Hall of Fame
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.
