Lorenzo Cain, Matt Besler among ‘23 inductees for Missouri Sports Hall of Fame

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (KCTV) - Royals’ World Series champ Lorenzo Cain and Overland Park native-turned-Sporting KC star Matt Besler will highlight this year’s Missouri Sports Hall of Fame class.

The organization announced the list of 2023 inductees Thursday, which includes 18 area athletes, coaches, media members and teams.

“First of all, I thought it was a joke, I tell ya,” longtime Park University AD Claude English said. “Once it set in, it was like, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame? Unbelievable. What an honor.”

“I thought it was a prank, I thought somebody was joking with me,” Michael Watson, UMKC’s all-time leading scorer, said. “I was super floored just to be able to have that honor. Just being a guy from Kansas City, you don’t expect things like that. So when I got the call, it really took me a while to process that it was an actual thing.”

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Also headlining this year’s list: former longtime Chiefs president and GM Carl Peterson will receive the President’s Award.

The enshrinement will take place at Municipal Auditorium, 1 p.m. on April 23.

The honorees for the Class of 2023 are:

• Carl Peterson – President’s Award
• Lorenzo Cain – Kansas City Royals
• Matt Besler – Sporting KC
• Muna Lee – Central High School/LSU/Olympic Track & Field
• Rockhurst High School Football Program
• Vic Bonuchi – Excelsior Springs High School Football Coach
• Charlie Burri – Missouri Western State University
• Don Edwards – Jefferson (Conception) High School Basketball Coach
• Blair Kerkhoff – Kansas City Star Sportswriter
• Claude English – Park University Athletic Director
• Archbishop O’Hara High School Volleyball Era 2002-2010
• Tom O’Brien – High School Tennis Coach
• William Jewell College 2003 Women’s Soccer Team
• Karen Schull MacGee – Golf
• Larry Lady – Commissioner of Heart of America Athletic Conference
• Michael Watson – UMKC Basketball Player
• Karen Kornacki – Sports Broadcaster
• Benton High School 2007 Girls Basketball State Championship Team
• Northeast Nodaway High School Girls Basketball 1973-1979 & 1982

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