Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame

Two standout athletes and a former coach were inducted into the Tiger Athletic Hall of Fame during ceremonies Feb. 12. Lavonna Jacobs-Baden, Jan Chapman, and the late Dan Stark were inducted during halftime of the men’s basketball game. A luncheon was held for the three inductees’ families and friends earlier in the day.

Following is a capsule look at each inductee:
Lavonna Jacobs-Baden played softball, volleyball and basketball at Cowley from 1984-1986. She was an All-American shortstop for the Lady Tiger softball team in 1985, and set the school record for most walks (36) during the 1986 season. The Cowley softball team was Jayhawk Conference Eastern Division champions each of her two years. She also was an All-Region VI volleyball selection as a freshman and sophomore, and helped the Cowley volleyball team to a share of the conference title in 1985. In basketball, she finished in the top 10 in the nation in rebounding as a freshman, and was a member of the 1985-86 Jayhawk East champion basketball team. She is the team leader for the billing department of the Motorola Radio Support Center in Rockford, Ill., and resides in Poplar Grove, Ill.

Jan Chapman played football, basketball, and ran track at the college in 1954 and 1958. A standout member of the Tiger football team as a freshman, Chapman went on to serve in the U.S. Navy. After that, Chapman re-enrolled at Arkansas City Junior College in the spring of 1958. He went on to compete in track, and was undefeated in the javelin. He went on to win the Kansas State and National Junior College Championships in the javelin. After ACJC, Chapman competed in football, basketball and baseball at the University of San Diego, where he was inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995. Following graduation in 1961, he signed a short-lived free agent contract with the San Diego Chargers. Chapman then went on to a 37-year teaching career, and has coached football, basketball and track. He is the co-head coach for the Southwestern Community College football team in Chula Vista, Calif.

Dan Stark served as men’s basketball coach at ACJC from 1923-1943, and 1945-1946, and retired as the school’s all-time leader in wins (201). Stark also coached track at the college. During his time as head basketball coach, Stark compiled a record of 201-146. He guided the Tigers to their best single-season winning percentage (.905) in school history during the 1935-36 season, as the team finished 19-2. He also guided the Tiger basketball team to two conference championships. He taught chemistry, math and physics at ACJC up until his retirement in 1964. He died in 1979. Stark’s widow Audra, who was in the first graduating class at ACJC and helped campaign to get the school certified as a degree college, resides in La Grange, Ga. Audra was accompanied by her two sons, Dan Jr. and Jack, to accept the plaque.

Spring 2005