Four outstanding former student-athletes have been selected for induction into the University of Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame.  They will represent the 24th  induction class since the inception of the Hall in 1990.

The class will be formally inducted Saturday, February 15th, 2014 in a ceremony and celebration to be held at the Reynolds Alumni Center on the MU campus beginning at 11 a.m.  Later that day, when the Mizzou men’s basketball team takes on Tennessee, the group will be recognized at halftime of the game.

Here is a look at this year’s inductees, with more extensive biographical information to follow:

Aaron Crow – Baseball (2006-08) [Native of Wakarusa, Kan.]

One of the most dominant pitchers to ever throw for MU; Won the Roger Clemens Award in 2008 as the nation’s top pitcher, and was named Big 12 Pitcher of the Year as well;

Dan Pippin – Men’s Basketball (1944, 47-49) [Native of Waynesville, Mo.]

Two-time 1st-Team All-Conference performer on the hardwood who helped guide MU to its first-ever NCAA Tournament in 1944; Was a captain on the USA Olympic Team in 1952;

John Putnam – Men’s Swimming (1965-68) [Native of Carthage, Mo.]

Was part of the first-ever men’s swim team at Mizzou and helped build the program from scratch; Won eight Big 8 Conference medals and held nine school records at one time;

Ashley Wysong – Women’s Track/Cross Country (1998-2000) [Native of Nevada, Mo.]

A four-time All-American who excelled at 800 meters and who still holds MU school records both indoors and outdoors at that distance;

Here’s a more extensive look at this year’s class:

Aaron Crow – Baseball (2006-08)

Established himself as one of the most feared pitchers in the nation during the late 2000s in a time of great success for Tiger baseball under Head Coach Tim Jamieson.  During his junior season of 2008, Crow was arguably the most dominant pitcher in the game, as he won the Roger Clemens Award, given annually to the top pitcher in college baseball, in addition to being named a consensus 1st-Team All-American.  His stats in 2008 were stellar – a perfect 13-0 record, an earned run average of 2.35, four complete-game shutouts and 127 strikeouts (10.65 per nine innings).  Had a 43-inning scoreless streak during the 2008 season.

Turned in a solid 9-4 record as a sophomore (3.60 ERA) in 2007, winning 1st-Team All-Big 12 honors for the first of two straight years.  Split time as a starter and reliever in his freshman season, but turned in one of the top starts by a Tiger freshman ever when he earned his first career victory by throwing a complete game 4-1 win against Pepperdine to stave off elimination in the 2006 NCAA Regional.  Mizzou went on to win the regional, becoming the first #4 seed ever to win an NCAA Regional.

In his three years at Mizzou, Crow started 46 games, and had a final record of 23-8 with a 3.27 ERA, and following his junior season, became a first-round draft pick as the ninth selection overall in the 2008 MLB Draft by the Washington Nationals.  He was the second Tiger ever to be drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft.  After sitting out a year, later was again drafted in the first round (#12 overall) in 2009 by the Kansas City Royals.  Made the Royals’ opening day roster in 2011, and has been with the club ever since, logging 186 appearances.  He’s got 172 strikeouts in 173.1 career major league innings, and he’s got 14 career wins and an ERA of 3.22.  Crow won seven games in 2013 for the Royals, and was the club’s lone All-Star during his rookie season of 2011.

Dan Pippin – Men’s Basketball (1944, 47-49)

A native of Waynesville, Mo., who became a two-time 1st-Team All-Conference performer for the Tigers, and who helped lead Mizzou to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 1944.  Ended his Tiger career with 802 points scored, which was the most in school history at the time of his departure.  Pippin led Mizzou in scoring with a 10.7 points per game average in 1948, and he won 1st-Team All-Big 6 Conference honors in both 1944 and 1947.

Following his days at Ol’ Mizzou, Pippin went on to national acclaim as a he turned in a stellar post-collegiate career on the hardwood.  Was a two-time Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) All-American playing for the Peoria Cats of the National Industrial Basketball League, winning honors in both 1952 and 1953.  He also had the distinct honor of being the team captain for the United States Olympic Team which eventually won the gold medal at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics.  That team defeated rival Russia two times, including in the gold medal contest.  Pippin scored in double figures three times in the Olympics.

His 1952 Peoria Cats team won the AAU National Championship.  A 1992 inductee into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1992, Pippin is being inducted posthumously into the Mizzou Athletics Hall of Fame, as he passed away in 1965 at the age of 38.

John Putnam – Men’s Swimming (1965-68)

One of the true pioneers for men’s swimming at the University of Missouri, John Putnam (a native of Carthage, Mo.) arrived at Mizzou as a prep All-American in 1964, the first year that the school fielded a swim team.  He helped set the standard and got the program started, as he was the team’s high-point scorer, most valuable performer and team captain for all four years.

Became the first-ever Mizzou swimmer to score a point at the Big 8 Conference Swim Meet, and later ended his career in 1968 with three individual and eight total Big 8 medals, as well as being the holder of MU records in nine different events, including five individual and four relays.  Placed 6th in the 100-yard freestyle in 1966, was part of 3rd-place and 6th-place relay teams in 1967, and in 1968 placed 5th in both the 200 and 500-yard freestyle events, while also being part of 5th-place teams in three relay events at the conference meet, setting school records in five events that year.

When he completed his swimming career at Mizzou, Putnam held school records in the 100-yard freestyle (49.3 seconds), 200-yard freestyle (1:49.7), 500-yard freestyle (5:06.6), 1,000-yard freestyle (10:51.5), 1,650-yard freestyle (18:42.0), 400-yard medley relay (3:45.3), 200-yard freestyle relay (1:30.7), 400-yard freestyle relay (3:17.9) and 800-yard freestyle relay (7:30.2).

Ashley Wysong – Women’s Track/Cross Country (1998-2000)

Was the prototype for a high-achieving student-athlete, who was a national-level competitor on the track and also in the classroom.  During her time at Mizzou, Wysong was a four-time All-American in track, specializing in the middle distance races, while she was a four-time USA Track & Field Academic All-American at the same time.

On the track, Wysong, a native of Nevada, Mo., placed 3rd in the NCAA Championships in the outdoor 800 meters as a junior, running an MU-record time of 2:02.94.  That came one year after winning her first outdoor All-American honors as a sophomore, when she placed 5th in the 800.  Also was a two-time NCAA indoor 800-meter All-American, finishing 4th in the race as a junior, while taking 6th as a sophomore.  Wysong left Mizzou holding both the school’s indoor and outdoor 800 meter records, and those marks still stand to this day, as does the record she helped establish for the indoor distance medley relay team, as well as ourdoor 4×400 and 4×800 relay teams on which she ran.

At the conference level, she was dominant, winning All-Big 12 honors 12 times, winning the Big 12 title in the outdoor 800 meters as a junior.  Following that season, she qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the 800 meters.  Went on to finish her academic career at Stanford, where she earned a medical degree.

The Hall’s constitution and bylaws express its purpose – “…to recognize and honor those individuals who have made exceptional contributions to the achievements and prestige of the University of Missouri in the field of athletics, and who have continued to demonstrate in their lives, the values imparted by intercollegiate athletics.”

The current class will up the membership to 190 individuals and four teams in the Hall of Fame.  Inductees are honored in a display located in the main entrance at Mizzou Arena.

— MU Sports Information —