WICHITA, Kan. – University of Kansas swimming standout Tammy Thomas Ammons and men’s basketball stalwart Nick Collison will be part of the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame (KSHOF) Class of 2019, the KSHOF announced Thursday. The Jayhawk duo, along with 11 others, will be inducted on Sunday, Oct. 6, at the Kansas Star Casino.
Ammons was a two-time NCAA swimming champion and 17-time All-American while at Kansas in the early 1980s. Collison was a 2003 Consensus All-America First Team selection who had a 19-year NBA career.
Joining Ammons and Collison in the KSHOF Class of 2019 are four-time Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference football coach of the year and long-time athletic administrator at Kansas Wesleyan University in Salina, Gene Bissell; Washburn University head basketball coach with 800+ career wins, including the 1987 NAIA National title, Bob Chipman; 2003 first-team All-American and Big 12 Volleyball Player of the Year at Kansas State University, Lauren Goehring Cost; two-time All-American basketball selection at the University of Arkansas and eleven year NBA veteran, Scott Hastings, from Independence; three-time Missouri Valley Conference basketball selection from Wichita State University and seven year ABA veteran, Warren Jabali; two-time All-American basketball selection at Washburn University and member of the 1987 NAIA National Championship team, Tom Meier, from Topeka; two-time All-American baseball selection at Wichita State University and twelve year MLB veteran, Mike Pelfrey, from Wichita; two-time Missouri Valley Conference baseball selection at Wichita State University and nine year MLB veteran, Nate Robertson, from Maize; high school track champion and member of UCLA’s 1964 NCAA basketball championship team, Fred Slaughter, from Topeka; eleven year head coach of the Wichita Wings indoor soccer team and Tournament Director of the Wichita Open professional golf tournament, Roy Turner; 2005 Atlantic Coast Conference football selection at Florida State University and nine year NFL veteran, Kamerion Wembley, from Wichita. Gene Bissell, Warren Jabali, and Fred Slaughter, will be honored posthumously.
The induction ceremony will be held on Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019, at the Kansas Star Casino, located at 777 Casino Drive, Mulvane, KS, 67110. The 13 member class raises the total number of Kansas Sports Hall of Fame inductees to 297. The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame is in its 58th year of operation and is located at the Wichita Boathouse.
The 2019 Induction weekend will continue the following day as the KSHOF Golf Classic tees off on Monday, October 7, 2019, at Terradyne Country Club in Andover. Several members of the Class of 2019 will be on hand at the KSHOF Golf Classic.
Online sales for 2019 Induction Ceremony tickets go live Thursday, August 1, 2019, at www.kshof.org. For ticket packages and sponsorship opportunities, please call 316-262-2038.
From the KSHOF:
TAMMY THOMAS AMMONS – Lawton (OK) H.S., 1979 / University of Kansas, 1983
Two-time NCAA swimming National Champion at KU; 1983 50m free and the 1983 100m free champion. Seventeen-time All-American selection; five in 1980, three in 1981, three in 1982, and six in 1983. KU’s first swimmer to earn All-America honors four straight years. Twelve Big Eight Conference titles. Named the 1983 Co-Big Eight Athlete of the Year. Set American record in the 100 free and the 50 free as a senior. Helped lead KU to seventh place NCAA team finish in 1983. As of 2017, still holds KU school records in 100 free and 50 free set in 1983. Competed in the U.S. Nationals, U.S. Long Course Championships, the World University Games and the World Games. Inducted to the KU Booth Hall of Athletics.
NICK COLLISON – Iowa Falls (IA) H.S., 1999 / University of Kansas, 2003
McDonald’s All-American selection in high school. Four-year letterman at the University of Kansas. Consensus All-American selection in 2003. Two-time Big 12 Conference selection. Named the 2003 NABC National Player of the Year and the 2003 Big 12 Male Athlete of the Year. Ended KU career as Big 12 Conference career leader in scoring and rebounds. Led Jayhawks to two Final Four appearances in 2002 and 2003. Drafted in the first round of the 2003 NBA Draft by the Seattle Supersonics. Played fourteen NBA seasons with the Supersonics and Oklahoma City Thunder. Averaged 5.9 points and 5.2 rebounds in 910 professional games. Jersey retired by KU in 2003 and jersey retired by the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2019.