| ||||||||||
 
Dr. Ronald P. Rogers CHIROPRACTOR Support for your body's natural healing capabilities 270-384-5554 Click here for details 
  
Columbia Gas Dept. GAS LEAK or GAS SMELL Contact Numbers 24 hrs/ 365 days 270-384-2006 or 9-1-1 Call before you dig 
Visit ColumbiaMagazine's Directory of Churches Addresses, times, phone numbers and more for churches in Adair County Find Great Stuff in ColumbiaMagazine's Classified Ads Antiques, Help Wanted, Autos, Real Estate, Legal Notices, More... 
|
Adair Countian Jim Richards being inducted into WKU Athletic Hall of Fame Richards one of five being honored, including Jeff Cesarone, Wayne Chapman, Charlie Osborne, and Porter Williams Inductees to be recognized at brunch, homecoming game, October 15 Photo(s) will acccompany this article Bowling Green, Ky. Five former Western Kentucky University athletes, including Adair Countian Jim Richards, will be inducted as the 15th class into the WKU Athletic Hall of Fame in ceremonies set for Homecoming Weekend this fall. The 2005 class includes Jeff Cesarone (football), Wayne Chapman (basketball), Charlie Osborne (basketball), Jim Richards (basketball, baseball, golf) and Porter Williams (football). The induction of the 2005 class brings to 101 the number of former Western Kentucky athletes and coaches who have earned berths in the schools Athletic Hall of Fame since its founding in 1991. The 2005 class will be inducted in ceremonies during the annual W-Club Homecoming Brunch, set for 11 a.m. (CDT), Saturday, Oct. 15, at the Hall of Champions in E.A. Diddle Arena on the WKU campus in Bowling Green. The event is free to W-Club members and their guests. However, reservations are a must and need to made with W-Club treasurer Bill Edwards (270-745-6026; bill.edwards@wku.edu.) The inductees will also be honored in ceremonies during the annual Homecoming football game, set to kickoff at 4 p.m., later that day. Head coach David Elson will pit his Hilltoppers against Gateway Football Conference rival Missouri State (formerly Southwest Missouri) in that contest at L.T. Smith Stadium/Jimmy Feix Field. Now, more about the members of the 2005 WKU Athletic Hall of Fame class. Jim Richards (Baseball 55-58; Assistant Basketball Coach 68-71; Head Basketball Coach 71-78; Men's Golf Coach 78-86) has been a regular on the campus scene for most of the past five decades as an athlete, basketball coach, golf coach, athletics administrator and alumni relations staff member. He came to the Hill from his native Adair County as a freshman in 1954 and lettered four years in baseball, leading all four Topper diamond clubs in batting and serving as team captain his last three seasons. After a successful prep coaching career at Auburn and Glasgow High Schools (his 68 Scottie basketball team won the state championship), he returned to Western as an assistant basketball coach 1968. Richards was promoted to head coach in 1971 following Westerns run to the NCAA Final Four and Oldhams retirement from coaching. His seven WKU teams went 102-78 (54.8%), winning two OVC championships (72, 76) and a pair of league tourney titles (76 and 78, earning berths in the NCAA Tournament both years). He was named the OVC Coach of the Year in both 74 and 76. Richards eight Topper golf teams each posted winning seasons and produced a school record 717 victories, going a collective 717-454-6 (61.2%). He also served as coordinator of mens athletics (an assistant to the AD) from 78-86 and then, after a stint working in Alumni Affairs, returned to the athletic department as Athletics Director (93-95). He resides in Bowling Green. Jeff Cesarone (Football 84-87) came to Western in 1984 from Geneva (Ill.) Community High School and wasted little time making an immediate impact on Hilltopper football. He took over as the starter at quarterback in the fourth game of his freshman season and proceeded to rewrite the Western record books on his way to earning All-America recognition as a senior. He still 18 years after completing his career holds or shares 16 Western school records in passing (12) and total offense (4). As a sophomore, he set an NCAA Division I-AA record for the lowest percentage of passes intercepted 1.57% (only seven miscues in 447 attempts) a figure that was also better than the Division I-A standard at the time. His career pass completions (735) and passing yards (8,566) are more than twice the next highest figures in the Topper record books. He helped turn around Westerns football fortunes in the mid-1980s and led his senior-year club (1987) to a 7-4 mark and the schools first appearance in the I-AA national championship playoffs. Cesarone resides in St. Charles, Ill. Wayne Chapman (Basketball 66-68), a product of Daviess County High School in Owensboro, capped off his stellar career on the Hill earning Ohio Valley Conference Player-of-the-Year honors as a senior in 1968. A two-time all-OVC selection, he helped lead coach John Oldham's Hilltoppers to back-to-back NCAA appearances (66 and 67). He completed his career at Western ranked eighth on the schools all-time career scoring leaders list with 1,292 points (he is still 19th on that list). His career scoring average (16.3 ppg) is 10th among all Hilltoppers and his 20.8 scoring average as a senior ranks 14th in school history. The three teams he lettered on won 66 of 79 games (83.5%), two OVC championships and two OVC tourney titles. Following his career on the Hill, Chapman played four seasons of professional basketball with the Kentucky Colonels (68-70), Denver Rockers (70-71) and Indiana Pacers (71-72) before embarking on a successful coaching career at Kentucky Wesleyan. Still active on the basketball scene as a professional scout, he resides in Lexington with his wife Laura (Little), a former Hilltopper cheerleader. Charlie Osborne (Basketball 59-61), came to Western in 1958 from Flat Gap, Ky., and developed into a two-time all-OVC athlete for coach E.A. Diddle's Hilltoppers. Now, 44 years after he left the Hill, Osborne still holds school records for free throws made (511), free throws attempted (638) and free throw percentage (80.1%) in a three-year career. He completed his career with 1,359 points, the fourth highest total ever for a Topper at the time and still good enough to rank him 11th on the schools all-time leaders list. He also remains among Westerns all-time leaders in career scoring average (eighth at 17.0) and career rebounding (11th with 806). As a junior, he helped lead the Toppers to an NCAA Tournament berth, pacing the club in scoring (17.8 ppg), field goal percentage (51.2%) and free throw percentage (80.1%). He also led Western at the stripe both his sophomore (76.4%) and senior (83.4%) years. Following his career at WKU, Osborne was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals of the NBA and played one season of pro ball. He was killed in an automobile accident in 1979 at the age of 40. His widow, Norma and three children (son Gavin and daughters Carter and Mitchell) reside in the Louisville area. Porter Williams (Football 1970-73), a product of Pearl High School in Nashville, came to Western in 1970 and enjoyed an outstanding career as a wide receiver on some of Westerns best teams. As a senior in 1973, he earned All-America and all-OVC honors after coming up with 66 catches for 1,107 yards and 11 touchdowns as the Hilltoppers rolled to a 12-1 mark, an undefeated league title and runner-up honors in the inaugural NCAA National Championship playoffs. Only three times in school history has a receiver come up with three or more TD catches in a single game, with Williams responsible for two of those (a school record four scores receiving versus Murray State in 73 and three against East Tennessee in 71). He remains the only Topper ever to account for more than 1,000 receiving yards in a season. His school standards for season catches, yards and TDs (along with TDs in a game) still stand 32 years after he completed his outstanding career on the Hill. The four WKU teams he lettered on went a collective 35-7-1 (82.6%) and won OVC championships in 70, 71 and 73. The 73 club ranked fifth in the nation in pass offense as well. Williams played three years of professional football with the Portland Storm (WFL 74), Birmingham Vulcans (WFL 75) and Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL 76). He now resides in Franklin, Tenn. Story courtesy Western Kentucky University This story was posted on 2005-08-15 06:34:25
Printable: this page is now automatically formatted for printing.
Have comments or corrections for this story? Use our contact form and let us know. More articles from topic Adair County:
Letter: Tami Wilson writes supporting farmers markets, going organic Big Selection at Farmers' Market this morning. Bragging rights: Merger could make Columbia 20th largest city in Kentucky Adair Co. Agent Report 8/9/2005: Stockpiling grasses for fall and winter pasture Slogan contest finalists to be announced August 19 at Roadside Park Adair County Fiscal Court August 9, 2005 monthly meeting Rollen Coomer: Popular Columbian retires after 50 years as barber NEWS? Alltel Phones out AGAIN in Bliss, Gradyville area COMMUNITY NEWS: Mark and Melissa Parrish buying Flatwoods Grocery and Grill Extension service will cook up samples of local produce Friday, July 29, 2005 View even more articles in topic Adair County |
 
115 Jamestown St. Columbia, KY. 270-384-2496 
  
   
 Provided by the Adair Co Fiscal Court and the Adair Co. Emergency Mgt. Agency 
|
||||||||
|
| ||||||||||
|
Quick Links to Popular Features
Looking for a story or picture? Try our Photo Archive or our Stories Archive for all the information that's appeared on ColumbiaMagazine.com. | ||||||||||
|
Contact us: Columbia Magazine and columbiamagazine.com are published by Linda Waggener and Pen Waggener, PO Box 906, Columbia, KY 42728. Please use our contact page, or send questions about technical issues with this site to webmaster@columbiamagazine.com. All logos and trademarks used on this site are property of their respective owners. All comments remain the property and responsibility of their posters, all articles and photos remain the property of their creators, and all the rest is copyright 1995-Present by Columbia Magazine. Privacy policy: use of this site requires no sharing of information. Voluntarily shared information may be published and made available to the public on this site and/or stored electronically. Anonymous submissions will be subject to additional verification. Cookies are not required to use our site. However, if you have cookies enabled in your web browser, some of our advertisers may use cookies for interest-based advertising across multiple domains. For more information about third-party advertising, visit the NAI web privacy site.
| ||||||||||
