Looking At Missouri Sports Heroes
It is hard to know where to start. There have been a ton of sports heroes that either became known by playing in Missouri or were born and raised here.
Our first did both. Norm Stewart was born in Leonard, Missouri on January 20, 1935. He was a star basketball and baseball player for Shelbyville High School, small town one hour west of Hannibal. He went to MU and played both sports. At 6’5” he was strong on the court scoring 1,112 points in three seasons. On the baseball field, he pitched a no-hitter in 1954 leading the Tigers to the College World Series Championship. He went on to earn letters in both sports for three consecutive years, a rare event.
Norm played professional basketball for a short time but quickly came back to MU to be an assistant coach. (He was also drafted by MLB, but stayed only one season). He coached basketball in Iowa but later came back to Columbia to become the head coach of the basketball Tigers. He held that job for 32 years and 634 wins. His fame as the Tigers’ head coach has overshadowed his personal fame on the court and the field. A true Missouri Legend.
He has been inducted into several HOF's. He still lives in Columbia. Norm, at 87, has had serious health issues, but still tries to stay active.
(Missouri Legends, by John Brown and other sources used.)
