By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
A new class for the St. Joseph Sports Hall of Fame is ready to be enshrined.
Nine individuals, one team, and one Special Olympics athlete of the year make up the 2025 class for the St. Joseph Sports Hall of Fame.
St. Joseph Sports Commission Director Brett Esely says every year when the class is brought to him, all he can say is wow
“Every year our class has great depth, meaning it touches all areas of sport,” Esely tells a crowd gathered at the St. Joseph Convention and Visitors Bureau. “And this year we induct our first men’s tennis player, we induct our first power lifter, we have two NFL football players in this class, we have a legendary coach in this class, we touch sports broadcasting in this class.”
Eseley says while a lot of boxes were checked this year, there are still some areas that can be covered in the hall. He points out the nominations cover a broad range, because it’s not just about the athletes.
“You have coaches, you have administrators, you have contributors, you have members of the media, you have sports medicine personnel, you have other categories,” Esely explains. “So, we have never received a nomination that didn’t fit a category, and so we’ve checked a lot of boxes, there’s still a number of boxes to check and we look forward to doing that.”
Esely says each class has its own personality, and each is made up of elite athletes on the court, but also excelled outside their sport, helping and mentoring people
“I think that’s indicative of a lot of our classes, a lot of people in our classes, but when I look at this class especially, not only knowing some of these folks historically, but just knowing a little bit about them, that’s what this class says to me,” Esely says. “Is elite in what they did, but elite off the course, court, ring, in what they did as well.”
The class features NFL players, sports broadcasters, coaches, and a men’s softball star among the nine individuals that were chosen. One area team will also be enshrined, as well as a Special Olympics Athlete of the Year. The 2025 Hall of Fame class includes:
Bob Boyles – Seven Time AAU Powerlifting Champion/Personal Trainer
Rob Calloway – Local Boxing Legend
Mike Habermehl – PGA Club Professional/Instructor/MWSU Golf Coach
Elijah Lee – Kansas State Football/National Football League
Chris Miljavac – Men’s Fastpitch Softball Star
Bob Orf – Radio Broadcasting Personality/Voice of Missouri Western Athletics
Justin Thornton – Multisport Central High School Star/University of Kansas Football
Adam Selkirk – Three-time Missouri State High School Tennis Champion
Don Tabor – Bishop LeBlond/Benton High School Football Coaching Legend
1977 Bishop LeBlond Boys Basketball State Champions
Chris Ringot – Special Olympics Area Athlete of the Year
The Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony will be held August 24th at Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center.
A limited number of tickets for the event will go on sale later this month for $25 per person and may be purchased at stjomosports.com.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.