Lincoln Announces 2024 Hall of Fame Class
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – A pair of outstanding golfers, an All-American track & field athlete, one of the best receivers in program history and two champion teams will be inducted into the Lincoln Athletic Hall of Fame in a special ceremony on Saturday, April 20 in the Scruggs University Center Ballroom at 12:00 p.m. CDT.
Tickets for the ceremony are available for purchase online at https://athletics-hall-of-fame-dinner.square.site/.
The class of 2024 includes men’s golfers Lonnie Anthony and Spencer Sappington; men’s track & field athlete Thomas Boyd; football player Ricky Kings; the 1965 Lincoln men’s golf team; and the 2019 Lincoln women’s outdoor track & field team, which captured the program’s 14th overall NCAA Division II Championship.
“The selection committee did an outstanding job choosing yet another legendary cohort of Blue Tigers for induction into the Lincoln Athletic Hall of Fame,” said Dr. Kevin Wilson, Vice President for Advancement and Athletics. “I extend a hardy congratulations to Mr. Anthony, Mr. Sappington, Mr. Boyd, Mr. King, our 1965 Men’s Golf team and our 2019 Outdoor National Championship Women’s Track team for leaving their lasting legacies at Lincoln.”
An All-MIAA first team golfer in 1979, Lonnie Anthony qualified for the NCAA Division II golf championship tournament after finishing third overall at the conference championship tournament that spring. Anthony, who was the captain of the men’s golf team in 1978-79, twice was the victor of the LU Invitational and also won the Southwest Missouri State tourney in 1979. A two-year member of the Blue Tigers, Anthony earned medals in two tournaments his junior season. Anthony additionally served as the manager of the Lincoln men’s basketball team.
Spencer Sappington served as the captain of the Lincoln men’s golf team from 1965-67 and was the individual champion of three tournaments during that span. Sappington led Lincoln to a fifth-place team finish at the 1965 NCAA Division II championship while individually tying as the national runner-up, earning All-American status in the process. Sappington’s play was so highly regarded that he was also invited to play as an individual in the NCAA Division I championship tournament.
After graduation, Sappington continued to play golf in the Georgia area, winning 13 Georgia State Golf Association Championships. That includes three-straight Georgia Senior Championships from 2003-05 as well as another in 2007, making him the first four-time champion in the history of the tournament. Sappington additionally qualified for 19 United States Golf Association tournaments and won the Georgia PGA Senior Open in 1994.
Thomas Boyd earned at least one All-American honor every year between 1970 and 1972, and was named the Blue Tigers’ Most Valuable Track & Field Athlete following his senior season in 1972. Boyd, a four-year member of LU’s cross country team, excelled while competing in the 400m dash and the 4x400m relay. After graduating, Boyd spent a year as an assistant coach at Lincoln, helping the men’s team finish as the national runner-up in 1973. Following his tenure at Lincoln, Boyd spent the next 36 years teaching and coaching track & field, volleyball, basketball and football at grade schools in Missouri and Texas and won a state championship as well as multiple conference, district and regional titles.
In three seasons with the Blue Tigers, Ricky King caught 128 passes for 1,759 yards, with both statistics ranking third in program history. King played for Lincoln from 1977 to 1979, catching 51 passes in 1979 and 49 in 1978, with those single-season performances rating fourth and fifth in LU history. In both 1978 and 1979, King was named to the All-MIAA first team.
The 1965 Lincoln Men’s Golf Team, consisting of Bob Leslie, Perry Leslie, Spencer Sappington and Bob Scruggs, enjoyed a dominant season that included multiple postseason appearances. The four Blue Tigers posted a school record score of 286 at the NCAA District Championships en route to a second-place finish. The Blue Tigers also were invited to play in the NAIA District Championships, with Lincoln winning the team title. Lincoln advanced to the NCAA Division II men’s golf championship, where the Blue Tigers finished fifth as a team while Sappington tied for second individually.
The 2019 Lincoln Women’s Outdoor Track & Field Team won five events and scored 64 points to claim its ninth outdoor national championship, as well as its second-consecutive national title and 14th overall in program history. The Blue Tigers clinched the championship by winning the 4x400m relay, as the foursome of Rene Medley, Dylann Core, Renea Ambersley and Kissi-Ann Brown won in 3:37.03. Medley also won national titles in the 100m and the 200m while Brown was the NCAA Division II champion in the 400m dash and earned All-American honors in the 400m hurdles. The team of Christine Moss, Ambersley, Medley and Shaian Vandenburg rounded out the victories by winning the 4x100m relay. Ambersley and Moss additionally earned All-American distinction in individual events.
The Lincoln Athletic Hall of Fame was established in 2008 and will now be comprised of 125 members. Inductees are nominated by their peers and voted upon by a select panel of Lincoln administrators and alumni. A minimum of five years must pass before any athlete, coach, team or administrator is eligible for the Hall of Fame. Athletes must have earned a minimum of two varsity letters at Lincoln while coaches and administrators must have been on the LU staff for a minimum of five years. Qualifications are based mainly upon the nominees’ performance at Lincoln, although accomplishments post-graduation may also be considered.
