Kansas City Sports Hall of Fame

The All Starr Sports Zone- Kansas City Sports Hall of Fame
Who are the BEST who have played professional sports for Kansas City Teams?
Who are the BEST athletes that are from the Greater Kansas City area, that played for teams other than from Kansas City?   
This page is dedicated to the persons who have had Hall of Fame careers while playing for a Kansas City team or from the Greater Kansas City area, with a Hall of Fame career playing for another team.
WHO would you NOMINATE to be in the Kansas City Sports Hall of Fame?  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.to nominate someone. 
The focus of this page is on INDIVIDUALS who are Kansas City's best in the below sports.

The Kansas City Sports Hall of Fame
in alphabetical order

Name Sport
Category Team
Notes
Nate "Tiny" Archibald
Basketball
Player
Kansas City Kings
In the 1972-73 season, Kansas City King's point guard, Nate "Tiny" Archibald becomes the only player to lead the NBA in both scoring (34.0 points) and assists (11.4) in the same season. Nate Archibald became the only KC King to be in the NBA Hall of Fame.
Ernie Banks
Baseball
Player
Kansas City Monarchs
Chicago Cubs
Played for KC in 1950 and 1953
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
Bobby Bell
Football
Player
Kansas City Chiefs
He was the FIRST Member of the Kansas City Chiefs to join the NFL Hall of Fame in 1983.
"Cool Papa" Bell
Baseball
Player
Kansas City Monarchs
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
George Brett
Baseball
Player
Kansas City Royals
Primarily a Third baseman. He helped the Royals to the 1980 and 1985 World Series.
He was the first KC Royals player inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Willard "Home Run" Brown
Baseball
Player
Kansas City Monarchs
St. Louis Browns
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
He helped the Monarchs win six pennants from 1937-46. He regularly posted batting averages >.300, served two years in WWII, played in 8 East-West All Star Games.
Buck Buchanan
Football
Player
Kansas City Chiefs
Member of NFL Hall of Fame
Bert "Campy" Campaneris
Baseball
Player
Kansas City Athletics
6-time All Star, 3-time World Series champion.
David Cone
Baseball
Player
Kansas City Royals, Mets, Yankees, Red Sox, Blue Jays
grew up in the Kansas City area, 5-time All Star, threw a PERFECT GAME, 1994 Cy Young Award winner.
Len Dawson
Football
Player
Kansas City Chiefs
Quarterback, MVP of Super Bowl IV.
Member of NFL Hall of Fame
Harold Ensley
Outdoorsman
Sportsman

Avid fisherman and hunter, "The Sportsman's Friend" TV show
Whitey Ford
Baseball
Player
Kansas City Blues
New York Yankees
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
Bob Gansler
Soccer
Coach
Kansas City Wizards
Sporting Kansas City
He coached the Wizards and Sporting KC to two MLS Cup appearances, winning in 2000 and member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
Kevin Gray
All Sports
Sports Executive
Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation
Founder of the Kansas City Sports Commission and Foundation.
Maurice Green
Track
Athlete

Olympic track and field athlete from Kansas City, Kansas. On September 24, 2000, Maurice Greene from Kansas City, Kansas, wins the men's 100-meter dash at the Olympic Games in Australia, and is called the "Worlds Fastest Man".
Bill Grigsby
Football
Sportscaster
Kansas City Athletics
Kansas City Chiefs
Member of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
"Sliding" Billy Hamilton Baseball
Player
Kansas City Cowboys
Phillies and Beaneaters
He stole 111 bases with the KC Cowboys in 1889, and 914 in his career. He is one of only 3 players whose runs scored, 1,691 exceeded his games played, 1,578. He had a lifetime .344 batting average.
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
Whitey Herzog
Baseball
Player and Coach
Kansas City Athletics, Senators, Orioles, Tigers, Rangers, Angels, Cardinals
Kansas City Royals
Played for the A's, 1958-60. Managed the Royals where they won three straight AL Western Division titles from 1976-1978.
Dick Howser
Baseball
Player and Coach
Kansas City Athetics
Indians, Yankees
Kansas City Royals
1961 All Star team and Sporting News rookie of the year. He managed the Royals to their 1985 World Series Championship.
Lamar Hunt
Football & Soccer
Owner
Kansas City Chiefs,
Kansas City Wizards
Founder of the CHIEFS, AND the American Football League. Member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, since 1972. First AFL figure to be inducted into the pro football hall of fame.
The world football championship game, called "Super Bowl" was a term originally coined by Lamar Hunt after seeing one of his child playing with a "superball".
Football's AFC League Championship trophy is named the Lamar Hunt Trophy.
He was one of the driving forces in the creation of the Truman Sports Complex in 1972, with a separate stadium for football and one for baseball at a time when other cities had both sports in ONE stadium.
In 1996, charter owner operator of the Kansas City Wizards, Columbus Crew and Dallas Burn of Major League Soccer.
He helped form World Championship Tennis in 1967.
Once owned the Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun Theme parks.
Minority owner of the Chicago Bulls and two minor league baseball teams in Ft. Worth and Dallas, TX.
Member of the Halls of Fame: International Tennis Hall of Fame, United States Soccer Hall of Fame, National Soccer Hall of Fame, Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, Texas Sports Hall of Fame, Texas Business Hall of Fame, and the Kansas City Business Hall of Fame.
Jim "Catfish" Hunter
Baseball
Player
Kansas City Athletics
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
Bo Jackson
Baseball
Player
Kansas City Royals
Bo Jackson as a member of the Kansas City Royals, is believed to be the only athlete selected to the All-Star game in two professional sports.
He was the MVP of the 1989 baseball classic.
Bo slammed the LONGEST HOME RUN in ROYALS STADIUM HISTORY, a 475 foot blast off Seattle's Mike Moore in 1987. Typical of Bo's dramatic moments, it was his also his FIRST major league homer!
In 1989 one of the memorable moments in KC sports history, Kansas City Royal's Bo Jackson runs into the left-field corner of Seattle's Kingdome, fields Scott Bradley's liner cleanly, turns and fires a strike to catcher Bob Boone that nails Harold Reynolds at home plate.
On 8/26/1990, powerful two-sport star Bo Jackson of the Kansas City Royals returns from a six-week stay on the disabled list for a separated shoulder by unleashing a 450-foot homer on the first pitch he sees from Randy Johnson of the Seattle Mariners. Added to the three in a row he hit before being injured at Yankee Stadium on July 17, the prodigious clout gives Jackson an MLB record-tying four homers in four at bats.
Reggie Jackson
Baseball
Player
Kansas City Athletics
Oakland Athletics
New York Yankees
Mr. October started in Kansas City in 1967.
Ewing Kauffman
Baseball
Owner
Kansas City Royals
Original owner of the Kansas City Royals from 1969.
Sam Lacey
Basketball
Player
Kansas City Kings, Nets, Cavaliers
1975 All Star and his #44 was retired by the Kings. One of five players to record 100 blocks and 100 steals in six consecutive seasons.
Bob Lemon
Baseball
Player and Coach
Kansas City Royals
Royals manager 1970-72.
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
Meadowlark Lemon
Basketball
Player
Kansas City Stars
He played his first season with the Kansas City Stars in 1953 before signing with the Globetrotters
Nick Lowery
Football
Player
Kansas City Chiefs
Kicker and All time leading scorer for the Chiefs.
Roger Maris
Baseball
Player
Kansas City Athletics, Indians, Cardinals, Yankees
7-time All Star, 3-times World Series champion
Denny Matthews
Baseball
Sportscaster
Kansas City Royals
Radio Voice of the Royals since 1969.
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
Joe McGuff
Baseball
Sports Executive and Writer
Kansas City Star Newspaper
He was instrumental in securing an expansion franchise for Kansas City that became the Royals.
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
Chales "Kid" Nichols
Baseball
Player
Kansas City Blues
He retired in KC, where he gave up pitching for bowling. His next door neighbor was Casey Stengel while living in Kansas City.
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
John "Buck" O'Neil
Baseball
Player and Coach
Kansas City Monarchs
Chicago Cubs
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
He was a first baseman, hitting .281 in twelve seasons, mostly with the Kansas City Monarch's. Buck worked as a scout for the Kansas City Royals. He was a beloved ambassador to baseball and spokesman for the Negro Leagues Baseball and it's museum.
He was awarded the first Baseball Lifetime Achievement Award, named in his memory.
Buck was the first black coach in MLB history, when he coached the Chicago Cubs from 1962-65. A statue of Buck was erected inside the museum in Cooperstown, New York on July 26, 2008, and the Buck O'Neil Lifetime Achievement Award will be presented to a worthy recipient no more than every three years.
Satchel Paige
Baseball
Player
Kansas City Monarchs
Cleveland Indians
Kansas City Athletics
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
Pitcher, who played for the Monarchs 12 years. Probably the best pitcher of his time.
He played one game with the A's.
Preki
Soccer
Player
Kansas City Wizards
Member of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
He helped the Wizards to the MLS Cup Championship in 2000, he won the League MVP twice in 1997 and in 2003 when he was 40 years old. He was the first person to reach the 50 goal, 50 assist mark. He finished his career with 79 goals and 112 assists in regular season play. Preki also played for the USA National Team, scoring 4 goals, including one that beat Brazil in the 1998 Gold Cup. He appeared in two World Cup Matches.
Phil "Scooter" Rizzuto
Baseball
Player and Announcer
Kansas City Blues
New York Yankees
Shortstop. Former New York Yankee's shortstop and announcer.
He payed two seasons with the Kansas City Blues (1939, 1940) and in 1940 was the minor-league player of the year.
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
Jackie Robinson
Baseball
Player
Kansas City Monarchs
Brooklyn Dodgers
Jackie Robinson as a Kansas City Monarch in 1946. He had a .387 batting average in his rookie and only season in Kansas City before joining the Brooklyn Dodgers to break the color barrier. He also played in the East-West All Star Game.
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
"Bullet" Joe Rogan Baseball
Player and Coach
Kansas City Monarchs
Pitcher and manager in the 1920's and 30's.
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
Enos "Country" Slaughter
Baseball
Player
Kansas City Athletics
He played parts of two seasons in KC.
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
Hilton Smith
Baseball
Player
Kansas City Monarchs
Pitcher (often relieving Satchel Paige)
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
Turkey Stearnes Baseball
Player
Kansas City Monarchs
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
Jan Stenerud
Football
Player
Kansas City Chiefs
Member of NFL Hall of Fame
Casey Stengal
Baseball
Player and Coach
Kansas City Red Sox
Kansas City Blues
Brooklyn Dodgers
New York Yankees
Born and raised in Northeast Kansas City as Charles Dillon Stengel,
playing baseball at Central High School and the semi-professional teams of the Kansas City Red Sox and the Kansas City Blues, etc.
before gaining his nickname as a member of the Major League Brooklyn Dodgers in 1912 and going on to manage
the New York Yankees to 10 pennants and a record 7 world championships in 12 years through the early 1960s.
Hank Stram
Football
Coach
Broadcaster
Kansas City Chiefs, Texans, Saints
3-time Managed AFL team championshps, Super Bowl IV winner and member of the Chiefs Hall of Fame.
Rick Sutcliffe
Baseball
Player
Cubs, Dodgers, Indians, Orioles, Cardinals
from the Kansas City area, Rick was the 1979 NL Rookie of the Year, 1984 Cy Young Award winner, 3-time All Star
Emmitt Thomas
Football
Player
Kansas City Chiefs
Ranks 9th all-time interceptions with 58, which is a Chiefs record. Led NFL with team-record 12 interceptions in 1974...led AFL with 9 interceptions in 1969, added 3 more during playoffs including 1 in the Super Bowl win over the Vikings. 5 interceptions returned for TD's. 5 Pro Bowls.
Member of NFL Hall of Fame
Derrick Thomas
Football
Player
Kansas City Chiefs
116 1/2 sacks in the 1990's more than any other player, 126 1/2 career sacks, 45 forced fumbles-a Chiefs career record, plus he recovered 19 and returned four for touchdowns. 20 sacks in 1990, a Chiefs single season record, 3 safeties, third in NFL history. 7 sacks in a single game- still an NFL record. Chiefs Team MVP for 1991. 1992 NFL Man of the Year Award- on field performance and community service.
Dec 1997, went to his ninth straight Pro Bowl.
Member of NFL Hall of Fame
George Toma
Baseball and Football
Groundskeeper
Kansas City Royals
Kansas City Chiefs
Legendary grounds keeper for the Royals, Chiefs, Super Bowls and many other special sporting events.
Tom Watson
Golf
Player

Golfer from the Kansas City area and winner of many PGA, US Open and Masters championships.
Frank White
Baseball
Player
Kansas City Royals
Frank White grew up in Kansas City and went to Lincoln High School, which was next to Municipal Stadium, home of the Kansas City Athletics and later Kansas City Royals. Frank was selected to join the Royals Baseball Academy at 19 yrs old. As the first and best to graduate the Academy, he became a member of the Kansas City Royals baseball team, won eight gold gloves and had his number 20 retired from the team!
J. L. Wilkinson
Baseball
Owner
Kansas City Monarchs
Member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Cooperstown, NY
He helped found the Negro Leagues Baseball League.
He was the owner of the Kansas City Monarchs, invented Ladies Day to encourage female to attend games and to discourage males from using profanity. He also invented "Knothole" Day for children, beauty contests and night baseball. He incorporated his franchise, on May 22, 1920, naming it the "Kansas City Monarchs Baseball and Amusement Company", and issued 200 shares of stock.

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