WICHITA, Kan. — The Wichita Sports Hall of Fame announced their 2020 inductees on Wednesday.
Former Wichita Heights and KU basketball star Perry Ellis and WSU National Champion baseball player, major league manager and current WSU coach Eric Wedge headline the class.
The induction ceremony will be on Saturday, April 4th at 2 p.m. inside Hillside Christian Church in Wichita. The event is free.
Bios of the full class are below:
JOE AUER - Coach Auer has a 382-168 record while the head basketball coach at Heights H.S. and has won five Kansas state H.S. basketball championships in 2009-10-11-12-15. Also, as head baseball coach for 19 seasons at Heights, he won 11 Wichita City League championships with a record of 282-96.
JODI BARTMAN - Jodi Bartman has had a storied bowling career. She earned Wichita Bowler of the Year in both 1994 and 1998. In 2010 she was awarded the prestigious Walt Delozier Abassador Award. Inducted in Wichita Bowling HOF and Kansas Bowling HOF.
TRISTEN DESHAZER - Tristen Deshazer was a prep wrestler at West H.S. Tristen was a four-time state champion and posted a career record of 147-3. He was the 2006 Kansas High School Wrestler of the Year after winning the 130-pound state title in Class 5A. Tristen is a 2011 graduate of Northern Illinois University, where he was a three-time team captain and set Huskies’ records for pins in a season (17) and career (33).
LYNN DUNCAN - Third-team All-American the Associated Press in 1969 at defensive tackle for the Shockers despite playing for four different head coaches and four different position coaches during his career. He was named a MVC Player of the Week five times in his career, including his very first varsity game against Utah State when he had 10 unassisted tackles. Inducted in the Shocker HOF.
PERRY ELLIS - Perry Ellis led Heights H.S. to four state titles, was named Kansas player of the year four times and recorded a cumulative 2,231 points and 984 rebounds during his prep career while maintaining a 4.0 GPA. At Kansas University, Perry is the #9 top scorer in K.U. history with 1,798 points and 5.8 rebounds, leading K.U. to an impressive 115–29 record that included four Big XII championships and four trips to the NCAA basketball tournament.
BUFF FARROW - At Southeast H.S., Buff won two state titles and was ranked the number two junior tennis player in the country as a junior and the number eleven player in the country as a senior. He won the U.S. Amateur Championships in 1986 and played tennis for UCLA. His collegiate career included making both the singles semi-finals and doubles final of the 1988 NCAA Men’s Tennis Championships. Farrow competed in the men's doubles at the 1988 US Open. Inducted in the Kansas Sports HOF, Wichita Southeast HOF and US Tennis Association Missouri Valley HOF.
DR. KEN JANSSON - In the late 1970’s, Dr. Jansson was a four time NCAA All-American in track in the hammer and weight throw and Ivy League champion in the shot put, while at Dartmouth. After founding St. Joseph’s Sports Medicine in 1992, Dr. Jansson has been the athletic doctor for W.S.U., Newman, Advantage World Team Tennis, Thunder, Wranglers, Wingnuts, Stealth, Aviators, Wild, Force, Wings and Collegiate H.S. Inducted in Dartmouth Athletic HOF.
LAVERNE NANCE - For over forty years, Laverne Nance was a leading innovator and car owner in Kansas dirt track racing. Inducted into the 81 Speedway HOF, Sprint Car HOF and High Banks HOF.
WESTON SCHARTZ - A Southeast H.S. graduate, Wichita West’s Coach Schartz is one of Kansas’ longest tenured football coaches for all classes. He has the second most wins in Wichita City League history. In his second stint at West, Coach Schartz is 118-95, and 195-131 overall, including Northwest H.S. and is in his 36th year of coaching as of this nomination. Inducted in the Wichita Biddy Basketball HOF.
ERIC WEDGE - Eric Wedge was a catcher for Shocker baseball from 1987-89 and earned first team All-America honors in 1989. He is the current head baseball coach for Wichita State. In his three years as a Shocker, Wedge played in 226 games and hit .333 with 212 runs, 257 hits, 54 doubles, four triples, 45 home runs and 206 RBI. He was a member of the 1989 National Championship. Also, manager of the Cleveland Indians and Seattle Mariners. Inducted in Kansas Sports HOF & Shocker HOF.
DAVE PHILLIPS - “TENTH ANNUAL MAL ELLIOTT SPORTS MEDIA INDUCTEE” In 1985, Dave Phillips started Wichita’s first sports talk radio show, with Mike Kennedy, on KRZ and was on-air for 10 years. Then, another three years with Steve Dennis on KZSN. At KSN and KAKE TV stations, Dave was the sports anchor for 11 years. Also, Dave was the General Manger of the Wichita Wings indoor soccer team from 1996 to 1998.
TEAM INDUCTEE: 2013 & 2014 Wichita Wild pro indoor football back-to-back championship teams
ORGANIZATIONAL INDUCTEE: Wichita Open Golf Tournament - Roy Turner, Tournament Director