. Their largest, and most well-known annual fundraiser is the Mineral Water Bowl football game established in 1948. During the heyday of the event, the Mineral Water Bowl was a major community event and featured a large banquet and parade in addition to the game. In 1951 the Missouri State High School Activities Association banned events like the Mineral Water Bowl. In 1954 the Mineral Water Bowl returned as a college bowl game, featuring small to mid-sized schools, and was the primary fundraiser for the organization until 1975. After a 17-year hiatus, the Quarterback Club returned in 1992 and held the Mineral Water Bowl featuring junior colleges, and in 2000 they began a new era and began hosting NCAA Division II, football teams. For generations, the volunteers of the Quarterback Club have raised money to provide annual scholarships, uniforms, and equipment for countless Tiger athletic programs and helped to support individual families who were in need. Dozens of current and former members of the Quarterback Club were in attendance to witness and receive their induction into the Hall of Fame. Inductees for the Quarterback Club listed during the ceremony included:

Jim Alderson, Roy Arnold, Paul Arnold, Tim Ashlock, Chad Bishop, Mel Boyer, Shorty Carrell, Red Cazzell, Rob Childers, Tate Chiles, Marty Clemens, Tom Cox, Bob Craven, Roy Craven, Robert Crowe, Raymond Dale, H.A. Dickey, Barry Duncan, Donnie Duncan, Phillip Edwards, Ryan Fluesmeier, John Fluesmeier, David Glenn, Dean Greim, Ben Hankins, Dennis Hartman, Rick Holman, Gary Huett, Todd Jennings, Brett Jones, Brian Kelly, Kevin King, Steve & Patty Kistner, Cecil Lamb, Glenn Lewis, Sammy Love, Jim Lowrey, Jim Lyman, Warren McDermott, Don McDermott, Bob Moberly, Ray Pettegrew, Mike Robertson, Jeremy & Amanda Romazon, Rodney Rounkles, Melvin Siegel, Roger & Kim Siegel, Drake Siegel, Bill Tom Southwick, David & Theresa Stalder, Richard Stanhope, Erin Staponski, Bill Taylor, H.S. Thompson, Benny Ward, Bill Ware Ware, Gary Wilhite, Butch Wilkins, Bugs & Donna Williams, Bill Williams, Derrick Willimetz, Kerry Woods

Kristi Curry Wilson

Kristi Curry Wilson graduated from ESHS in 1996 as a 4-time letter winner in softball and was selected as a 4-time First Team All-Conference player, and 3-time All-Metro Selection. At the time Kristi played, softball was a spring sport at ESHS making her team ineligible for state playoffs and championships. Her high school stats in include tying the strikeout record with 171 strikeouts in 1996, she holds the top 2 spots in earned run average, with a 0.84 ERA in 1996 and 0.88 ERA in 1995, and she had a .909 win percentage in both 1993 and 1995. Kristi went on to play college softball at Johnson County Community College 1997-1998 and Missouri S&T 1999-2000. At Missouri S&T she reached 10th all-time in the number of innings pitched, had 264 career strikeouts, and reached the top 10 all-time season ERA twice with a 1.68 ERA in 2000 and a 1.71 ERA in 1999. She also achieved a top 10 career ERA of 1.69.

Terri Irons

Terri Irons graduated from ESHS in 1989, was a 2-time letter winner, and 1988 1st team all-conference selection in volleyball. In softball, she was a 4-time letter winner, received all-conference honorable mention in 1987, in 1988 and 1989 she was selected as 1st team all-conference, and in 1989 was named to the KC Star All-Metro Team. Terri also made a huge impact as a coach, starting her career in the Pleasant Hill School District. At Pleasant Hill, she helped start a softball program and was the coach from 1993-1996. She also served as the middle school volleyball coach in 1994 and 1995. From 1993 to 1996 she was the wrestling cheer sponsor. When Terri returned to Excelsior Springs she jumped right into coaching. In 1996 and 1997 she was the assistant coach for ESHS Softball. From 1998 to 2006 she served as the head coach for ESHS Softball, leading the program to a state championship in her first season (1998). She holds a career record win percentage of 62.3% and a record of 152-92. She led ESHS Softball to 3 district championships (1998, 2000, 2001), 2 conference championships (1999, 2000), and 1 additional trip to the elite 8 in 2001.

Kristal Reed Reeves

A member of the ESHS class of 2000, Kristal Reed Reeves was a 3-time letter winner in softball and a 4-time letter winner in basketball. In basketball, she was a member of the 1999 conference champion team, made all-conference in 1998, 1999, and 2000 and was the 2000 Suburban Conference Player of the Year. In 2000 she joined the ESHS 1,000-point club and also was named the Excelsior Springs Basketball MVP. After high school, she played one semester at Northwest Missouri State where she played softball and Basketball. She then transferred to William Jewell to play basketball. She has taught at ESHS for the past 17 years and has previously coached both softball and basketball in the Excelsior Springs School District.

Sammy Triplett

Sammy Triplett, a 1965 graduate of ESHS, was a founding member of the wrestling family. Wrestling wasn’t offered at ESHS until 1961, and not only did Sammy help establish the program he set a standard that would be forever remembered. In 1964 Sammy was a state runner-up and in 1965 he became a State Champion. Unable to attend the ceremony, athletic director, Joe Greim spoke on Sammy’s behalf noting that Sammy embodied what it means to be a Tiger wrestler. Stories are still told in the locker room of Sammy’s amazing endurance and strength. Greim shared with the audience how Sammy, who lived in Rayville, would suit up in his sweats and jog home each day after practice to build his stamina. Afterward, emcee Jesse Hall joked, “I get tired just driving up East End Hill!”

1989-1992 State Wrestling Teams

Rounding out the evening’s honors was the induction of members of the 1989 to 1992 Tiger wrestling teams. Under the leadership of coaches Bill Tuck, Don Gerber, and Jeff Rich the Tiger wrestling teams competed well and placed for four consecutive years at the state championships. In 1989 they took 4th, 1990 2nd, 1991, 2nd and 1992 3rd. In 1991 the Tigers had 7 state qualifiers and two wrestlers took first in their weight divisions, Kevin Klein (130 lbs) and Pat Nichols (152 lbs). In 1992 the Tigers had 8 state qualifiers and Kevin Klein (140 lbs) repeated as state champion. Coach Bill Tuck spoke on behalf of the inductees saying “In this program was simple, you win. And the only way to win was to work.” He spoke about the high level of commitment and dedication shown by the wrestling teams. He joked about the grueling practices and expressed gratitude for the hard work his wrestling teams put in to achieve greatness. Wrestlers and coaches inducted into the Hall of Fame included:

Matt Amick, Don Bills, Paul Brundage, Chris Campbell, Jason Clark, Don Gerber, Joe Greim, Scott Hendricks, Kevin Klein, Terry Krier, Chris Marcum, Shane Miller, Brock Nessa, Pat Nichols, Roger Offield, Travis Poindexter, Jeff Rich, John Rimmer, Trice Sears, Scott Simpson, Bill Tuck

To learn more about the ESHS Athletic Hall of Fame check out their Facebook Page.