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August 2nd, 2025, 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
Washburn University Memorial Union
1700 SW College Ave., Topeka, Kansas

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By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Dodge City seemed like a foreign land to Larry Brown, a native of the roughest part of Pittsburgh, Pa.

Kansas Sports Hall of Fame 2025 inductee Larry Brown earned NFL Most Valuable Player and All-Pro honors for the then-Washington Redskins. [Submitted photo/Kansas Sports Hall of Fame]

In 1965, Brown traveled by train halfway across the country following one of the few offers he had to play college football.

“When I got off the train and I looked up and saw Gunsmoke Avenue and the Wyatt Earp Hotel, I got down on my knees and cried, thinking ‘What have I done?’ '' Brown recalled.

Induction to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame would have seemed equally foreign to Brown in 1965. But what seemed impossible will come true for Brown on Aug. 2. He is one of 10 new members who will join the hall in a ceremony at Washburn University.

In Dodge City, Brown found a poorly-funded program in a community with few African Americans. With no other options, he chose to stick it out and made an ally in coach Leroy Montgomery.

“It went extremely well because I developed a good friendship with the coach,” Brown said. “He would pull me in when there was a problem with any of the minority players who I had a closeness with. He trusted me, and I helped resolve some issues with the minorities that he felt uncomfortable doing.”

Despite not having a scholarship initially and buried on the depth chart, Brown fought his way to a starting position. He became known for a tenacious running style and ability to endure a beating. After two seasons, he earned a couple of offers from small colleges. He was pondering those options when the Dodge City coach popped back into his life.

“I received a letter from Montgomery that said he had taken a position at K-State and he wanted me to join him,” Brown said. “So, I went back to Kansas.”

Brown joined another downtrodden program – the Wildcats had not won a game in two seasons – once again at the bottom of the pecking order. He was assigned to the scout team. But as he had at Dodge City, Brown showed a fierce relentlessness that eventually earned him playing time. His senior season was played in Kansas State’s new football stadium.

“Adjusting to K-State wasn’t a major problem because I knew coach Montgomery and was glad to be part of the team,” Brown said. “I was rejoined with my familiar coach and things went well. Playing in the new stadium was a great experience. It felt a little like being in the pros with a stadium that was built to resemble many of the pro stadiums I eventually played in.”

Larry Brown was a standout running back at Kansas State before becoming a star in the NFL. [Submitted photo/Kansas Sports Hall of Fame]

A solid if unspectacular senior season got Brown drafted in the eighth round by the Washington Redskins (now Commanders) in 1969. As at his two college stops, Brown had to earn everything the hard way in the NFL. And he had to earn it under the critical eye of legendary coach Vince Lombardi, who had just been named the team’s head coach.

“When Vince Lombardi took the job with the Redskins, I knew that I had to prove myself to this coach,” Brown said. “He was very tough and we didn’t get along initially, but I warmed up to him, and he warmed up to me when he realized that I had some talent. I remember he used to point his finger at me and call me ‘Mister Brown’ so much, I started to think that my first name was ‘Mister.’”

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By TODD FERTIG

TopSports.news

Most inductees to the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame are recognized for feats accomplished in the past, some the distant past. But one inductee from the class of 2025 is still adding to her resume.

Former Kansas State and current national age-group distance star Deb (Pihl) Torneden will be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame on Aug. 2 at Washburn University. [Submitted photo/Kansas Sports Hall of Fame]

Distance runner Deb (Pihl) Torneden might have earned a spot in the hall of fame for her accomplishments at Kansas State University and shortly thereafter, when she contended for a spot on the United States Olympic team. But it’s what Tornedon has done, and continues to do, in her 40s, 50s and 60s that makes her special.

Torneden holds 22 Kansas age group records in road running, most recently setting the state’s 60-64 year age group records in the mile, two mile, and 5 kilometers. She is the best female runner in Kansas over 60.

And she’s not slowing down.

Growing up on a farm near tiny Falun, Kansas, Torneden discovered at an early age that she loved to run. When she wasn’t helping with chores, she was running in the fields and on dirt roads, discovering her talent.

“Growing up on a farm, I was raised with that work ethic and taught to never give up,” Torneden recalled. “That’s what you do to achieve anything. Kansas is hard-working people. That hard-working attitude was instilled in me, and I applied it to running.”

In an era when girls sports were gradually being added around the state, Torneden joined the Lindsborg (now Smoky Valley) High School track team. She started out as a sprinter before transitioning to distance races. She found her niche and set state records in the 800 and 1600 meters as a senior.

Torneden walked on at Kansas State, a small-town girl and a bit of an unknown to her coaches and teammates. The first cross country race she ever saw, she ran in as a member of the K-State team. But despite her lack of experience, she quickly proved she could compete. The name “Pihl” started popping up in the race results and news stories as she established herself as one of the top distance runners in the Big 8 Conference.

Deb Torneden continues to hold Kansas State school records more than 40 years after completing her Wildcat career. [Submitted photo/Kansas Sports Hall of Fame]

Torneden was a four-time NCAA All-American and an eight-time conference champion. As a senior, she was named Big 8 Most Outstanding Performer at the 1984 Big Eight Indoor Conference Championships for winning the mile, 1,000 meters and 4x800 meter relay. She still holds school records for the indoor mile (4:39.06) and outdoor 3,000 meters (9:09.60).

Torneden tried out for the 1984 Olympics in the 3,000 meters, but failed to make the team. Her running career was at a crossroads. But she had recently become acquainted with Fred Torneden, an accomplished runner at Fort Hays State University, who had moved to K-State to train for the Olympic trails in the marathon. He became not just her husband, but a partner who understood the joy of running.

“Fred gets it. I am thankful to have him,” Torneden said. “He’s my best friend, my coach, my training partner, my biggest fan. It’s fun to be able to do this together.”

Rather than hang up her running shoes after college, Torneden found new goals to pursue.

“There was never a point in my life that I thought ‘Now I’m done,’ ” Torneden said. “That desire to push myself and see what I could do never left.”

After taking up marathon running at age 30, Torneden qualified to try out for the Olympics three times. She placed sixth at the 1984 U.S. National Outdoor Track Championships in the 1,500-meter run (4:12.94). She represented the United States in two distance relays in South Korea and China, and the 1995 World Cup Marathon in Greece. And she won the 2015 USATF National Championship in the 15K road race for masters runners over 40 years of age.

When most athletes are reliving their glory days, Torneden continues to win honors. She has been named Kansas Runner of the Year six times (1991, 1997, 1998, 2006, 2013 and 2021).

“The awards are great, but you don’t do it for attention from people,” Torneden said. “God blesses you when use your gifts. I don’t need to be in the spotlight. It’s just instilled in me. I would do it if no one noticed. I just really like to run.”

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