S-C Athletic Hall of Fame Gains Four New Members

The Smith-Cotton Athletic Hall of Fame grew by four members on Friday, Feb. 23, with an induction ceremony held between the girls and boys varsity basketball games against Warrensburg.

Jennifer Drum McClaflin, Class of 2001, won the girls state high jump competition twice, in 1999 and 2000; her 5-foot-9-inch leap in 2000 was the Missouri state record until it was broken in 2017. She also was a two-time NCAA Division II indoor national champion in the event in 2004 and 2006 when she competed for the University of Central Missouri.

Bruce Kerr still holds the S-C record for the boys 110-meter high hurdles. A member of the Class of 1977, Kerr ran track all four years at Smith-Cotton, participating not only in hurdle events but also long jump, triple jump and the 100-yard dash. His senior year at the state track meet, he placed fourth in the 110 high hurdles despite hitting the first hurdle.

The Dey family is synonymous with baseball in Sedalia, and Bill and Alma Dey joined their son, Ross, who was inducted in 2016. Bill known as “Chief,” has coached Little League, Babe Ruth, Smith-Cotton, college and American Legion baseball. He coached the S-C team for 14 years – including two with Ross – and American Legion baseball for 23 years, winning more than 600 games. He currently is general manager of Sedalia’s American Legion program.

As Bill and their sons, Ross and Warren, began spending more time at the baseball field at Liberty Park, Alma volunteered to open a concession stand for Smith-Cotton and American Legion games to keep the family closer together. She ordered inventory, staffed the stand and prepared food, including her famous homemade dill pickles and chicken and noodles. The concession stand at Liberty Park Stadium is named Alma’s Kitchen in honor of Alma, who passed away in July 2015, and the field is named Dey Field in tribute to the family’s impact on baseball in Sedalia.

The inductees received Hall of Fame awards and their photos will hang alongside those of other S-C legends in the high school gymnasium.

KERR: Bruce Kerr credits his coaches for his success during his Smith-Cotton Athletic Hall of Fame induction address Friday, Feb. 23, in the S-C gym. Kerr, a retired Missouri State Highway Patrol officer, still holds the school record in the boys 110-meter high hurdles.

DRUM: In her induction address, Jennifer Drum McClaflin, who set the state record in the high jump in 2000, admits to the crowd that she is competitive enough that she kept track of the record until it was broken in 2017.

DEY: Bill Dey, with family members behind him, poses with the photo of him and his wife, Alma, which will hang in the Smith-Cotton Hall of Fame gallery in the school gymnasium.