PITTSBURG — Pittsburg State University is pleased to announce its 2020 induction class into the Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame. The group – comprised of six individuals and a pair of teams – will be formally inducted into the elite Hall of Fame membership.
 
PSU's Class of 2020 is headlined by a cast of decorated athletes and coaches:  Brian Allen (2006-10), a nine-time NCAA Division II All-American and record-breaking thrower in track & field; Steve Bever, the baseball coach between 1991 and 2012 who won 565 career games, led the Gorillas to their first MIAA title and the program's first four appearances in the NCAA Division II National Tournament; Pamela Cartagena (2006-09), a three-time All-America and the 2009 MIAA Player of the Year in volleyball; Lisa Cropper (1993-96), a three-time All-MIAA performer who set PSU records for assists and steals in women's basketball; and Joe Taylor (2002-05), an All-America fullback who helped fuel one of the elite offenses in NCAA football history.
 
The 1992 Football Team, which completed the back half of back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division II National Championship Game and helped the Gorillas to a school record 25 consecutive victories, also will be inducted.
 
Max Wilson, a two-year football student-athlete in 1949-50 and one of the most respected educators in the state of Kansas during a decorated 35 years of service in the Fredonia USD 484 school system; and the conjoined 1929-30 and 1930-31 men's basketball teams, who combined to go undefeated in consecutive seasons (41-0) as the Gorillas won a school record 47 consecutive games over a three-year period, will be inducted in the Hall of Fame's "Legacy" category.
 
The Legacy category, created in 2005, focuses solely on individuals who completed their athletic eligibility 50 years from the current calendar year in an attempt to bolster the school's rich heritage from earlier years.
 
"Once again PSU Athletics is blessed with the opportunity to pay tribute to a handful of elite individuals and teams representing the proud history and tradition of Gorilla intercollegiate athletics," said Dan Wilkes, associate athletic director and chair of the PSU Athletics Hall of Fame Committee. "We are tremendously proud of this group that comprises the Class of 2020 and we are eager to appropriately honor and celebrate their stories and accomplishments."

2020 Hall of Fame Inductee Profiles

Brian Allen, Track & Field Athlete, 2006-2010
~ Nine-time NCAA-II All-American:  shot put (6th, indoors, 55-6.5; 5th, outdoors, 56-9.5), 2007; shot put (2nd indoors, 58-3; 3rd, outdoors, 58-3.75); weight throw (6th, indoors, 64-3.25); hammer (5th, outdoors, 204-4), 2009; shot put (3rd indoors, 60-1.75); weight throw (5th, indoors, 67-7); hammer (6th, outdoors, 196-3), 2010
~15-Time All-MIAA Performer - 4-Time MIAA Champion: discus & hammer, 2009; discus & shot put, 2010; 6-TIme MIAA Runner-up
~ MIAA Men's High Point Scorer at 2009 and 2010 MIAA Outdoor Championships, scoring 28 points in each meet
~ Selected the 2010 South Central Region Field Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA
~ Still holds PSU all-time records in weight throw (67-7) and hammer (215-9); set PSU records in indoor shot put (60-1.75, ranks 3^rd now), outdoor shot put (61-9.75, ranks 3rd now) & discus (182-8, ranks 3rd now)
 
Steve Bever, Baseball Coach, 1991-2012
~ Served for 22 years as the Gorillas head coach, helping restart the defunct Pitt State baseball program in 1991
~ Compiled a 565-529 (.526) overall record
~ Led PSU to the school's first MIAA title in 1999
~ Led the Gorillas to the school's first NCAA National Tournament appearance in 1997, and four overall berths in the national tournament (1997, 1998, 1999, 2002)
~The longest-tenured and winningest baseball coach in PSU history
~ Also served as an Assistant Athletic Director for Game Administration throughout his tenure
 
Pamela Cartagena, Volleyball Athlete, 2006-09
~ NCAA-II All-America, 2007-09 (1st, '09; 3rd, '08; 2nd, '07)
~ MIAA All-Conference, 2006-09 (1st team)
~ 2009 MIAA Player of the Year
~ Set PSU career records for kills (1836), attacks (4809) and sets played (500)
~ Ranked 2nd in career digs (2259); ranked 5th in career service aces (109)
 
Lisa Cropper, Women's Basketball Athlete, 1993-96
~ Three-time MIAA All-Conference (H.M., '94; 2nd, '95; H.M., '96)
~ Scored 1339 points in 110 career games (12.7 ppg) – fifth-highest scoring total in school history at the time (currently 10th)
~Set PSU records for career assists (382) and career steals (260), currently ranks 4th in assists & 2nd in steals
~ Set PSU single-season record with 84 steals in 1995 (currently ranks 4th)
 
Joe Taylor, Football Athlete, 2002-05
~ NCAA-II All-American, 2005 (2nd, FB, FB Gazette)
~ MIAA All-Conference, 2002, '04-05 (HM, RB, '02, '04; 1st, FB, '05)
~ Finished his career with 208 carries for 1243 yds & 21 TDs
~ Moved to fullback in 2003 & helped teammate Germaine Race set NCAA Division II rushing record
 
1992 Football Team
The squad posted a 14-1 record in finishing as the NCAA-II National Runner-up. The Gorillas dropped a 17-13 decision to Jacksonville State at Florence, Ala., in the title game. The loss snapped a school record 25-game winning streak between 1991 & 1992. The Gorillas captured the MIAA title in 1992.
 
Legacy Category
 
Max Wilson, Football Athlete, 1949-50 (Meritorious Achievement)
~ A two-year member of the PSU football team, 1949-50
~ Served 35 years in the Fredonia USD 484 school system as a teacher & coach, junior high principal, high school principal & ultimately superintendent (1975-91)
~ A founding member of the Greenbush Educational Service Center – created Greenbush Leadership Programs for area principals
~ Served on the Kansas State Department of Education & served as a delegate to the National Rural School Convention
~ Served two terms as mayor of Fredonia
~ Received the Clyde U. Phillips Distinguished Service Award from PSU in 1987
~ Inducted into the Kansas Teacher Hall of Fame in 1991
 
1929-30 & 1930-31 Men's Basketball Teams
The two squads, composed primarily of the same players, posted back-to-back undefeated seasons, going 20-0 in 1930 and 21-0 in 1931 as the Gorillas set a school record for consecutive victories (47) between Dec. 14, 1929 and Jan. 5, 1932. Both teams captured CIC titles.
 

This is the 33^rd class of inductees who will be enshrined into the PSU Athletics Hall of Fame. The PSU Athletics Hall of Fame was created in 1987.