Third Annual Red Devil Diamond Club Induction Hall of Fame 1, 2014 h c r a M Jeff Dinkel 1981 Coach John Masterson 1973-1977 Mike Befort 1979-1980 Jim Hondo Hess 1979-1980 Cover photo: Allen County Community College Red Devil Field. Scott Vondemkamp 1982-1983
2014 Hall of Fame Awards Ceremony Welcome Thomas Price Prayer Tracy Rowe Message Jon Shockley Inductee Mike Befort 1979-1980 Jim Hondo Hess 1979-1980 Jeff Dinkel 1981 Scott Vondemkamp 1982-1983 Coach John Masterson 1973-1977 Presenter Russ Befort Rick Langtree Tom Price Dan Christie Marty Rankin Mission Statement: The Red Devil Alumni Diamond Club serves to reconnect former teammates and to preserve the Red Devil Baseball Program history and tradition. History: A group of interested Allen Alums met in the summer of 2011 to start the process of forming the Diamond Club. Founder: Tom Price, along with Alums: Rod Rush, Jon Shockley, Mike Befort, Dan Christie and Marty Rankin met to discuss the goals and potential future of the Diamond Club. The goals established for the Diamond Club are: To help reconnect former teammates To have a Hall of Fame selection process To host a Hall of Fame Banquet each spring To keep updated contact information of Allen Baseball Alumni Red Devil Baseball is known as one of the most successful Community College Baseball Programs in the region, if not the nation. Hundreds of former Red Devil athletes have continued their athletic careers at prestigious Senior Colleges. Numerous former Red Devil athletes have played professional baseball. Many former Red Devils lead successful lives as doctors, lawyers, business leaders, educators, etc. Board of Directors: The Alums that first met to discuss the Diamond Club will serve as the first Board of Directors. Tom Price has been elected as the first acting President. Any Baseball Alum that has an interest in serving on the Board should contact Tom Price at 785-633-7443 or at tprice@ skykansas.com. Other board members include Scott Vondemkamp and Keith Dunckel. Hall of Fame: The Hall of Fame will recognize outstanding achievements by former great baseball players, coaches and special boosters. The Diamond Club will also recognize former players that have made an impact in the game of life. A Selection Committee will be designated by the Board of Directors to choose yearly Hall of Fame candidates. The Hall of Fame selections will be recognized at the yearly Hall of Fame Banquet and at the next days home conference Baseball game. Nominations for the upcoming Hall of Fame Banquet should be made on the Diamond Club Membership Form. Nominations might include an individual or a whole team. Annual Membership Fees: ($25.00 Each Fall) The funds raised will be used for the Hall of Fame Banquet, publications, mailings, internet updates, Hall of Fame Plaques and social functions. Membership Growth: The main reason to form the Diamond Club is to reconnect former Allen Baseball Alums. A membership drive will occur every fall in November. A database will be collected and updated. The Diamond Club would like to have a volunteer from each year to contact former teammates and promote the growth of the organization. If interested in helping contact Alums, call Tom Price 785-633-7443, or email him at tprice@skykansas.com. Please spread the word about the Diamond Club to your former teammates. Facebook Contacts: A facebook link has been established to help Baseball Alums stay connected. www.facebook.com/pages/red-devils- Diamond-Club/122752954441026 Updating Allen Alumni Contact Information: Even if you choose not to join Diamond Club, please email your updated contact information to Coach Valis McLean, mclean@allencc.edu. Allen Baseball Web Page: A Red Devil Alumni Diamond Club tab is located on the Allen Baseball opening webpage. Updates will be added to the page throughout the year. Donations: The intent of the Red Devil Alumni Diamond Club is not to make money, but to recognize and reconnect former Red Devil athletes. However, donations are always welcome and graciously accepted. Design by Linnzi Fusco
Mike Befort was born and raised in Hays, Kansas, Mike grew up playing sports at every opportunity from the early days of little league baseball through high school and Junior College. He graduated from Thomas Moore Prep High School in 1978 where he lettered in basketball for two years, baseball for three years and was a three year letterman and all-state offensive guard in football. His summers were consumed with baseball. Mike played for the Hays American Legion (1977, 1978 & 1979) where he made the all-star team three years, won the league batting crown in 1979, set the home run record in 1979, and was voted the MVP of the 1978 State Tournament in which Hays won the state title. During his senior year at Thomas More Prep, Mike registered an ERA of 0.46. After his senior year in high school, he was drafted by the New York Mets as a Pitcher/First Baseman. He turned down the Mets offer and signed with the Allen County Junior College Red Devils where he played in 1979 & 1980. There he was a two year starting pitcher/ first baseman and gained exposure to several NCAA Universities and professional scouts. In 1979 he was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies and signed that spring after graduating from Allen County. Mike played in the Phillies minor leagues in Helena, Montana in 1980 and was assigned to Spartenburgh, South Carolina when he was given his release in 1981. Upon his release from the Phillies, Mike played one year of summer ball with the Hays Larks before moving on to a business career in Information Technology. He graduated from Fort Hays University in 1985 and is now a manager of application development in the IT Department for the Kansas City Southern Railway in Kansas City. Mike is married to his wife Lauren and together they have 5 children (Rachel, Russ, Robbie, Rachel and Derrick) along with 10 grandchildren (and growing!). Jim Hondo Hess is the son of Gene and Effie Hess. He attended Thomas B. Doherty High School in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Jim graduated in 1978, and was selected as the Colorado Springs Gazette-Telegraph Metro Player of the Year that season. Jim transferred to Allen County from Arizona and played for the Red Devils from 1979-80. While at Allen County, Jim was a career.424 hitter while playing shortstop and pitcher. He was All-KJCCC in 1979 and 1980, All-KJCCC Tournament in 1979, and All-Region VI in 1980. Jim had the pleasure of playing at Allen County with 5 other players from his high school team, including his Hall of Fame Presenter Rick Langtry. Following his career at Allen County, Jim attended Western Kentucky University, where he played shortstop and pitcher. In 1982, Jim led the NCAA Division I in strikeouts, averaging 13.9 every 9 innings. In 1983, Jim was drafted by the Montreal Expos in the 16th Round, and signed to play professionally. Later that year, Jim was runner-up for the Rolaids Relief Pitcher of the Year Award for the New York-Penn League. Jim eventually reached AA with the Expos, before elbow and shoulder injuries ended his career. Jim graduated from Western Kentucky with a Bachelor s Degree in Business Administration, majoring in Management and Marketing. Following graduation, he attended Law School at Washburn University in Topeka, Kansas. Jim has practiced law in the Kansas City area since 1988, and currently is Senior Legal Counsel for CNA Insurance Company. Jim has been happily married to his wife Brenda for 21 years, and they live in Leawood, Kansas. The have two daughters, Paige 19, who is attending Oklahoma State, Hope 15, attending Shawnee Mission East High School, and one son, Ryan 13, attending Indian Hills Middle School. He has actively coached his children and their friends in numerous sports, including baseball, basketball and football. I want to thank Val McLean for bringing me to Allen County. His guidance gave me a wonderful opportunity to play a game I love. The level of competition was tremendous, and helped me grow as a player and person. I also want to thank my Allen county teammates for the enjoying the ride with me.
Jeff Dinkel was born and raised in Victoria, KS, the son of Alvin F. and Ruby Dinkel. He is the 9th of 10 children and the 8th of 9 BOYS! Though his high school dropped baseball as a sport after his sophomore year, Jeff continued his pursuit of his dream of playing professional baseball by playing for the Hays Legion, where he played with many future Red Devil teammates, and Hays Larks, where he was coached by Val McLean, before coming to Allen County. Jeff played one season at Allen County in 1981. Primarily a catcher, and sometimes third baseman, Jeff earned All-Region and All-American honors. After Allen County, he played at Grand Canyon University and was a member of the 1982 NAIA National Championship team. In1983, Jeff earned First Team All-American honors and was a 16th round draft pick by the N.Y. Mets. Jeff has been married to his wife, Dr. Dianne Dinkel, whom he met at Grand Canyon, for over 31 years. They have two adult children, AJ and Samantha, and four grandchildren. After retiring from the Mets in 1985, Jeff and his family lived in Phoenix until 1998 when they moved to Chicago and Jeff became a Financial Advisor with Edward Jones. Jeff holds an MBA from Grand Canyon University, has achieved certification as a Certified Financial Planner and is a Limited Partner with Edward Jones. While the path to the dream of playing professional baseball, held many twists and turns, ultimately every stop along the way was important and his time at Allen County was instrumental in helping make his dream a reality. Scott Vondemkamp was born in Seneca, Kansas, the son of Tom and Kay Vondemkamp. He grew up in Topeka, Kansas. At an early age he fell in love with any sport that involved a ball. His father and mothers love for sports was passed on to Scott and his three brothers. His skills were refined in his early years through his father s teachings, his mother s passion and by competing against his brothers. Scott attended Shawnee Heights High School in Tecumseh, Kansas where he played football and basketball. He was chosen to be on the All Centennial League, All 5A and All City football teams. He played summer baseball for American Legion Post 1, where he was a catcher and outfielder. Scott participated in the National Sports Festival representing the Midwest Baseball team in 1981 at Syracuse, New York. In 2011, he was recognized as being one of Shawnee County s top athletes. Scott was recruited by several colleges to play football, but chose to pursue his first love of baseball. With the support of his family, friends and youth coaches his skills, confidence and passion grew in baseball. It was Scott s relationship with other Topeka baseball players that afforded him the opportunity to be recruited to play baseball at Allen County Community College (ACCC). It was through their recommendations that Val McClain started recruiting Scott to play baseball at Allen County Community College. His baseball career at ACCC started in the fall of 1981 and ended in the spring of 1983 after the most successful team in ACCC history took third in the Junior College World Series. Scott was selected to the Jayhawk Conference, KJCCC Region VI and Junior College All American Team. Scott fondest memory of Allen County Community College was the trip that started with ACCC baseball team winning the Kansas State Junior College championship and ended approximately 30 days later after the ACCC baseball team returned home from their third place finish in the Junior College World Series. Scott stated, Although I was proud of my individual accomplishments, I take more pride in the accomplishments of the 1983 team. My 1983 ACCC teammates where great athletes; and great friends. Many have been life long friends. Scott was recruited by several major colleges and selected to continue his college academic and baseball career at The University of Texas Longhorns. Scott played in two NCAA College World Series for the Longhorns. He had the good fortune to play for two Hall of Fame coaches in Val McClain at ACCC and Cliff Gustafson at the University of Texas. It was through the teaching of these coaches, his parents and learning to compete that prepared Scott to prosper in his career. Scott has been employed by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Kansas for 25 years. Every day he applies to his work the education he received from ACCC and the experiences he learned through competing in baseball. Scott is a proud father of his two children, daughter Chloe and son Hunter. He and his children reside in Topeka, Kansas.
Coach John Masterson was born in Iola, Kansas to Frank and Leona Masterson in 1944. His lifetime cheerleader has been his sister, Jeanne, who is nine years his senior. John attended Iola schools where he played football. With no baseball in the high school at that time, he played summer baseball from Little League through American Legion. After a year at Iola Junior College, he left for Emporia State University (then Kansas State Teachers College) to pursue a degree in physical education /coaching and to pick up pine splinters on the football and baseball team s benches. At Emporia State he met Georgia McRae and they were married just before his graduation and pending active duty with the US Navy. He served two tours in Vietnam aboard the USS Mt. Katmi (AE-16) and upon his return to civilian life, enrolled in a Masters program in Guidance and Counseling at ESU. He completed his degree and worked in the Student Affairs division at ESU for three years, but the coaching bug kept biting. When the opportunity to coach baseball and serve as counselor at his alma mater presented itself in 1973, he jumped at it. John coached his first year with Joe Haynes, who had told him about the opening at Allen County in a Masters class in which they were enrolled at ESU. They were 4-10 that year; the first winning season in the college s short baseball history. Over the next three years John s teams amassed a 64-37 record. The solid core of sophomores he left Coach Val McLean, along with Val s recruits, won the Eastern Division of the Jayhawk Conference in 1978 with a 33-6 record. John left the college in 1977 to begin an eight year career in banking. He continued coaching the Iola American Legion team while banking and maintained a close relationship with the college. When he became weary of the economic woes of the area at that time and with encouragement from Allen County s President, in 1985 he returned to the college as Dean of Students and Athletic Director. In 1988 he became Vice President for Administrative Affairs, and in 1992 Allen s President. Masterson has said many times that the most fun four years of his working life were the ones he spent as coach of the Allen County Red Devils. He also says that the most prestigious title he has ever held is that of Coach. His love of baseball was a gift from his father, Frank, and John passed it on to his son, John Jr., who coached baseball for ten years at Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park. More than a dozen of Masterson s former college and American Legion players have gone on to make coaching a part of their lives professionally or through coaching American Legion teams. John still lives and dies with the wins and losses of his Red Devils. Go Red Devil Baseball! Keep Making History.
2013 First Class Hall of Fame 2013 inductees: Duane Wales, Rich Weisensee (father), Rod Rocket Rush, Joe Hanes, Dr. Valis McLean and Richard Thomas Inductee Coach Joe Haynes 1972-1974 Rich Weisensee Dr. Valis McLean Richard Thomas Rod Rocket Rush Duane Wales 1977-1978 1976- Current 1990-1991 1982-1983 1982-1983 2012 First Class Hall of Fame Inductee Judith Ross Bragg Elliott Chief Bass Red Devil #1 Fan 1971-1972 Mike Whipps 1971-1972 David Proctor 1983 Team 1987-1988 1983 World Series