Pittsburg State University
Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame
Gerald “Nate” Beaman (1947-50)
Uniontown, Kansas
Football/Track & Field Athlete
Nate Beaman was an accomplished hurdler in track & field and a two-time All-Conference end in football during his playing days at Pittsburg State University. He captured the Central Intercollegiate Conference (CIC) title in the 120-yard hurdles in 1949, winning five meet crowns in the event that year. Beaman earned honorable mention All-CIC honors in football in 1948, before garnering first-team All-CIC accolades as a senior in 1949. He also earned a pair of varsity letters in basketball, scoring 403 points in 51 games (7.9 ppg).
Lisa (Hill) Boone (1992-95)
Moore, Oklahoma
Softball Athlete
Lisa Hill completed a four-year softball career at Pittsburg State University as a third-team NSCA All-American as a senior in 1995. She helped the Gorillas make the program’s first three appearances in the NCAA Division II National Tournament from 1993-95. Hill earned All-MIAA honors each season and was voted the MIAA Most Valuable Player as a junior in 1994 when she batted .344 with 24 RBIs. She set MIAA career records for at-bats (612), hits (216), runs (167) and defensive assists (534). Hill batted .351 with 71 RBIs, starting 197 of 199 games played for her career.
Charles J. Purma (1921-25)
Wilson, Kansas
Football/Track & Field Athlete
Charles Purma completed a decorated football and track & field career at Pittsburg State University in the Spring of 1925. In football, Purma was widely considered the greatest PSU player of his era. He twice earned first-team All-Kansas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (KIAC) honors as an end in 1923-24. Purma was named to PSU’s prestigious 11-man 50th Anniversary Team in 1953. In track & field, Purma won KIAC shot put titles in 1923 and 1924. He medaled in the event at the KIAC meet again in 1925, when he recorded the 13th-best mark in the world in the shot put. Purma also was a four-year basketball letterman between 1922-25.
Edward S. “Steve” Simmons (1973-76)
Lenexa, Kansas
Football Athlete
Steve Simmons twice earned NAIA All-America honors at linebacker for the Gorillas in the mid 1970s. He earned first-team NAIA All-America and second-team Associated Press Little All-America honors as a senior in 1976, recording 94 tackles (39 solo) with three interceptions. Simmons received honorable mention NAIA All-America honors as a junior in 1975. He finished as the team’s second-leading tackler and logged three interceptions that year. Simmons earned first-team All-GPAC honors in 1975 and first-team All-CSIC honors in 1976.
Chuck Smith
Atchison, Kansas
Meritorious Achievement
Chuck Smith played football and baseball at Pittsburg State University between 1970-73, before going on to enjoy a decorated career as athletic director and head football coach at St. Mary’s-Colgan High School in Pittsburg. Smith guided the Panthers to a Kansas state record 66 consecutive victories on the gridiron including four straight Class 2A state titles between 2000-03 before the streak ended in the 2004 state championship game. Over the years, Smith has been a key “behind the scenes” supporter of PSU Athletics. As a football student-athlete, he was an honorable mention All-GPAC quarterback as a senior in 1973.
Lee BeBillon (1936-39)
Minneola, Kansas
Track & Field Legacy Athlete
Lee BeDillon set school records in the 880 yard dash and the mile run which stood for 31 and 23 years respectively. He won KIAC titles in both events as well as the mile relay, and he was a multiple-time champion at the KU and Drake Relays. BeDillon’s time of 1:51.44 in the 880 remains among the top five all-time marks in the event for a PSU athlete. In 1937, he finished sixth in the 880 at the U.S. National Championships at Los Angeles, and he ranked #10 in the world in the event that year. In 1936, BeDillon finished second to U.S. Olympian Glenn Cunningham in the Missouri Valley AAU Olympic Tryouts.
George A. Sweatt (1919-22)
Humboldt, Kansas
Football/Track & Field Legacy Athlete
George Sweatt was a ground-breaking pioneer as Pittsburg State University’s first African-American student-athlete to letter in the sports of basketball, football and track & field. Sweatt earned numerous honors in the sprints and set a school record in the shot put in track & field for the Gorillas. He lettered in football in 1921, missing All-KIAC honors when an injury cut short his playing season. Sweatt also lettered in basketball in the 1920 and 1922 seasons. After college, he embarked upon a professional baseball career and became the only regular player to appear in each of the first four Negro League World Series with the Kansas City Monarchs and the Chicago American Giants (1924-27).
