Pittsburg State Gorillas

Intercollegiate Athletics Hall of Fame

2004 NCAA Division II National Runner-up Football Team
The 2004 Gorilla football team posted a 14-1 record in finishing as the NCAA Division II National Runner-up under head coach Chuck Broyles. The Gorillas dropped a 36-31 decision to Valdosta State University at Florence, Ala., on December 11, 2004, in the National Championship Game. Pitt State’s high-octane offense broke the NCAA’s 118-year-old single-season scoring record. The Gorillas scored 837 points in 15 games, averaging 55.8 points per game. The squad also set NCAA all division records for rushing (5,320 yards) and total offense (8,976 yards) during their historic season.


Dr. Tom W. Bryant, PSU President, 1999-2009
Stockton, Missouri
Meritorious Achievement
Dr. Tom W. Bryant served as the eighth president of Pittsburg State University from July 1, 1999, until June 30, 2009. Overall, he served in various capacities at Pitt State in an academic career stretching over five decades from 1970 through 2013. Dr. Bryant was known as a tremendous friend and supporter of Pitt State Athletics, helping provide leadership to the department’s continued growth and success. Additionally, Dr. Bryant was very active in the governance, expansion and advancement of both NCAA Division II and the MIAA, including serving as Chair of the MIAA Chief Executive Officers Council from August 2005 through July 2007.


Kim Erickson, 1990-93
Topeka, Kansas
Softball Athlete
Kim Erickson completed a decorated career as a catcher for the Gorillas as a three-time All-MIAA performer. She started all 195 career games setting the school record for consecutive starts. Erickson batted .349 with 57 runs scored, 97 hits, 37 doubles, eight triples and 56 RBIs over her final two seasons, helping Pitt State to a 72-28 combined record. She helped lead the Gorillas to the program’s first NCAA Division II National Tournament appearance as a senior in 1993. In the classroom, Erickson was a CoSIDA Academic All-America® selection in 1993.


Venessa Lee, 2004-09
Cleveland, Missouri
Cross Country/Track & Field Athlete
Venessa Lee completed a decorated career as a middle distance runner for the Gorillas as a three-time NCAA Division II National Champion and a six-time All-America performer in the 800 meters. She captured 11 MIAA individual titles and earned All-MIAA honors on 15 occasions. Lee set school records in the indoor 800m (2:08.77) and mile run (4:58.97) and the outdoor 800m (2:06.42) in 2007. She also earned All-MIAA honors in cross country in 2005. In the classroom, she was a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-America® selection as well as the 2008-09 MIAA Ken B. Jones Award Winner. Lee also was selected the 2010 NCAA Today’s Top VIII Award winner for cross country/track & field.

  Jeff Moreland earned honorable mention NCAA Division II All-America honors at quarterback for the Gorillas in 1995. Moreland compiled an amazing 30-2-2 (.912) record in 34 career starts under center, including a 26-0-2 regular season mark. He helped lead Pitt State to the 1991 NCAA Division II National Championship and NCAA-II National Runner-Up finishes in 1992 and 1995. Moreland set the PSU quarterback rushing record with 2,075 yards. His 5,375 yards of total offense ranked second among QBs in school history at the time of his graduation. He was a two-time All-MIAA honoree (1994-95).


Bill C. Presson, 1957-61
Kansas City, Kansas
Football Athlete Legacy
Bill Presson earned All-CIC honors as a halfback for the Gorillas as a senior in 1961. Presson rushed for a team-leading 640 yards while helping Pittsburg State to an 11-0 record and the 1961 NAIA National Championship. He also was a member of Pitt State’s 1957 NAIA National Champion team. Presson set school single-season records for punt returns (17.25 ypr) and kickoff returns (31.89 ypr) as a junior in 1960. He also established the Gorillas’ career punt return record (17.3 ypr). Presson also was a multiple-time All-CIC performer in track & field for the Gorillas.


Capt. Ralph G. Redmond
Topeka, Kansas
Meritorious Achievement Legacy
Ralph Redmond was a four-year member of the Pittsburg State basketball team from 1957-60. He played in 92 career games and averaged 6.6 points per game as a senior in 1960. Upon graduation, Redmond entered active military duty. He was part of an early group of American soldiers sent to assist the South Vietnamese as the Vietnam War escalated. Redmond paid the ultimate sacrifice for his country when he was killed June 4, 1964 in a landmine explosion. For his gallantry in battle he was posthumously awarded the Silver Star and Fifth Degree Medal of Honor Cross with Palm. Redmond was posthumously inducted into the PSU ROTC Hall of Fame in 2015.


Sean J. Simoneau, 1998-99
Topeka, Kansas
Track & Field Athlete
Sean Simoneau captured the NCAA Division II National Championship in the javelin as a senior for the Gorillas in 1999. His national title helped Pitt State place fourth overall at the 1999 NCAA-II Outdoor National Championships – the program’s highest outdoor national finish at the time. Simoneau’s winning throw of 225 feet, 6 inches ranked second all-time at PSU. He finished his two-year career for the Gorillas as a two-time All-MIAA performer, placing fifth in 1998 and finishing as MIAA runner-up in 1999.