A number of Tigers received the honor of induction into the 2018 Tiger Hall of Fame on Wednesday, July 11.
Anthony Price is inducted into the ESHS Hall of Fame.
Amy Galey, Chad Kilgore, Anthony Price, Steve Smith and the entire 1987 men’s basketball team were honored in the ceremony, held at the Excelsior Springs Performing Arts Center.
“This is a fraternity. This is a great team that we’ve been building for 14 years,” said Gregg Williams, founder of the Gregg Williams Foundation, which oversees the induction and ceremony that kicks off the Gregg Williams Tiger Golf Classic.
Galey, class of 2007, earned 16 varsity letters, across five sports: softball, cross country, basketball, track-and-field and soccer. She held all high score honors at all district, all conference and all state basketball. She also received the Wendy’s High School Heizman. She said out of the 413 games she played, her parents made it to 412 of them. She said the
connection to the community like Excelsior Springs made being a Tiger so special.
Kilgore, class of 2008, played both baseball and football as a Tiger. He received all conference, all district and all state in baseball, and all conference, all district and all state linebacker. He went on to play professional football for a time, as well.
“The ability to push through resistance is the difference between success and failure, between being great and being mediocre,” said Kilgore.
‘A level of excellence’
Anthony Price, class of 1986, played football and ran track. As a football player, he led in rushing and scoring, was twice all conference, twice all metro, twice district champion, two-time sectional champion and third place in state. In track, he won the state championship in the 400-meter. He still holds the record time in Excelsior Springs. Price thanked Williams for coaching him “back in the day.” Williams laughingly bestowed “Shortest Acceptance Speech” to Price.
Steve Smith, class of 1944, participated in both wrestling and track-and-field. He co-captained the wrestling team and took second in state in both the long and triple jump. He held the school record for the triple jump for 40 years, and still holds the record for the long jump. He said people can’t appreciate winning without losing.
“There is not a level of excellence anywhere like what we have right here in Excelsior,” Smith said.
The Hall of Fame inducted entire 1987 men’s basketball team. Coached by Bob Curtis, Lou Wizniewski and Ralph Edwards, the team included Kevin Brockoff, Seth Brown, Bill Bowling, Ed Donovan, Mike Hoffman, Randy Hon, Scott Miller, Todd Reuscher, Jon Saura and Dennis Thomas. Coach Curtis received the award on behalf of the team. He praised the players who once played for him, saying that the better the opponent, the more they wanted to play them. They succeeded because they had a belief in one another, Curtis said.
Once a tiger …
The Tiger Hall of Fame gives well-deserved recognition to athletes, as well as bridging the gap between past and future, Williams said. The Hall of Fame exists to challenge coaches and athletes to continue the strong athletic tradition established in Excelsior Springs.
Amy Galey with Gregg Williams.
“And to dream a bit,” Williams said. “To realize that these young kids going to school today will have the chance to be in the same shoes as those of you here tonight.”
Gregg Williams, a 1976 Excelsior Springs graduate, broke records as a Tiger in football, basketball and baseball. He began his career as a Tiger, too—teaching and coaching in the district in 1980. He later became one of the NFL’s most widely known and sought-after Defensive Coordinators in the league, but his heart remains in his hometown of Excelsior, as evidence by the charitable works his foundation engages in. The foundation has given $1,502,057 to the community since its inception. Williams remains true to the ideal that once a Tiger, always a Tiger.
The videos for the inductees are available on the ESHS Hall of Facme Facebook page, which can be found here.
Featured image: Chad Kilgore is inducted into the ESHS Tiger Hall of Fame.