SOUTHEAST MISSOURIAN SALUTES CENTURY'S TOP 25 LOCAL ATHLETES

Thousands upon thousands of athletes and coaches have traipsed the fields and graced the courts of Southeast Missouri over the past century.

The Southeast Missourian sports department has narrowed thousands into the Top 25.

Inside this issue is a commemorative sports section that we feel will stimulate memories and may even spur debate.

Among our Top 25 is a pitcher who threw a no-hitter in the major leagues, a football player who saved the Miami Dolphins' undefeated season and a coach who was responsible for the building of the Show Me Center.

Our Top 25 members go as far south as Poplar Bluff and as far north as Perryville.

We have athletes who played professionally in the second decade of this century and athletes who are still competing in sports. Because of the wide range of coaches and athletes and the span of generations which they competed, we decided not to rank them.

But this 16-page, all-local publication is more than just a list.

In addition to stories and profiles of our Top 25 athletes, the section includes some of the biggest and most interesting stories of the century from Southeast Missouri.

For instance, Babe Ruth couldn't hit a pitcher from Malden; a legendary Puxico coach was one of the first to institute a full-court press on any level; and Cape Girardeau is the home to the oldest known amateur baseball team.

We have also included a timeline with some interesting facts which depicts the evolution of sports over the past 100 years.

We feel this is a publication that regional sports fans will not only want to read, but will want to save. Even though some of these athletes played in the early part of this century, their stories and the legacies they've left never grow old.