The Ottumwa High School Hall of Fame Committee announces the 2022 Induction class.
The first induction class of the Ottumwa High School Athletics Hall of Fame will be celebrated at a dinner during Homecoming this week. Inductees and their families are invited to celebrate the accomplishments of former Ottumwa Coaches and Athletes.
The 2021 induction class includes the following individuals:
Missy Carson-Roark:
Missy is a 1978 graduate of Ottumwa High School. Following that, she attended Creighton University. She then returned to Ottumwa to begin a career in education, starting with the AEA and eventually becoming a building principal at Horace Mann, Liberty, and Evans Middle School. Missy finished her career as an administrator after serving five years as principal at Davis County.
Missy was ecstatic that her son and daughter would also be Ottumwa Bulldogs! It brought her immeasurable joy to know that they would also reap the benefits and opportunities of those experiences. One of the highlights for her was watching her daughter play softball in the same environment as she had, and for Coach Houston.
Some of Missy's accomplishments include: 1978 Female Athlete of the year, 1978 Track state qualifier, 1978 2nd team all-state for softball, 1976 state champion- softball, a school record 18 state tournament games for softball, letter winner- track, basketball, softball, and Music, Missy also participated in 3 NCAA College World Series'.
Dan Staggs:
Dan Staggs was a graduate of Keokuk High School. Dan and his partner, Donny Romes, won the state high school boys' tennis doubles title in 1956. He was also a member of the Keokuk Community College basketball team, which won the state junior college tournament in 1958. He and his wife Carol have lived in Ottumwa since 1963. He started teaching P.E. at OHS in 1964. He started the boys' tennis team in 1964 and the girls' tennis team in 1965, as well as running summer tennis programs. He was also a basketball coach, coaching the sophomore boys' basketball team for several years under Coach Kramer, and was the head boys' basketball coach for five years.
Along with his career in coaching, he was a referee for high school basketball for many years. Dan retired from teaching in 1997. Even after he retired, he never stopped coaching.
Dan was the 2016 recipient of the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union's Golden Plaque of Distinction Award and was inducted in 1982 into the Iowa Tennis Hall of Fame. He served on the IGHSAU and IHSAA Tennis Advisory committees. The city of Ottumwa named six tennis courts in his honor. Because of Dan's contributions to Ottumwa Athletics, the A Club gives a deserving coach an annual award in his name.
Steve Wetrich Sr. :
Steve was born in Ottumwa to Dr. David and Ardys Wetrich. He attended Ottumwa High School, where he graduated in 1980. Then he Attended the University of Iowa. In 1982 Steve married Jan White of Ottumwa. Steve Graduated from the College of Dentistry in 1987 with a Doctor of Dental Science degree. They moved back to Ottumwa, where they had three children, Steven (Megan) Wetrich, Amy (Calvin) Woodard, and Michael (Marissa) Wetrich. He practiced dentistry in Ottumwa for 33 years. Where he retired in July 2020, and he now spends his time playing golf and watching his five grandchildren, Ty, Emma, Ella, Tate, and Palmer, participate in all their different activities.
Steve lettered one year in Tennis and Track and Field during his athletic career and lettering two years in golf and three years in basketball and football. Steve received Honorable mention all-state for two years in football and two years in basketball. Steve was the varsity team captain for the Ottumwa Bulldog football team during his junior and senior years. He played quarterback, obtaining over 3500 yards in rushing and passing. Steve still holds the record for passing percentage and five touchdown passes in 1 game. In 1980 Steve participated in the Iowa High School Shrine Football game. Steve was a two-year captain on the Basketball team as well. He scored over 500 points in his basketball career and still holds the assist record for one game at 15. In 1980 Steve was awarded the Ottumwa High School Outstanding Athlete of the year.
The original hall of fame was established in 1965 and denoted 68 individuals who were inducted. From that time to 2021 not a lot was done with the honor. In 2021 a committee was formed, and the Hall of Fame was given a second chance. The committee decided to keep the same criteria from 1965, thus retro-inducting 111 members. Those members, along with the 68 bulldog greats from the original, can be found on the digital hall of fame.
Beginning in 2022, in correlation with the 100-year celebration of Ottumwa High School, the Hall of Fame Committee will begin honoring past Bulldogs with an induction class and a recognition class every year. The recognition class is designed to honor those already selected as automatic qualifiers for the Hall of Fame, 111 individuals already in the past 50+ years. "The committee wanted to find a way to recognize the accomplishments of arguably the greatest athletes Ottumwa has seen over the last 50-plus years. We feel having two classes every year will help give recognition to those individuals as well," said Ottumwa Activities Director Brandon Brooks.
Nominations are being accepted for the 2023 Induction class. Nominations will be accepted until January 1st 2023. Anyone wanting to nominate an athlete can use the link.