
NEWTON -- Nine new members will be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame, the 50th anniversary class of 2011. Ceremonies are slated for Oct. 2 at the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in the Wichita Boathouse.
Chosen for induction are Kansas State All-American basketball player Kendra Wecker, K-State All-America linebacker Mark Simoneau of Smith Center, KU All-American basketball player Raef LaFrentz, former Emporia State track star John Camien, KU athletic director Bob Frederick, KU basketball coach Dick Harp, Wichita State All-American baseball pitcher Don Heinkel, Wichita State football coach Willie Jeffries and Pittsburg State football All-American Ronnie West. Frederick and Harp will be inducted posthumously.
The new class raises the number of inductees in the hall to 210.
nWecker, a native of Marysville, was a three-time first-team all-Big 12 Conference selection at K-State, Big 12 Player of the Year and consensus first-team All-American in 2005. She played for the Wildcats from 2002-05 and ranks No. 1 in points scored (2,333) and rebounds (1,087). Wecker averaged 18.2 points and 8.5 points a game for her career and her No. 53 was retired by K-State in 2005.
A three-time consensus first-team all-state selection at Marysville High School, Wecker scored 2,305 points and grabbed 1,051 rebounds, becoming the first Kansas female prep player to accomplish the 2000/1000 feat. She was named "Miss Kansas Basketball" by the KBCA and the Kansas Player of the Year by the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame in 2001. In track and field, she set the national high school record in javelin and was a three-time state champion. She was also a first team all-state volleyball player.
nSimoneau, a consensus first team all-state football star from Smith Center, was one of the best linebackers to play at Kansas State. He played for the Wildcats from 1996-99 and ranks No. 3 all-time in tackles (400) and in tackles for losses. He played in four bowl games for K-State and led the team in tackles as a junior and senior. In 1999, Simoneau was named first-team All-American, the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and was the runner-up for the Butkus Award. He played 10 seasons in the NFL with Atlanta, Philadelphia and New Orleans and had 370 tackles. He was also the Class 3A shot put champion in 1995 with a mark of over 60 feet.
nLaFrentz was a two-time consensus first team All-American at Kansas, Big 12 Player of the Year and three-time all-conference player. The Iowa native played for the Jayhawks from 1994-98 and ranks No. 3 all-time in scoring (2,066 points) and second in rebounds (1,186), one behind all-time leader Danny Manning. KU retired his jersey in 2003. LaFrentz, the third player picked in the 1998 NBA draft, played 11 seasons in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets, Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics and Portland Trail Blazers.
nCamien was a track and cross country standout at Emporia State while competing from 1961-65. In cross country he was a two-time NAIA national champion, an All-America selection and three-time conference winner. In indoor track he won eight conference championships. During outdoor competition Camien won eight conference crowns and five NAIA championships, including the 1,500 meters four straight years.
nFrederick was athletic director at Kansas from 1987-2001 and oversaw 32 conference championships, as well as producing 41 academic All-Americans. He served on the NCAA basketball tournament's selection committee from 1992-96 and was the chairman in 1995 and '96. Frederick played at KU in 1960-61 and was a former high school coach. The NCAA created the Bob Frederick Sportsmanship Award, which annually honors an NCAA administrator who shows the highest respect for intercollegiate athletics.
n Harp was basketball coach at Kansas from 1956-64 and posted a 121-82 record. His 1957 team, led by sophomore All-American Wilt Chamberlain, finished second to North Carolina, losing in triple overtime in the national championship game. The 1960 Jayhawks won Big Eight Conference title but lost to Cincinnati in the Midwest Regional. Harp was an assistant coach under Phog Allen from 1948-56 and a starting guard on KU's 1940 team that finished second in the NCAA Tournament. He later served as an assistant coach under Dean Smith at North Carolina from 1986-89.
nHeinkel was one of the greatest pitchers in Wichita State's baseball history, setting an NCAA record with 51 victories during his career from 1979-82. He was named all-Missouri Valley Conference three times and was a first-team All-America selection in 1982 when he helped the Shockers to their first appearance in the College World Series with a 16-5 record. He set WSU school records for games started, complete games, innings pitched and earned run average. He pitched in the major leagues with Detroit and St. Louis and last year, became the fourth WSU player inducted into the College Baseball Hall of Fame.
nJeffries was named the first African-American head football coach at the NCAA Division I level at Wichita State in 1979 and is the only person to coach against both Eddie Robinson of Grambling and Bear Bryant of Alabama. He coached at Wichita State for five seasons (1979-83) and also at Howard and South Carolina State, posting a record of 179-132-6. He's a member of South Carolina Sports Hall of Fame and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2010.
nIn 1991, West became the first receiver to win the Harlon Hill Trophy, signifying him as the best player in the country in NCAA Division II. He led Division II in punt return average as a junior in 1990, totaled 2,070 all-purpose yards and scored 18 touchdowns. As a senior he caught 50 passes for 1,044 yards and 12 TDs and helped lead Pittsburg State win the national championship with a 23-6 victory over Jacksonville, Ala. A two-time Division II first-team All-American and MIAA Player of the Year, West played two seasons in the NFL with the Minnesota Vikings.
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