General 9/8/2016 9:23:00 AM

2016 Truman Athletics Hall Of Fame Class

KIRKSVILLE, Mo. – Truman State University Athletics will induct Roy Neff (Baseball), Quinn Ross (Men's Soccer), Pete Kendall (Tennis) and the familiar voices of Brad Boyer and Hank Janssen into the Hall of Fame this fall.

Neff, Kendall, Boyer and Janssen will be inducted as part of the 2016 Truman Homecoming Alumni and Friends banquet on Friday, October 21. Ross will be inducted as part of a home soccer weekend on September 23-24.

Roy Neff – Baseball
In celebration of 100 years since 1916 State Champion Bulldog Baseball team, pitcher Roy Neff will join his battery mate, catcher Leo Petree in the Truman Athletics Hall of Fame. Neff was a star pitcher for the Bulldogs at the turn of the century and averaged nearly 12 to 15 strikeouts per game. In six games in 1914, Neff fanned 101 hitters (16.6 per game) and allowed only 11 base hits.

He was captain of the 1915 Bulldog squad and hit over .500 during that campaign.

The signature year for the team was in 1916. Head Coach H.L. "Curly" McWilliams' squad hosted Missouri Wesleyan College for the state championship game on May 23. Wesleyan jumped out to an early lead but following the substitution of Neff to the mound for the final three innings, the Bulldogs rallied for the 5-4 victory.

Neff was awarded the first letter blanket in school history. Following his time in Kirksville, Neff taught at Hannibal Senior High School for one year before serving in the United States Army during World War I.

He returned from the war and was in education for the next 10 years with stops in McGregor and Luana, Iowa. Neff returned to the family farm in Shelbina, Missouri in 1929. He was awarded a plaque from the Shelby County Historical Society for his "outstanding contribution and tireless effort in preserving the history of the county" and was a charter member of the Shelby County Historical Society. He passed away in 1980 at the age of 86.

Quinn Ross – Men's Soccer
Ross was the second All-American for the Truman Men's Soccer program and earned the award in both 1988 and 1989. He was a three-time first team All-Missouri Intercollegiate Athletics Association member. He broke or tied 12 school records in his career and currently ranks tied for second in goals scored (35), fifth in assists (26), third in points (96) and fifth in shots (198).

Truman won at least 11 games in each of Ross's four seasons with the team under the direction of Head Coach Dave Poggi. Ross was named the squad's "Rookie of the Year" in 1986 after registering six goals and eight assists for 20 points. He was the co-most valuable player as a sophomore with defender and Hall of Fame member Bob Atherton in 1987. The Bulldogs peaked at number 10 in Division II during the 1989 season and finished that year with a 13-6-1 overall record.

Ross was the first Bulldog soccer player to play professionally as he was signed out of a special tryout by the Portland (Ore.) Timbers of the then Western Soccer Outdoor League.

Brad Boyer/Hank Janssen
Brad Boyer and Hank Janssen has been a fixture for Bulldog fans for over two decades. The duo has been broadcasting Truman Football and Basketball games through the facilities of "SUPERSTATION" KRES 104.7 FM radio since the 1995 campaign.

Boyer, a native of Memphis, Missouri, is currently the Operations Manager for KRES, KWIX, KTCM and KIRK for the Alpha Media USA group. He and his stations have been known as North Missouri's Sports Leader with their through coverage of not only the Truman Bulldogs but all high school sports within the listening area. He has earned many awards for his broadcasts from the Missouri Broadcasters Association and was inducted into the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2015.

"Mr. Bulldog" Hank Janssen has been associated with teams at Truman since the mid-1970s. Janssen attended and graduated from Truman and showed an immediate passion for Bulldog athletics. He served as sports editor for the Index then was the sports editor for the Kirksville Daily Express. Janssen began working with Hall of Famer Bob Carlson on Truman Football and Basketball broadcasts in the 80s. He continued covering Truman when games moved from KIRX to KTUF then transitioned over to KRES with Boyer in 1995. In addition, Janssen has given countless hours in support of the Kirksville Baseball Softball Association.

Pete Kendall – Tennis
Pete Kendall served as Tennis Coach for Truman State University for 20 years. His teams won a combine 476 dual matches, two Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association titles and made 13 NCAA Tournament appearances.

Kendall arrived on the Truman campus in 1992 following a four-year stint as head coach at Methodist University (N.C.). He guided the Bulldog women to MIAA titles in 1995 and 1998. He was named the MIAA Women's Coach of the Year following both seasons and had five winners of the MIAA Sportsmanship Award.
On the men's side, Kendall's teams qualified for nationals in 1997 and again from 2004 through 2008. He had six players garner the conference Sportsmanship Award and had individual conference champions before the format was changed to a team tournament.

In addition to the on-court accolades, Kendall's student-athletes earned multiple national and conference academic awards. He had four College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-Americans and eight players earn Academic All-District distinctions.

Kendall retired from coaching following the 2012 season and moved with his wife Lynn to Arizona.

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