Bulldog Trio Honored At MIAA Awards Banquet

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Ed Schneider and Walter H. Ryle were inducted into the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association Hall of Fame and Mike Elam, a member of Truman's Physical Plant staff, was the MIAA Mentor of the Year as the trio was honored on Thursday night at the MIAA Awards Banquet in Kansas City.

Schneider ran cross country and track for Coach Dr. George Herman and was a three-time cross country all-American and won the 1964 NCAA national championship. The 1964 team finished second in the NCAA College Division that season. Schneider is just one of three individuals to still have won three straight MIAA cross country championships (Ron Werling for Truman from 1965-67 and Mark Curp – Central Missouri 1978-80). He placed second in the mile run at the 1964 NCAA outdoor championships and still holds the Truman indoor record in the mile and outdoor record in the 1,500 meter run.

Schneider returned to Kirksville in 1974 to coach the cross country team and assist Coach Ken Gardner as track coach. He took over the entire men's program in 1982 and won four conference cross country titles in 1983, 1992, 1994 and 2001 to go along with three regional titles during his 31-year tenure as coach. He had either a team or an individual at the Division II National Cross Country Championships 15 times with back to back third place team finishes in 1994 and 1995. He was a four-time MIAA Cross Country Coach of the Year and twice named MIAA Track & Field Coach of the Year.

Schneider is also a member of the Truman Athletics Hall of Fame (1986), the Division II Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2000) and the Missouri Track & Field & Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame (2002).

Ryle chaired Truman's athletic committee starting in 1973 and held various offices in the MIAA over the course of his 26 years in college athletics. He was president of the MIAA during the league's first expansion period as he served from 1988-1991 and was vice-president from 1985-88. He was a member of the long-range planning, chair of the eligibility and member of the infractions and finance committees during his tenure. Ryle served as chair of the search and screen committee that hired the MIAA's first full-time commissioner Ken Jones. A history professor on campus since 1955, Ryle became Truman's Director of Athletics in 1994 and oversaw the department until his retirement in 1999. One of his major accomplishments as AD was to bring an all-weather track to the Kirksville community at Stokes Stadium.

Interviews with Walt and Ed by KRES Radio - click here

Elam was nominated by the Truman Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for the Mentor of the Year Award for his dedication, friendliness and donations to all student-athletes he encounters while working in Pershing Building, the home of the Bulldogs on campus. Elam has donated hand-crafted stained glass art to many team and SAAC fundraising events.

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