Northwest Missouri State’s top wide receiver, top 1,500-meter runner and two of its Elite men’s basketball players join two championship teams in comprising the 2011 “M” Club Hall of Fame Class.
Jamaica Rector ’04 (football), Jim Ryan ’84 (cross country/track and field), Scott Fleming ’03 (basketball) and Kelvin Parker ’07 (basketball) along with the 1975 softball team and the 1997 women’s tennis team have been selected for enshrinement during a ceremony to be held Oct. 21.
A limited number of tickets remain for the “M” Club Hall of Fame ceremony. Tickets are $20 per person and reservations can be made through Oct. 14 by calling Michele Steinmeyer in the athletic department at 660.562.1977. Dinner will start at 6:30 p.m. and the program will begin at 7:15 p.m.
With the 2011 class, the “M” Club Hall of Fame includes 104 individuals and 40 teams. The first year of individual inductions was 1980 and teams were inducted beginning in 1989.
A brief description of each inductee follows:
Jamaica Rector – Rector was a two-time national player of the year finalist and four-year All-American wide receiver for the Bearcats from 2001-04. He ranks fourth in Division II history in both catches (289) and receiving yards (4,497) and ranks 25th all-time with 38 touchdown receptions.
Since graduating from Northwest, Rector has played professional football for the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals of the NFL and Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL.
Jim Ryan – Ryan’s career-best finishes in both the 1,500-meter run (3:46.77) and 3,000-meter steeplechase (8:42.84) have stood as Northwest records for 28 years and counting. Ryan is a three-time All-American and six-time MIAA champion who competed for the Bearcats from 1980-84. On the cross country course, he continues to boast the second-best 10-kilometer time (31:03) and seventh-best 8-kilometer mark (24:42) in program history.
Scott Fleming – Northwest men’s basketball’s all-time leader in steals (305) and made free throws (628), Fleming led the Bearcats to a 98-26 record from 2000-03. He was his team’s leading scorer in three consecutive seasons including 2002 when he led the Bearcats to their first-ever Elite Eight appearance and a 29-3 finish. Fleming is a three-time All-MIAA honoree. His 1,727 points and 435 assists rank third and fourth in program history, respectively.
Kelvin Parker – Parker guided Northwest men’s basketball to the Elite Eight in both 2002 and 2004. He was named the MIAA’s Most Valuable Player, its Defensive Player of the Year and was one of 16 finalists for the Bob Cousy Award in 2004 when he averaged 18 points and five assists per game.
Parker has played in more games than any player in MIAA history (128). He is Northwest’s all-time leader in assists (492), ranks second in steals (209) and is the program’s best free-throw shooter at 84 percent. Parker’s 1,692 career points make him the fourth-leading scorer in Bearcat history.
1975 Softball Team – In the infancy of Northwest softball, this team boasted a 22-7 record, beat Missouri to win the MAIAW state tournament and advanced to the College World Series in Omaha, Neb. First-year head coach Debbie Jones turned in a lineup card that produced nearly nine runs per game and featured the “W” pitching staff of (Arlene) Weldon, (Cindy) Williams and (Sheryl) Wurster.
1997 Women’s Tennis Team – A 24-match win streak, five MIAA individual champions and the program’s first national quarterfinal appearance highlight this Mark Rosewell-coached squad. The Bearcats finished 28-2, beat three Division I programs and captured the program’s sixth MIAA title. The squad was led by Iva Kutlova and 2006 Hall of Fame inductee Yasmine Osborne who combined for a 51-5 singles record and partnered to go 28-4 at the top doubles position.
This marks the third Rosewell-coached tennis team to be enshrined into the Hall of Fame joining both the 1987 men’s and women’s tennis squads.
— NWMSU Sports Information —