By MATT PIKE
St. Joseph Post
A new class of the St. Joseph Sports Hall of Fame will be enshrined this weekend.
St. Joseph Sports Commission Executive Director Brett Esely says every class in the hall has something special about it, and the more he's thought about this one, the more he defines it as a gritty class
"They all come from a great background here in St. Joe, they all did elite things, and these were guys that had careers that expand longevity," Esely says on the KFEQmunnity show. "And I think you would assume that with most hall of fame inductees."
While Esely says this class is gritty, he says there's also one other thing that stands out about the 2025 class.
"You have folks in this class that were really good at what they did, but you have folks that were really good mentors and helped other people either achieve their best or just get to a level where they feel comfortable," Esely explains. "And I think that's a huge piece of what a hall of famer is, is you're great at what you do, but you're great at making people comfortable and better at what they do, and there's a lot of that in this class and all over it."
Esely says many in the class did this as mentors to others, using Bob Boyles as an example,
"Bob has a gym in his home, that's been his day to day job for a number of years, and he has trained athletes on all levels whether they be world class athletes, a unique thing is Rob Calloway, whose also in our class, worked with Bob for a while training wise, but you also have athletes that are just trying to reach personal fitness goals and stay in shape," Esely says.
Esely says Sunday's enshrinement ceremony is sure to bring a lot of great stories to tell and relive during the ceremony.
Nine individuals, one team, and one special Olympic athlete will have their names etched into the St. Joseph history books during Sunday's enshrinement ceremony.
There are still tickets available for the ceremony that can be purchased online for $25. The ceremony will take place on Sunday at the Stoney Creek Hotel and Conference Center from 5 to 7pm.
You can follow Matt on X @KfeqMatt and St. Joseph Post @StJosephPost.