Thomas among inductees for Southeast HOF

~ The all-American wrestler as well as five other former athletes and a team will be inducted Friday

Bruce Thomas already is a part of two prestigious halls of fame.

The Jackson resident is just as proud, maybe even more, of his latest honor.

Thomas will be among six individuals and a team that will be inducted into the Southeast Missouri State Athletic Hall of Fame during a ceremony Friday night at the Show Me Center.

"I'm tickled to death. I can't tell you how proud I am," said Thomas, a wrestling standout and football player at Southeast in the 1970s.

Thomas was inducted in the Missouri State Wrestling Hall of Fame in early 2005 and later that year received the Lifetime Service to Wrestling Award from the Missouri Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. As a result of that honor, Thomas has his name engraved on a plaque that is displayed permanently at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla.

"Being in this university's hall of fame is just as important if not more because it's local," Thomas said. "More people will know about it and it's where I went to school. I got to do a few things in my life with wrestling, but I wouldn't have had an opportunity without Southeast Missouri State.

"I'm retired now after teaching and coaching for a long time. I'm a member of the [Jackson] school board. I don't think any of it would have been possible without Southeast Missouri State."

Thomas made his primary mark at Southeast in a sport the university hasn't offered for a long time.

Thomas, a native of Hopkinsville, Ky., had been out of high school for several years when he had an opportunity to attend Southeast in 1972.

"I wanted to wrestle in college, but nobody thought much of Kentucky wrestling back then," he said. "I just kept wrestling after I got out of high school. Finally, a good friend of mine from high school, David Means [a former Southeast football standout who later played in the NFL] talked me into coming there because I could wrestle and play football.

"He just kept on me about it. Without him, I would have never went there."

Thomas won four consecutive titles in the old Missouri Intercollegiate Athletic Association while never suffering a conference loss, the only wrestler to ever accomplish that feat, as a wrestler at Southeast from 1972 through 1975. He was a two-time NCAA Division II All-American who finished second, fifth, seventh and eighth in NCAA national tournaments.

Thomas, competing at 220 pounds, also was a member of the USA National Wrestling Team in 1983 and 1984. He finished third in the Olympic Trials, third in the Pan Am Games Trials and third in the World Games Trials.

"Wrestling at Southeast Missouri State gave me a lot of opportunities," said Thomas, who spent two years as a lineman on the Southeast football team.

After starting his coaching and teaching career at Scott City High School, where he directed the wrestling program in 1977 and 1978, Thomas spent 26 years teaching for the Jackson Public Schools.

As Jackson High School's wrestling coach from 1982 through 1995, his teams compiled a 105-10-3 dual-match record -- including a 52-match winning streak -- while capturing eight district titles and five conference titles. His teams also earned numerous strong state finishes, including second place.

"I'm really looking forward to Friday. My family and a lot of my friends will be able to be there," Thomas said. "It's a nice legacy to leave behind and it's a great opportunity to thank all the people who have supported me over the years."

Impressive group

Others inducted Friday will be Krista Haukap Davis (volleyball), Terrence Branch (track and field), Dale Meier (baseball), Ted Henderson (basketball), Clarence Bergman (all sports) and the 1969 men's track team.

Haukap Davis helped lead Southeast to the 2000 NCAA volleyball tournament after being named the Ohio Valley Conference player of the year.

Haukap Davis was named the OVC's freshman of the year in 1997 and helped Southeast win four OVC titles. She holds the school record for career kills (2,070) and total attempts (4,921). Her 581 kills in 2000 rank sixth all-time at Southeast. She is married to former Southeast men's basketball assistant coach and current Providence College men's basketball coach Keno Davis.

Branch was a member of the track team from 1990 to 1994 and earned Division I All-American honors after taking sixth in the 1994 400 meters final. He holds the second-fastest 400 time in school history (45.52 second) and won the OVC title in the 400 and 400 relay in 1994.

Meier was a member of the baseball team from 1961 to 1964. He tossed the program's first no-hitter of the modern era in 1964. He won nine games and saved one during that season. He was named Most Valuable Player in 1963 and 1964 before playing for five years in the Cardinals organization.

Henderson led the men's basketball team in scoring during the 1952-53 and 1953-54 seasons. He scored 781 points during his career, which spanned from 1952 to 1954. He received the Purple Heart and Bronze Star for Valor in 1968 after being wounded in Vietnam.

Bergman, who is deceased, competed on the football, basketball, baseball and track teams during his athletic career, which lasted from 1927 to 1931. He scored the first touchdown at Houck Stadium during the dedication game Oct. 3, 1930. He served as captain for three teams.

The 1969 track team, coached by Southeast Hall of Famer Marvin Rosengarten, captured the indoor and outdoor MIAA titles and had 28 members qualify for the NCAA meet. It set school records in 13 events.

Friday's dinner and induction ceremony is open to the public. Tickets are $25 and can be obtained by calling 651-2227.

This year marks Southeast's ninth Hall of Fame class. The hall now will include 66 individuals and 13 teams since it was started in 2002.