SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — Two Ste. Genevieve man were inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame recently during a luncheon held in Cape Girardeau.
Long-time cross country coach at Ste. Genevieve High School Brian Jett and sports broadcaster Frank Kirchmer were inducted into the Class of 2024.
Jett was coach of Ste. Genevieve cross country and track & field teams, leading the cross country teams from 1995 to 2016 and the girls track & field teams from 2001 to 2016. His teams have earned seven state championships, including six in girls cross country. Those years cover 2004, 2005, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, with the 2014 team tying with Festus as co-champions. The 2006 and 2008 teams team placed fourth, and the 2007 team was runner-up. The boys team was third in 2005 and runner-up in 2015. Those teams combined for seven conference championships and 11 district titles (10 in girls competition). Jett was a seven-time Coach of the Year by the Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association, and was the National Federation High School Coaches Association Sectional Coach of the Year. In girls track, the 2013 team won a state title, while the 2015 and 2016 teams both were runner-up, while the 2014 team placed third. They also won 11 district titles and three conference championships. In boys track, the 1997 team was a state runner-up, three-time conference champion and two-time district champion. Overall in cross country, he coached 56 All-State athletes and, in track & field, 102 All-State athletes. A 1980 graduate of Lindbergh High School and later at Southeast Missouri State University, Jett coached middle school girls from 1992 to 1996.
Kirchmer is among those who have enriched our sports experience – and told the stories of high school athletes – for decades. A 1967 graduate of Bishop DuBourg High School and later Southeast Missouri State University, Kirchmer has been a sports radio broadcaster since 1971. He has been on more than 4,000 broadcasts, with stops in Farmington, Sikeston, Jackson and Ste. Genevieve. In his time, he has called 28 state championship games, with a focus on Valle Catholic High School football, baseball, softball and volleyball the past 17 years through the Valle Catholic Sports Network powered by Prepcasts. He also has called Ste. Genevieve football, Jackson and Sikeston football and Perryville girls basketball. Along the way, his calls have meant broadcasting games with some of the top coaches in southeast Missouri.
The Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, located in Springfield, Missouri, opened its doors in 1994 thanks to Springfield businessman John Q. Hammons.
The Hall of Fame celebrates the accomplishments made by athletes of the past, while inspiring future athletes to succeed. The Hall of Fame considers for induction individuals and teams that were born in Missouri, made their sports career in Missouri, or contributed to amateur or professional sports in Missouri.