Four Individuals, One Team Inducted into Hall of Fame

Marshall, Mo. (Oct. 5, 2019)- The annual Missouri Valley College Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was held Saturday inside the Malcolm Center for Student Life, welcoming in four individuals and one team.

The individual honorees are Woodrow "Woody" Gaba '39, Gene Smith, III '76, Moses Regular, Jr. '98, and Wes Walker '01. Also, the 2006 Viking football team and coaching staff were inducted into the Hall of fame.

Woodrow "Woody" Gaba was a 1939 graduate of Missouri Valley, and was an outstanding two-sport athlete, playing football and baseball during his time at the college. Woody made his biggest impact in sports after graduating, as head boy's basketball coach at Marshall High School. Woody compiled an overall record of 276 wins and 79 losses from 1947 to 1961. His teams won eight conference championships, and in a time when the state only had one classification, his 1953 team finished fourth in the state tournament. Woody stayed close to Missouri Valley and the Marshall community throughout the rest of his life, even serving as Deacon at First Christian Church in Marshall, until his death on December 21, 2003.

Gene Smith transferred to Missouri Valley in 1972, and started his football career as a Viking in 1973. Originally a fullback, Head Coach Ken Gibler switched Gene to offensive guard, where Gene became an important piece to those championship football teams. Gene helped the Vikings to conference titles in 1974 and 1975, and played in the 1974 National championship game. He was also a two-time all-conference selection and a 1975 All-American. After graduating from Missouri Valley, Gene enjoyed success as a high school football coach, winning coach of the year awards in Virginia in 2000 and 2001, leading Benedictine High School in Richmond. In 2004, he was named the New York Daily News Coach of the Year, for his season as coach at Moore Catholic High School in Staten Island, New York.

Moses Regular made his biggest impact at Missouri Valley as a football player, but was a two-sport student-athlete during his time as a Viking. Moses earned varsity letters in both football and track each year during his four years at the college. He was a three-time first team all-conference selection at linebacker, and the team's most valuable defensive player his senior season. After his time at Missouri Valley, Moses enjoyed a professional football career that spanned 10 years, playing on two continents. In 1996, he signed with the New York Giants, then made his way to NFL Europe with the Frankfurt Galaxy in 1998. Following his time in Europe, Moses returned to the United States and spent seven more years playing professional arena league football. Since ending his professional playing career, Moses has been teaching and coaching football and track in St. Louis.

Wes Walker is one of the most decorated members of the Missouri Valley men's wrestling program. Wes finished his Viking wrestling career as an individual national champion, earning the program's twelfth individual champions in program history, winning the heavyweight division in 2001. He was a three-time All-American, at both 197 pounds and at heavyweight, and served as team captain in 2000 and 2001. As captain, Wes helped lead the men's wrestling program to NAIA National runner-up finishes in both those seasons. In addition to his success on the mat, Wes also exceeded in the classroom. His academic accolades include being named to the dean's list every semester at Missouri Valley, in addition to being a two-time NAIA Academic All-American. He was the Charles L. Bacon Award winner and graduated magna cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, along with being class speaker in 2001.

The 2006 football team set a new standard for the program in Head Coach Paul Troth's fifth season. The 2006 team finished with the program's first conference championship and earned its first National postseason appearance since 1999. The team finished the regular season with an 11-0 record, recording the first undefeated regular season since 1974, and advanced to the NAIA National semifinals before falling to Sioux Falls on the road. The team produced three All-Americans, 10 first team all-conference members and 26 total all-conference selections. Larry Wentzel was named both the conference Defensive Player of the Year and conference Player of the Year, while Coach Troth was named Coach of the Year. The team finished the season ranked in the top 10 in six different categories, led by the No. 1 rushing defense in the NAIA at 42.5 yards per game. Several members of the team continued playing football professionally, including stints with arena league teams and teams in Europe. The team finished with a 13-1 record, and the 13 wins is the most in a single-season in program-history.

Also recognized at the induction ceremony were the Grover C. Redford Scholarship Award winners, handed out to incoming freshmen on the Missouri Valley men's and women's basketball teams, along with the Athletic Hall of Fame Scholarship Award, handed out to outstanding upperclassmen student-athletes at Missouri Valley. The Grover C. Redford Scholarship winners were Hannah Newcomb of Bolivar, Mo., and Chase Brown of Perryville, Mo. The Hall of Fame Scholarship winners were Drake Higgins of Lathrop, Mo., a football student-athlete, and Jessica Gunderson of Kiron, Iowa, a shooting sports student-athlete. Both Higgins and Gunderson have earned All-American recognition in their respective sports.

About Missouri Valley College

Known for its dynamic, richly diverse, and friendly educational environment, Missouri Valley College offers many opportunities to grow in mind, body, and spirit. Grounded in the liberal arts, undergraduate studies empower students to master interdisciplinary skills needed to succeed in a knowledge-based global society. MVC offers over 30 academic programs, study abroad program, extracurricular activities, and a wide variety of sports. The most popular majors include education and business, criminal justice and exercise science. Above all, Valley is committed to student success. For more information, call (660) 831-4000 or visit www.moval.edu.