pittstategorillas.com – The Official Web Site of PSU Athletics

Pittsburg State University
Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame

Class of 1988

Elton Benson Brown (1929-34)
Viola, Kansas
Track & Field Athlete
Elton "Brownie" Brown was one of the top middle distance runners in the Midwest in the 1930s. During his final two years at PSU, Brown was among the best collegians in the country.

 

Glen Merlin Browne (1930-32)
Western, Nebraska
Football Athlete
Glen Merlin Browne was an outstanding lineman earning All-Central Intercollegiate Conference honors three times. Brown was a second-team All-CIC performer in 1930 and earned first-team All-CIC his final two years (1931-32). He also was named to the All-Kansas team in 1932.

 

Jimmie Joe Chroust (1963-66)
Bluff City, Kansas
Basketball Athlete
Jimmie Joe Chroust finished his career as the school's leading scorer and rebounder. Chroust was a two-time NAIA All-America selection and a three-time All-CIC performer. He set the school single game scoring record with 48 points in a win against the College of Emporia in 1966. Chroust scored 1,587 points and grabbed 688 rebounds in his four-year career.

 

Eldon V. Danenhauer (1955-57, 1959)
Clay Center, Kansas
Football Athlete
Eldon V. Danenhauer is generally regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the PSU football program. Danenhauer earned All-America honors at tackle in 1959. He went on to play with the Denver Broncos in the NFL from 1960-65.

 

Oliver Wendell Davis (1932-33)
Garland, Kansas
Track & Field Athlete
Oliver Wendell "Windy" Davis was one of the outstanding quarter milers in the United States during his years at PSU in the 1930s.

 

Kermit Clifford King (1935-37)
New York City, New York
Track & Field Athlete
Kermit Clifford King was one of the best long jumpers in the world during his 1936 and 1937 seasons at PSU. In 1937, King won the NCAA title, the AAU Championship, and the Pan American Games Championship.

 

John Foster Lance (1922-63)
Pittsburg, Kansas
Basketball Coach
John Foster Lance was one of the most successful college basketball coaches in the history of the sport. Lance enjoyed a 40-year tenure at his alma mater that included a 582-323 record and 14 league titles. He twice guided the Gorillas to third-place finishes at the NAIA National Tournment. His 1930 and 1931 teams were undefeated and he coached the Gorillas to a school-record 47 consecutive wins between 1930-32. Lance's 656 career coaching victories rank him among the top collegiate coaches all-time.

 

Thomas Arthur Lester (1947, '49-51)
Drumright, Oklahoma
Football Athlete
Thomas Arthur Lester earned honorable mention All-America honors on the Associated Press Little All-America team in 1951. Lester was a two-time first-team All-CIC performer at defensive end. He later served as head football coach at his alma mater from 1967-75, compiling a 47-39-5 record that included the 1970 RMAC title.

 

Bruce Dean Palmer (1953-56)
Winfield, Kansas
Basketball Athlete
Bruce Dean Palmer was a first-team NAIA All-America selection as a senior in 1956. Regarded as the best guard to ever play at PSU, Palmer established the school scoring record at the time, finishing his four-year career with 1,217 points. He also established PSU's career free throws mark (569). Palmer was a three-time first-team All-CIC performer (1954-56).

 

Ernest John Schmidt (1930-33)
Winfield, Kansas
Basketball Athlete
Ernest John Schmidt, affectionately known as "One Grand", is the only PSU player to be inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass. Schmidt, who was generally recognized as the greatest player in the Missouri Valley at the time, scored exactly 1,000 points during his four-year career. He was an AAU All-America selection as a senior in 1932.

 

Carnie Henry Smith (1949-66)
Arma, Kansas
Football Coach
Carnie Henry Smith led PSU to a pair of undefeated NAIA National Championship seasons on the football gridiron during a decorated 18-year career. Smith compiled a 116-52-6 record, leading the Gorillas to the national title in 1957 and again in 1961. His squads won or shared six conference titles during his tenure. Smith later served as Athletic Director at PSU. PSU's football facility, Brandenburg Field/Carnie Smith Stadium, now bears his name.

 

Ted Thomas Stahura (1955-58)
Gary, Indiana
Football Athlete
Ted Thomas Stahura was a three-time first-team All-CIC performer at tackle (1955-57) for the Gorillas. Stahura earned honorable mention NAIA All-America honors and honorable mention Associated Press Little All-America honors during PSU's 1957 NAIA national championship season.

 

Laurence Blanton Swisher (1930-33)
Junction City, Kansas
Track & Field Athlete
Laurence Blanton Swisher was national-class sprinter on the track team from 1930-33. Swisher ran times that would still be considered at present.

 

Phil John Vogrin (1959-62)
Kansas City, Kansas
Football Athlete
Phil Vogrin earned honorable mention NAIA All-America and honorable mention Associated Press Little All-America honors while quarterbacking PSU to the NAIA National Championship in 1961. Vogrin earned second-team All-CIC honors in 1960 and first-team All-CIC accolades in 1961. He was voted the MVP of PSU's 12-7 Camellia Bowl victory over Linfield College for the 1961 NAIA national title by the Sacramento Press.

 

Garfield Wilson Weede (1919-51)
Des Moines, Iowa
Coach/Athletic Director
Garfield W. Weede, described by many as the pioneer of PSU athletics, was the University's first athletic director. Weede was acoach and administrator at PSU from 1919 until his retirement in 1951. His track & field teams won 13 conference championships, and many athletes earned All-America honors under his guidance. Weede also coached the PSU football team to its first conference title in 1924.

 

1957 Football Team
NAIA National Champions
The 1957 Gorilla Football team captured the University's first NAIA National Championship on December 21, 1957. Pittsburg State, then known as Kansas State Teachers College, defeated Hillsdale College of Michigan, 27-26, in the Holiday Bowl at St. Petersburg, Florida, to complete a perfect 11-0-0 season under Head Coach Carnie Smith. The Gorillas built a 20-0 first quarter lead and then held on in the second half to snap the Dales' 34-game winning streak and bring home the national title.

 

1961 Football Team
NAIA National Champions
The 1961 Gorilla football team captured the University's second NAIA National Championship in five years on December 9, 1961. Pittsburg State, then known as Kansas State College, defeated Linfield College of Oregon, 12-7, in the Camelia Bowl at Sacramento, California, to complete a perfect 11-0-0 season under Head Coach Carnie Smith. The Gorillas scored on their first offensive play, took a 12-0 lead early in the fourth quarter and then held off the Wildcats down the stretch to win the coveted national title.