By Nick Jenkinson-SCINN Sports Director
The Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame Honored its 16th Class Friday Night with its annual banquet at the Monroe Convention Center in Downtown Bloomington. What has become a summer staple on the calendar in Bloomington and Monroe County was celebrated with over 220 in attendance to welcome in 12 new members to the Hall of Fame that included 6 athletes, 2 coaches, 2 contributors and 2 pioneers.
Since 2011 171 have been Inducted and 99 Scholar Athletes that include one Female and one Male from Bloomington South, Bloomington North and Edgewood High Schools have been awarded over $84,000 in scholarships.
Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame President David Hays announced that the Family of 2021 Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame Inductee and Longtime Master of Ceremonies Joe Smith requested that donations would be made in his honor to the Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame and be named the Joe Smith Scholarship Endowment Fund. Joe Smith Passed Away on July 13th at age 78 and the Fund will help with the Bob Hammel Memorial Scholarship Award named after 2015 Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame Inductee and Founding Board Member Bob Hammel who Passed Away at Age 88 the week of last year’s banquet. Hammel said when the scholarships were established that they are “The intersection of the best of athletics with the best of academics”.
There were many tributes to both Joe Smith and Bob Hammel during the ceremony. Both were founding board members of the Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame and their impact over the years and several of the inductees mentioned both during their acceptance speeches. Master of Ceremonies Mark Deal Said before he began the Ceremony “This is Joe’s Microphone and his Stage” and David Hays Said “Joe would want all of us to Celebrate the Accomplishments of this Class of 2026 and that is what we will do.
The evening started with a meet and greet that was opened to the public and all the Inductees brought in their memorabilia including Pictures, Jersey’s, Articles and also the Memorabilia of John Baker who is a Board Emeritus of the Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame and has a collection that hard to top with all the history of all the schools past and present in Monroe County.
After dinner it was time to get the festivities started and Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame President David Hays welcomed everyone, and Vice President Mark Deal was the master of ceremonies.
The Six Bob Hammel Memorial Scholar Athlete Award Winners which include Ellie Barada and Connor Couch of Bloomington South, Hayden McGuire and Caleb Winders of Bloomington North along with Elliana Vagedes and Carter Hayden of Edgewood. Couch and Hayden were in attendance along with their families and were called to stage by President David Hays to be recognized. Barada and Winders won Multiple State Titles in Track and Field. McGuire made the State Finals in Track and Field, Vagedes in Swimming and Couch in Baseball. Carter Hayden played earlier this month in the Indiana North-South Football All Star Game and some could say combined this is one most accomplished Scholar Athlete Classes in the Monroe County Sports Hall of Fames History.
It was a Special Night for the family of Twin Brothers Henry and James Moore who were inducted together as Pioneers. The Moore’s became the first set of Twin Brothers to both win an Individual State Title in 1943 for Bloomington High School and helped the Panthers win a State Title and went onto Indiana University and won AAU Titles in 1947 and 1948. Henry Moore passed away on November 25, 2025, at 100 years old and James Moore passed away on October 12, 2020, at age 94. Lori Jones the daughter of Henry Moore wore a special purple sweater that said 1945 which was when they were at Bloomington and said, “My Dad lived to be 100 Years old what a life.”
Matt MacLeod, the son of Hall of Fame Basketball Coach John MacLeod and played for his Father at Notre Dame started his coaching career at Smithville High School in 1963 appeared via video as the MacLeod Family who lives in Phoenix, Arizona was unable to attend the banquet. “My Dad was a proud Hoosier and never forgot where he came from” Matt MacLeod Said. MacLeod who was born in New Albany and Graduated from Providence HS in Clarksville took the Skibos to the 1965 Sectional Championship Game falling to Bloomington High School and then went on to Indianapolis Cathedral from 1965-67. “My Dad was Smithville through and through and his legacy lives on in the way he always handled himself with class ” Matt MacLeod added. MacLeod Coached at the University of Oklahoma and Returned to Indiana to Coach the Notre Fighting Irish. MacLeod coached in the NBA with the Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and New York Knicks ending an 18-year career with a record of 707-657 and 11 Playoff Appearances and took the Suns to the 1976 NBA Finals losing to Boston Celtics. John MacLeod passed away on April 14, 2019, at age 81.
Criss Beyers coached Basketball and was able to work under three Hall of Fame Coaches, Bob Knight, Bill Springer and J.R. Holmes. Beyers was graduate assistant under Knight for 2 years when the Hoosiers won the 1981 National Championship “That was a dream come true to work under Coach Knight” Beyers Said. Beyers graduated from Bloomington North in 1976 and spent 38 years as Basketball Coach, including 26 years under 2012 Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame Inductee J.R. Holmes at Bloomington South. Beyers helped the Panthers to 14 Sectionals, 11 Regionals, 5 Final Fours and 2 Class 4A State Championships in 2009 and 2011. Beyers was a head coach at Martinsville, Warren Central and Franklin Central and led Warren Central to the 2018 Class 4A Boys Basketball State Championship with a 32-0 record. Beyers retired after the 2025-26 season with a record of 168-119.
Dr. Andy Hipskind was one of two contributors being inducted. Dr. Hipskind graduated from Bloomington North in 1991 as a three-sport athlete in Football, Basketball and Track. Dr. Hipskind was a four-year letter winner in Track and Field at Indiana University and got his undergraduate and graduate degrees in Sports Medicine. Dr. Hipskind joined the IU Football Staff in 2003 as a team physician and was the director of sports medicine. Dr. Andy Hipskind passed away on September 18, 2021, at age 48. Dr. Hipskind’s Wife Angie and Son Drew accepted on his behalf and was honored for this honor and the impact that he had on the community and legacy will live on.
Rex Kirts was the second contributor being inducted and worked in Bloomington for 40 years as the longest tenured sportswriter from 1966 to 2008 and retired on New Years Day 2009. Kirts is a Lafayette Native and graduated from Indiana University in 1964 and started his career at the Crawfordsville Journal Review before coming back to Bloomington two years later. Kirts was known for putting together the Bloomington Hearld Times Annual All-State Top 33 High School Football Team that was published on Thanksgiving Day for 30 years. The Top 33 included a Big State, Small State and Academic All State Teams and was a must read for High School Coaches and College Recruiters. One of Kirts best interviews was O.J. Simpson which Master of Ceremonies Mark Deal Said when Introducing Rex “Rex did not Interview him in the Bronco” referring to the infamous police chase down a Southern California highway in 1994. Kirts Said “ O.J. was one of the best interviews I ever had and Arnold Palmer was right up there as well.”
Six Athletes were inducted starting with 1994 Indiana Mr. Football Bo Barzilauskas of Bloomington South who helped the Panthers win the 1993 Class 5A State Championship with a 14-0 record. Barzliauskas is the only lineman to ever win the Mr. Football Award in its 32-year history. Bo played at Indiana University and then transferred to Valdosta State. Barzilauskas is the only player from Bloomington to ever make a National High School Football All-Star Game playing in the 1994 All-American Bowl in Allentown, Pennsylvania and played the entire game. Bo thanked Mark Deal who was on the coaching staff at IU at the time and that his dad Carl who was with the New York Jets at the Time when he was born were taking bets to see how much he would weigh and whoever won got to give him a nickname which was Bobo and then shortened to Bo which is real name is Robert.
Ashley Benson was a Star Volleyball Player at Bloomington North graduating in 2007 and became a Star at Indiana University playing in 132 matches and becoming the Hoosiers first All-American when she made 3rd team her Junior Season and 1st team her Senior Season. Benson helped the Hoosiers made the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time 2010-11 and was the Indiana University Athlete of the Year in 2010-11. Benson was inducted into the Indiana University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2022 joining her Father Kent Benson who played for Bob Knight on the 1976 Undefeated IU Men’s Basketball National Championship Team and the Number 1 overall pick of the Milwaukee Bucks in 1976. Benson was very emotional and now is Firefighter/EMT for the Monroe Fire Protection Unit.
Dee Davis played on Two Boys Basketball State Championship Teams at Bloomington South as helped cut down the nets twice in 2009 and 2011. Davis scored 1,582 points, which is fourth all time in Monroe County Boys Basketball History. Davis was named an Indiana All-Star in 2011 and played four seasons at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio taking the Musketeers to three NCAA Tournament Appearances and two Sweet 16. Davis is still playing overseas and when he is stateside, he serves as a trainer for aspiring athletes. He had his fly in from Iceland and Sister fly in Florida to be in attendance.
Dr. Nyagon Duany-Amankwa is a 1996 Graduate of Bloomington North and played Volleyball, Basketball and State Runner Up in Track Field in the High Jump. She went on to play Basketball at Bradley University in Peoria, Illinois playing 101 games and scoring 517 points in her four-year career for the Braves. Duany earned her medical degree from Indiana University in 2005 followed by a Sports Medicine Fellowship at the University of Cincinnati which led orthopedic position with the Cincinnati Bengals. She serves as orthopedic surgeon for Norton Orthopedic Institute in Louisville Kentucky specializing in sports-related injuries and arthroscopic surgery. Duany joins her bothers Duany “Doc” Duany and Kueth who were inducted into the Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame in 2021, and Dunay’s are only family in the United States to have five Division 1 Basketball Players and their impact goes far beyond Basketball with philanthropic efforts in their native South Sudan.
Marty Hustell graduated from Bloomington High School in 1971 where he was a two-time State Champion wrestler for his father Kay. He was Runner up his Sophomore Seasons as the Panthers won the State Championship that year. Hustell was an All-American with a record of 73-2 and went onto Indiana University and finished with a four-year record of 68-34-3. He coached wrestling for 42 years and won Six State Titles in the State of Georgia winning one in four classes in the Peach State. Hustell coached 38 individual champions and was named Georgia Coach of the Year 6 Times before returning to his hometown to finish out his career at Bloomington North. He Thanked Joe Smith and Rex Kirts for everything they did covering sports in Monroe County and that it takes a Village and told the story of a young man who wrestled for him in Georgia who played Football at the University of Alabama and now plays in the NFL who overcame the loss of both his parents and now gives back to the youth in his community.
Eli Stoddard was the quarterback on the 1993 Class 5A State Championship Bloomington South Football Team and won the IHSAA Phil Eskew Mental Attitude Award Following the Game. Stoddard lost four games in three years as the team’s starting quarterback. He finished his career as the all-time leader in passing yards, completions, touchdowns and attempts all records that were later broken by 2012 Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame Inductee Rex Grossman. Stoddard was named MVP of the 1994 Indiana North-South All Star Game and played at Butler University where he was starting quarterback for two seasons and won the team’s offensive MVP Award in 1997. Stoddard and Barzilauskas played together and Stoddard remembers the rigorous workouts that he and his teammates were put through by Bo’s Dad Carl.
Monroe County has had 17 sports represented with its 171 inductees in this Hall of Fame. The list includes State Champions, Indiana All-Stars, Mental Attitude Award Winners, Olympians, College MVP’s and Professional Athletes. There are not many counties in the State of Indiana and in the United States that can compete with the rich tradition that Monroe County and Bloomington Indiana have which makes the Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame one of the most prestigious Hall of Fames anywhere.