KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Northwest Missouri State University had two individuals selected to the 2017 MIAA Hall of Fame class, in an announcement by the league office. Former football defensive end Aaron Becker and former head men’s basketball coach Steve Tappmeyer will both be inducted into the MIAA Hall of Fame on Monday, June 5, at the KC Public Library in Kansas City, Mo.
“The impact that coach Tappmeyer has made on his former players goes well beyond basketball,” said Northwest head basketball coach Ben McCollum. “His care and the love he has for his players is unmatched. The wins he accumulated were a result of how hard his kids would compete for him because of the love he showed them/us. In both my personal and professional life, I use the lessons coach taught me through basketball daily. There is no one more deserving of becoming a part of the MIAA Hall of Fame.”
Tappmeyer was named head coach at Northwest in the fall of 1988. He is the all-time leader in wins with 408 victories. He led the Bearcats to seven MIAA championships including three regular season titles and four conference tournament titles. Northwest qualified for the NCAA Tournament 10 times under Tappmeyer with two appearances in the Elite Eight, first in 2002 and then again in 2004.
“Other than my parents, there was nobody more influential in my lifetime than coach Tappmeyer,” men’s associate head coach Austin Meyer said. “Coach instilled discipline in everyone around him, cared greatly about his players and always wanted what was best for the collective unit. I believe we have a great culture and many of the core values we preach today were values we learned from coach Tappmeyer.”
During his career, the Bearcats had a stretch of 11 straight seasons with 19 or more wins and his teams surpassed 22 wins in 9 of his final 12 campaigns on the bench. He was a four time MIAA Coach of the year and the 2001 South Central Region Coach of the Year. His team had a record of 143 wins and only 25 losses at Bearcat Arena during his final 12 seasons. In addition, he also possesses the highest winning percentage of any head tennis coach at Northwest, with a career record of 1-0.
Becker came to Northwest in 1996 from Millard South in Omaha, Neb. He twice helped lead Northwest to NCAA national championships, in 1998 and 1999. He was twice named All-America, three times he earned First Team All-MIAA accolades and was a part of four MIAA Championships during his tenure. He finished his career at Northwest ranked third in tackles for loss with 41.0. Becker made a name for himself in high school as an Omaha World-Herald and Associated Press first-team All-State selection as well as a USA Today honorable mention All-America. He was the second of three Becker brothers to make their way onto the field during the rise of Bearcat football. The Becker family helped capture five MIAA Championships and two National Championships during their time at Northwest.
“Aaron was a key component of our defense on our first national championship team in 1998,” said former Northwest head coach and current Director of Athletics Mel Tjeerdsma. “He is one of the best defensive lineman to ever play for for the Bearcats.”
— Northwest Athletics —