By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
The newest class enshrined into the St. Joseph Area Sports Hall of Fame were all great at what they did, but one word can define many of them: Impact.
Longtime KFEQ broadcaster and ‘Voice of the Griffons’ Bob Orf says at the time, he didn’t realize the impact he was having on others around him
“People will tell you that later on, and you didn’t have any idea that you had that kind of impact, so it’s a big deal,” Orf tells KFEQ/St. Joseph Post.
Orf says reflecting on his career and adding this accomplishment to the list, adds a lot to an already historic legacy
“I hate to say it’s a cherry on top, but it kind of is, it’s really cool to have all the Missouri Western games for a long time, got to do some boxing matches, it was a lot of fun, it really was,” Orf says.
Another member that had quite the impact on area football teams was the coach Don Tabor, who coached at Bishop LeBlond and Benton.
Mary Jane Tabor, Tabor’s wife, says she heard from many about the impact her late husband had on their lives
“We’re grateful for that and he’d be very pleased and happy,” Tabor proudly says.
To see her husband join the ranks of the immortal on the walls of the hall of fame, Tabor says she and the family are very pleased and happy
“And very grateful for the honor that’s been bestowed upon him,” Tabor says. “And he would say that this is really nice, he would appreciate it very much.”
Outside of the hall of fame class, another individual was honored with the Bill Snyder Woman of Impact award
And for the first time, it was awarded to a student athlete in former Central golfer Ali Perry
“It feels so, so awesome that my accomplishments are being shown and everything and all my hard work is paying off,” Perry says. “It really feels so, so good.”
Perry earned the award after an outstanding freshman season at Arkansas-Fort Smith, and says in her sophomore season she’s hoping to earn more Top 10 and top five finishes
“I mean it would be great to win one or two tournaments, and I know that I’m dedicated enough to and stuff, but I just have expectations that I can score in the Top 10 in almost all of the tournaments,” Perry explains.
Perry was named the MIAA Freshman of the Year and won the NCAA Division II Central Regional Individual Championship in Edmond, Oklahoma, helping to qualify her teammates to compete in the NCAA National Championship.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.
