Pittsburg State University
Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame

Class of 1998

Bill Samuels
Carthage, Missouri
Meritorious Service
Bill Samuels served as a coach, instructor and athletic administrator at his alma mater for 23 years, including seven years as athletic director (1990-96). Samuels was a guiding force in PSU's transition from the NAIA to NCAA affiliation and he helped lay the groundwork for the formation of PSU's Gorilla Club. He also was a three-year letterwinner on the Gorilla football team and kicked the winning PAT in PSU's 1957 NAIA National Championship victory against Hillsdale College.

Rick Simoncic (1983-86)
Frontenac, Kansas
Track & Field Athlete
Rick Simoncic was a two-time NAIA All-America javelin thrower at Pittsburg State. Simoncic captured the NAIA National Championship in the event as a senior in 1986 with a throw of 247-feet, 7óinches -- one of the longest marks in the world at that time under the new modern weight specifications. He also placed third at nationals in the event as a junior in 1985.

Sam Pittman (1980-83)
Grove, Oklahoma
Football Athlete
Sam Pittman was a first-team NAIA All-America defensive end as a senior in 1983. Pittmanalso was a three-time All- CSIC performer (1981-83), earning first-team honors his final two seasons. He set the PSU school record for quarterback sacks (44) and finished his career among the school's all-time tackle leaders with 263 career stops.

Jesse Wall (1985-88)
Midwest City, Oklahoma
Football Athlete
Jesse Wall was a two-time first-team NAIA All-America offensive lineman for the Gorillas (1987-88). Wall also earned first-team All-America honors from the AFCA and Football Gazette and honorable mention All-America on the Associated Press Little All-America team in 1988. Additionally, he was a two-time first-team All-CSIC performer those two seasons, helping PSU lead the nation in rushing, scoring, and total offense in 1987.