Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame
Nathan A. Baker, 2001-04
Parsons, Kansas
Football Athlete
Nathan Baker garnered consensus first-team NCAA Division II All-America honors and captured the inaugural Gene Upshaw Award as the Division II Lineman of the Year as a senior in 2004. The offensive tackle helped the Pitt State offense set NCAA all-time scoring (837 pts) and total offense (8976 yds) records and the Division II all-time rushing record (5320 yds) as the Gorillas posted a 14-1 record and finished as the NCAA Division II National Runner-up in 2004. Baker was a two-time All-MIAA performer (2003-04).
Wendi (Rickson) Horak, 1992-94
Silver Lake, Kansas
Softball Athlete
Wendi (Rickson) Horak finished her decorated career as a three-time All-MIAA performer (1992-94), earning first-team accolades in each of her final two seasons (1993-94). Rickson set the Pitt State single season record with a .461 batting average as a junior in 1993, helping the Gorillas to a 36-8 record and the program’s first NCAA Division II National Tournament appearance. She helped Pitt State to a school record 48 wins (48-15), the program’s first MIAA regular season title and a repeat berth to the NCAA Tournament in 1994. Rickson set Pitt State career records for runs (112), hits (185), doubles (39), home runs (16) and RBIs (121).
Charles "Chuck" Norris, 1957-58
Ellinwood, Kansas
Football Legacy Athlete
Chuck Norris set single season rushing and scoring records as a junior in 1957 while helping Pitt State capture the school’s first NAIA National Championship. Norris, who transferred to Pitt State from Kansas State, rushed for 662 yards and scored 90 points as the Gorillas posted an unblemished 11-0 season. He earned second-team All-CIC honors that year. Norris finished his two-year career with 931 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns.
Brad Shorter
Lockwood, Missouri
Baseball Athlete
Brad Shorter earned third-team NCAA Division II All-America honors as a catcher as a senior in 1998. Shorter garnered first-team All-Region accolades in each of his two seasons at Pitt State (1997-98), securing recognition at third base as a junior in 1997 and behind the plate as a senior in 1998. He set Pitt State records for career batting average (.423) and single season RBIs (73). A two-time All-MIAA performer, Shorter helped Pitt State to the program’s first two appearances in the NCAA Division II National Tournament. He also was selected a GTE Academic All-American in 1998.
Julie (Smith) Spears, 1996-99
Claremore, Oklahoma
Track & Field Athlete
Julie (Smith) Spears captured the NCAA Division II National Championship in the discus as a senior in 1999 with a winning throw of 165 feet, 10 inches. Smith also earned All-America honors twice in the shot put with a pair of sixth-place national finishes both indoors (46-2) and outdoors (46-5.5) in 1999. She earned All-MIAA honors in the throwing disciplines on 11 occasions. Smith finished her career as the school record holder in the discus (166-1) and the indoor shot put (47-6.5).
Jenny (Pracht) Townsend, 1994-96
Edna, Kansas
Women's Basketball Athlete
Jenny (Pracht) Townsend finished her decorated career as a three-time All-MIAA performer (1994-96). Pracht scored 1,302 points (16.1 ppg) and grabbed 596 rebounds (7.4 rpg) in 81 career games, helping Pitt State to an NCAA Division II National Tournament berth as a junior in 1995 and an MIAA regular season title as a senior in 1996. She was named the 1995-96 GTE Academic All-American of the Year for College Division Women’s Basketball; and Pracht also was selected the 1995-96 Ken B. Jones Award Winner as the MIAA Female Student-Athlete of the Year.
Honorable A.J. Wachter
Pittsburg, Kansas
Meritorious Achievement Legacy
A.J. Wachter has served as an 11th Judicial District Court Judge in Pittsburg since 2002, honorably serving the citizens of Pittsburg/Crawford County. Wachter was a four-year member of the Pitt State football team from 1963-66. He was the starting quarterback on the Gorillas’ CIC co-champion squad as a senior in 1966 in head coach Carnie Smith’s final season leading Pitt State. Wachter served in the U.S. Army Reserve from 1961-69. Following graduation, he earned a law degree and worked in private practice in Pittsburg from 1969-2002.
