MoWest inducts 2026 Griffon Athletics Hall of Fame class
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (KQTV) -- The 2026 Griffon Athletics Hall of Fame class featured some of Missouri Western State University’s greatest athletes, teams and innovators.
The university honored four former athletes, one administrator and two teams during the Hall of Fame ceremony Friday night.
The class represents men’s golf, women’s basketball, football and athletics administration.
Patrick McCarthy ranks among the best men’s golfers in Griffon history. A four-time all-MIAA selection, he finished with 20 career top-10 finishes and four tournament championships. During his speech, McCarthy thanked his family, friends and coach Greg Dillon.
“Coach (Dillon), I appreciate you taking a chance on a kid from New Mexico,” McCarthy said.
Amy Towne was the 1994 MIAA Freshman of the Year in women’s basketball and a member of the Division II South Central all-region tournament team, helping the Griffons to two Elite Eight appearances.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better place to start my basketball career,” Towne said. “I’m very grateful. I’m proud and honored to be inducted into the Hall of Fame tonight.”
Ryan Menley, an innovator in Griffon Athletics, led MoWest in creating its creative content department for athletics and won six National Association of Collegiate Marketing Administrators awards.
“I humbly and reluctantly and proudly accept this honor this evening on behalf of all the great and wonderful Hall of Fame human beings in this Missouri Western family,” Menley said.
The 2005-06 men’s golf team earned an outright MIAA championship, the program’s first since 1996 and only the second in program history.
Brett Esely, a former MoWest administrator and Griffon Hall of Famer, inducted the 2005-06 team and shared a story about the program’s longtime coach, the late Jim Perry.
“When we were on the golf course with Coach Perry, it didn’t matter if you were playing great, playing medium or playing awful. He would always look at you over the course of the last three holes and he’d say, ‘Finish strong,’” Esely said.
The 2015-16 women’s basketball team, led by head coach Rob Edmisson, started 18-0, finished 27-4 overall and 20-2 in the MIAA, won the MIAA regular-season title and qualified for the NCAA Central Region Tournament.
“I’m humbled to represent them tonight because this is all about them,” Edmisson said. “They were that good. So thank you for this opportunity to speak on their behalf.”
The class also features two of the best to wear a Griffon football uniform. Quarterback Travis Partridge led MoWest to a 29-8 record as the signal-caller and helped the Griffons to an outright MIAA championship in 2012.
Greg Zuerlein spent just one season as a Griffon, in 2011, but left a lasting mark. He set an NCAA Division II record with 21 consecutive made field goals, including nine from 50 yards or longer. Zuerlein was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the 2012 NFL Draft. He played for the Rams, Dallas Cowboys and the New York Jets.
Together, the 2026 Hall of Fame class cemented another chapter in MoWest and St. Joseph sports history.
