By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The latest men's picks in TopSports.news' Shawnee County All-Time Top 100 range from a player who competed at the top level of professional tennis to a Major League baseball player who was teammates with legends "Shoeless Joe'' Jackson and Cy Young to local stars who made their mark in various other sports.
TSN's latest group of 10 Top 100 honorees is headed by former Topeka High tennis star Joel Hoffman, who won a pair of state titles for the Trojans before competing at the Division I level for Houston and on the International ATP men's circuit.
Picks No. 51 through 60 also includes Art Griggs, who made his big league baseball debut in the early 1900s, as well as storied amateur golfer Bill McDonald, star swimmer Glenn Trammel, pro bowling history maker Bob Benoit, MLB pitcher Jim Golden, track and field stars Dan O'Mara and Jason Stuke and multiple-sport standouts Duane "Blackie'' Melvin and Scott Leon.
TSN SHAWNEE COUNTY ALL-TIME TOP 100 MEN’S ATHLETES
Joel Hoffman was a tennis star at Topeka High and Houston and played on the pro circuit for three seasons. [Submitted photo]
51. JOEL HOFFMAN, Topeka High
Hoffman won a pair state tennis championships in singles for Topeka High in 1976 and '77, including an undefeated season, before going on to star at the NCAA Division I level for Houston, receiving the school's top student-athlete award as a senior captain for the Top-10-ranked Cougars. Hoffman played professionally three years on the International ATP men's circuit and was ranked as high as 127th in tne world in doubles. A member of the Topeka Tennis Association Hall of Fame, Hoffman reached the finals of an ATP tournament and played in the '82 U.S. Open.
52. DAN O’MARA, Hayden
O'Mara was a football and track star at Hayden before becoming a Big Eight Conference discus and shot put champ and an All-American at Kansas State in the discus. O'Mara, who competed for the Wildcats from 1986-1989, is a member of the Kansas State Hall of Honor and posted career bests of 62 feet, 5 inches in the shot put and 193-2 in the disc. As a senior at Hayden O'Mara won state titles in the shot put (59-8), discus (192-3) and 100-meter dash (10.8). O'Mara is a longtime throws at the college level, most recently at Iowa State.
Glenn Trammel carved out a record-setting swimming career at Topeka High and Kansas, setting multiple school records both places. [Submitted photo]
53. GLENN TRAMMEL, Topeka High
Trammel was a five-time individual state swimming champion for the Trojans from 1982-85 and set three state records before going on to a standout career at Kansas, earning All-America honors seven times and setting four Jayhawk records. Trammel was ranked No. 11 in the world at one point in the 100-yard backstroke.
Bob Benoit (second from right) starred as a pro bowler on the PBA Tour, including bowling the first perfect 300 game in a nationally televised final. [PBA Tour]
54. BOB BENOIT, Topeka West
Benoit was active on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour in the 1980s and 1990s, winning four titles between '88 and '93. Benoit was the first bowler to roll a perfect 300 game in a televised title match, as well as only the fifth PBA bowler to throw a televised perfect game. He accomplished that feat in a 300-225 win over Mark Roth in the Quaker State Open on January 23, 1988. Benoit, the bowling coach at Seaman, was inducted into the Topeka Shawnee County Sports Hall of Fame this summer. As a pro Benoit had 28 career top-five finishes and made it to the final match on eight occasions.
Topeka native Art Griggs played seven seasons in the Major Leagues, compiling a .277 batting average after playing college football. [Wikipedia]
55. ART GRIGGS, TOPEKA HIGH
Griggs played football at Kansas, baseball at Washburn and football at Pittsburgh before playing seven Major League Baseball seasons and compiling a .277 career batting average. Griggs hit .364 in 28 games for Detroit in 1918. Griggs played 442 Major League games and played with baseball legends "Shoeless'' Joe Jackson and Cy Young. Griggs was born Dec. 10, 1883 and died Dec. 19, 1938. He was inducted into the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame in 1940.
56. DUANE "BLACKIE'' MELVIN, Seaman
The Seaman graduate played three sports at Washburn University (1946-50), lettering in basketball, football and baseball. Melvin earned first-team All-Central Intercollegiate Conference honors in basketball and second-team All-CIC recognition in football. Melvin played four seasons of pro baseball with the Miami (Okla.) Owls, Topeka Owls and Harrisburg (Pa.) Senators. Melvin, who served in the Army during World War II, went on to become a teacher and coach at several area high schools, coaching Seaman's first baseball team. Melvin passed away in 2013.
Scott Leon was an All-State quarterback for Shawnee Heights and went on to play baseball at Texas and in the minor leagues as a pitcher. [Topeka Capital-Journal]
57. SCOTT LEON, Shawnee Heights
Leon earned Top 11 honors as a quarterback for Shawnee Heights and also starred in basketball and baseball for the T-Birds before earning all-conference honors as a pitcher at Allen County and Texas. Leon was signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays in 1996 and played three minor league seasons, going 10-21 with a 3.84 earned run average. Leon passed for 3,595 yards for Shawnee Heights from 1990 to '92, including 1,861 during his senior season.
Former Topeka High, Topeka West and Washburn golf standout Bill McDonald has carved out an outstanding career at the amateur level. [Topeka Capital-Journal]
58. BILL McDONALD, Topeka West
McDonald helped Topeka High win the 1961 state golf title before finishing his prep career at newly-opened Topeka West. McDonald became a three-time NAIA All-American at Washburn and won the USGA Public Links Championship in 1964 and the Topeka City Match Play title in '65. He spent a bulk of his playing days in Michigan where he won the Michigan Amateur Championship in '82 and captured a total of 10 Michigan Public Links Match Play crowns. McDonald won the TransMississippi Super Senior Championship, adding to the two U.S. Senior Challenge titles he has won, and is a member of five different Hall of Fames — Topeka Shawnee County, Topeka West, Washburn, NAIA and Michigan Golf.
Jim Golden put together a legendary sports career at Silver Lake before pitching in the Major Leagues for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Colt 45s. [Topps]
59. JIM GOLDEN, Silver Lake
Golden put together an outstanding multi-sport career at Silver Lake, helping lead the Eagles to a back-to-back state basetball titles in 1953 and 1954. Golden Played nine seasons in the minors before pitching four years in the majors, where he compiled a 9-13 record and 4.54 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers and Houston Colt 45s. Golden was inducted into the Topeka Shawnee County Hall of Fame last month. In one game for Silver Lake Golden struck out 31 hitters in 14 innings and in the state title game, he pitched a no-hitter with 17 strikeouts. The next year, he struck out a state-record 185 batters and the Eagles won the state title again.
Seaman star thrower Jason Stuke was a state champion for the Vikings and a national champion for Emporia State. [Topeka Capital-Journal]
60. JASON STUKE, Seaman
Stuke was a state shot put and discus champion for Seaman track and field and went on to win an NCAA title in the shot put at Emporia State and set ESU’s discus record. Stuke was Emporia State's first male national champion, winning the outdoor shot put title in 1998. He was a 10-time All-American and seven-time MIAA champion. He finished his career as the ESU school record-holder in the discus and was second all-time in the shot. Stuke was named the Emporia State Male Student-Athlete of the Year in 1996 and 1998 and is a member of the ESU Hall of Fame.
61. LAMAR MADY, Topeka High
62. WILL COKELEY, Washburn Rural
63. LEVI LEE, Topeka High
64. J.P. WRIGHT, Seaman
65. CHUCK NELSON, Topeka High
66. TROY SLUSSER, Topeka High
67. LUKE YARNELL, Washburn Rural
68. KEN “HOOK” JOHNSON, Topeka High
69. MILO MITCHELL, Topeka High
70. JOE DOUGLAS, Topeka High
71. CLARDY VINSON, Topeka High
72. C.B. MCGRATH, Topeka West
73. TOMMY HUNTER, Hayden
74. JOHN GRANTHAM, Topeka High
75. BENNIE SIMECKA, Rossville
76. THERON WILSON, Highland Park
77. DAVID PROCTOR, Topeka High
78. RICK DEHART, Seaman
79. SHANNON KRUGER, Silver Lake
80. TUCKER HORAK, Rossville
81. ANDREW BECKLER, Washburn Rural
82. TAGEN LAMBOTTE, Rossville
83. BISHOP MURRAY, Washburn Rural
84. MICHAEL HOFFER, Shawnee Heights
85. RAPHEAL POSEY, Highland Park
86. ZEKE METZ, Seaman
87. LAMONT AUSTIN, Highland Park
88. CHRIS CARLSON, Seaman
89. SHANE WRIGHT, Hayden
90. DUANE ZLATNIK, Rossville
91. AUSTIN HALSEY, Washburn Rural
92. JACOB MORGAN, Washburn Rural
93. LARRY MILLER, Topeka High
94. TANNER NEWKIRK, Hayden
95. TRE RICHARDSON, Highland Park
96. DESMOND PURNELL, Hayden
97. JORDAN COOPER, Shawnee Heights
98. ROB HAYS, Topeka West
99. BEN CARLSON, Seaman
100. JACK L. BYBEE, Washburn Rural
UPCOMING TOP 100 TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
July 19 -- Women's No. 41 through 50.
July 20 -- Men's No. 41 through 50.
July 21 -- Women's No. 31 through 40.
July 22 -- Men's No. 31 through 40.
July 23 -- Women's No. 21 through 30.
July 24 -- Men's No. 21 through 30.
July 25 -- Women's No. 11 through 20.
July 26 -- Men's No. 11 through 20.
July 27 -- Women's No.10 through 1.
July 28 -- Men's No. 10 through 1.
