Champions from the Past
“They accepted the challenge.”

Kokomo High School is a charter member of the premier (and oldest) sports conference in Indiana, the North Central Conference. The state champions and state contenders who have come from this conference make it one of the top athletic conferences in the nation. What follows are the contributions to this excellent conference from K.H.S. athletes and coaches. Also, to pay tribute to other athletes from the city of Kokomo, we have taken the liberty of including those from the former Haworth High School in this listing. They are denoted with **. Our thanks to former KHS student, Travis Miller (class of ’98), for his help in initiating this list. Thanks also to Terry Downham, KHS Sports Information Director and Ron Barsh, former KHS teacher and former A.D. for their valued input.

Visitors to this page might also check out the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame site and do a search on Kokomo. Other interesting KHS-related news items can be found there.

Kokomo High School is the only school in Indiana to have recipients of all three basketball mental attitude awards.

Indiana High School Basketball Hall of Fame
Members with Kokomo Ties

Jim Callane, 2008
James Campbell, 1981
Phil Cox, 2009
Walter Cross, 1971
Chet Gabriel, 1996
Mark Gabriel, 2001
Charlie Hall, 2017
Bob Hammel, 1996
Chester Hill, 1965
Ronnie Hughes, 2010
Mike McCroskey, 2012
Carl McNulty, 1990
Arthur Masters, 1992
Basil Mawbey, 2002
Joe Platt, 1974
Les Ray, 1994
Jimmy Rayl, 1989
Tom Schwartz, 1995
Russell Walter, 1970

Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association
Hall of Fame Members

Keith Slaughter, 1986
Tom Underwood, 1997
Pat Underwood, 2005

High School All-Americans in Baseball

Tom Underwood, 1972
Pat Underwood, 1976

High School Football All-Stars

Willard Rice, 1967
William Artis, 1968
Bruce Rose, 1970 **
Fred McGuire, 1970
Lloyd Cheek, 1972
Ron Oliver, 1975
Mike Ligman, 1976 **
Greg Cole, 1977 **
Rick Oliver, 1979
Phil Schreiber, 1983
Tony Hamilton, 1986
Rod Beard, 1986
Mark Smith, 1989
Benji Prifogle, 1993
Trent Sandifur, 1994
Bobby Pettigrew, 1995
Dondre Johnson, 1997
Herman Fowler, 1998
Kris Abney, 2001
Alston Andrews, 2008
Curt Hutchins, 2009
Braxton Shelton, 2010
Austin Colby, 2011
Armon Bridgeforth, 2012
Jeron Gray, 2016
Noah Hurlock, 2017
Nathan Pine, 2017
Javias Gray, 2018

** Haworth athlete

Indiana Golf Coaches Hall of Fame Members

Russell Bratton, 1993
John Bingaman, 1994
David Pettay, 2011

Indiana High School Softball All-Stars

Nicole Croddy, 1992
Amanda Grills, 1999
Kaitlyn Dubois, 2007
Elizabeth Wagner, 2009
Carly Painter, 2010
Lauryn Hicks, 2019

Indiana Association of Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame Members
(IATCCC)

Emerson Applegate
*Craig Bennett
*Walter Cross, Charter Member
Bob Denney
Frederick Elliot
*Chet Hill
Carroll Odom
Bobby Pettigrew
*Larry Ruch
Leroy Samse
*Ricke Stucker
Ken Toye
Charles “Rut” Walter
Tom Warne
Frankie Young

* Designates coaches

Hall of Fame Members of the
Indiana High School Wrestling Coaches Association

Chuck Cone
Bob Hamilton
Fred Hawkins
Fred McGuire
Russel Pine
Mark Stewart
Walt Thompson

Team State Champions

Boys Basketball, 1961
Girls Basketball, 1992, 1993, 2003
Boys Golf, 1958, 1985, 1986, 1988
Baseball, 1985
Boys Track, 1911, 1924, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1994
Boys Swimming, 1969, 1982**

** designates Haworth team champion

Individual State Champions

Emerson Applegate, 1910, 100yd Dash, Broad Jump
Emerson Applegate, 1911, 220yd Dash, 440yd Dash, 100yd Dash
Murden Hopkins, 1911, Pole Vault
Kenneth Dewees, 1912, Discus
Harold Christie, 1923, Half Mile Relay
John Deater, 1923, Half Mile Relay
John Puckett, 1923, Half Mile Relay
Rut Walter, 1923, Half Mile Relay
Harold Christie, 1924, Mile Relay
John Deater, 1924, Mile Relay
Rut Walter, 1924, Mile Relay, 220yd Dash
John Misner, 1924, Mile Relay
Rut Walter, 1925, 440yd Dash, 220yd Dash, 100yd Dash
Stanley Dean, 1925, Half Mile Relay
Robert Knisely, 1925, Half Mile Relay
Rut Walter, 1925, Half Mile Relay
Glen Ryan, 1925, Half Mile Relay
Murl Abbott, 1926, 800yd Run
Gerald Derck, 1926, Shot Put
Tom Warne, 1927, Pole Vault
Carroll Odom, 1927, 220yd Dash
Fred Hawkins, 1928, Half Mile Relay
Frank Overton, 1928, Half Mile Relay
Lester Winslow, 1928, Half Mile Relay
Carroll Odom, 1928, Half Mile Relay
Carroll Odom, 1928, Board Jump
Lawrence Kenny, 1930, Half Mile Run
Edgar Harvey, 1931, 100yd Dash, 440yd Dash
Bob Babb, 1931, Pole Vault
Gilbert Olson, 1931, Half Mile Relay
Albert Gatlin, 1931, Half Mile Relay
Ralph Long, 1931, Half Mile Relay
Edgar Harvey, 1931, Half Mile Relay
William Kreag, 1932, Half Mile Relay
Albert Gatlin, 1932, Half Mile Relay
Chester Warman, 1932, Half Mile Relay
Fred Elliott, 1932, Half Mile Relay
Fred Elliott, 1933, 100yd Dash, 220yd Dash
Bob Boyd, 1934, Mile Relay
Glen Hankins, 1934, Mile Relay, 880yd Run
Dan Matchett, 1934, Mile Relay
Floyd Thurston, 1934, Mile Relay
Fred Elliott, 1934, 100yd Dash, 220yd Dash
Dick Donahue, 1935, Half Mile Relay
Chalmer Denny, 1935, Half Mile Relay
Tom Wood, 1935, Half Mile Relay
Bob Anderson, 1935, Half Mile Relay
Dan Matchett, 1935, Half Mile Run
Floyd Thurston, 1935, Mile Relay
Frank Starbuck, 1935, Mile Relay
Bob Williams, 1935, Mile Relay
Dan Matchett, 1935, Mile Relay
John Fryxell, 1936, 880yd Run
Bob Denney, 1937, 120yd High Hurdles
Harold Lees, 1937, Pole Vault
Louis Cameron, 1937, Half Mile Relay
Jack Halstead, 1937, Half Mile Relay
Bob Denny, 1937, Half Mile Relay
Kent Hawkins, 1937, Half Mile Relay
Paul DeSchamps, 1938, Pole Vault
James Frazier, 1939, Broad Jump
Ken Toye, 1951, 120yd High Hurdles
Ken Toye, 1952, 120yd High Hurdles
Fred Hawkins, 1956, Wrestling
Dennis McKee, 1957, Wrestling
Chuck Fawcett, 1958, Broad Jump
Dave Grant, 1958, Low Medalist in Golf
Charles Wells, 1958, Wrestling
Russel Pine, 1958, 1959, Wrestling
Paul van Dorn, 1961, 100yd Freestyle, 100yd Butterfly
Tom Snow, 1962, Wrestling
Chuck Cone, 1963, 1964, 1965, Wrestling
Hugh Dunn, 1963, 100yd Backstroke
Pat Kubly, 1963, 200yd IM
Tom Hilligoss, 1964, Shot Put
Ted Foland, 1964, 200yd Freestyle
Dan Lucas, 1964, 100 Backstroke
Steve Jones, 1965, Pole Vault
Pat Kubly, 1965, 200yd IM, 100yd Backstroke
Sylvester Rowan, 1965, Wrestling
Pat Kubly, 1966, 100yd Backstroke
Rick Roberts, Roger Ridenour, Brad Zirkle, Dave Roberts, 1968, 400yd Freestyle Relay
Dave Roberts, 1968, 50yd Freestyle
Rick Roberts, 1969, 1970, 1971, 400yd Freestyle; 1970, 1971, 200yd Freestyle
Roger Ridenour, 1969, 100yd Freestyle, 200yd Freestyle
Fred McGuire, 1970, Wrestling
Delbert Parham, 1971, Wrestling
Dan Ridlin, 1972, Pole Vault**
Mark Stewart, 1972, 1973, Wrestling
Al Fager, 1978, 200 Freestyle**
Al Fager, 1978, 500 Freestyle**
Paul Renard, 1982, 100 Backstroke**
200 Medley Relay, 1981, composed of
Greg Achors, Chris Bingaman, Lanny Lammott, Chris Boneham **
Chris Boneham, 1982-83, 50 Freestyle**
200 Medley Relay, 1982, composed of
Greg Achors, Paul Renard, Chris Boneham, Mark Shipley **
Greg Achors, 1982, 100 Butterfly**
Torrey Guyer, 1984 Golf, Mental Attitude**
Zach Adams, 1984, 100 Butterfly
Chris Williamson, 1987, Low Medalist in Golf
Tim Fisher, 1990, Diving
Flip Fields, 1988, 100yd Freestyle
John Alsup, 1990, Long Jump
Pat Pierce, 1991, Long Jump
Bobby Pettigrew, 1994, 1995, Shot Put
Frankie Young, 1993, 1994, 1995, Long Jump
Brooke Taflinger, 2000, 200 I.M.
Chris Etherington, 2005, 100 Butterfly
John Alsup, 2011, Long Jump
Tionna Brown, 2018, 200 Meter Dash

** designates Haworth state champion

N.C.C. Schools