KXCV-KRNW's own John Coffey is one of six individuals to be enshrined among the best-of-the-best at Northwest Missouri State University this fall.
The Voice of the Bearcats received the nod as a member of the 2026 M-Club Hall of Fame Class along with other greats including Ben McCollum, Kim Spriggs, Maddy Bruder, Justin Pitts, Trevor Adams and the 2016-17 Northwest men's basketball team that won the program's first national championship.
Coffey was inducted into the Missouri Broadcasters Association's Hall of Fame in June. A Northwest Missouri State alumnus, he's called Bearcat games for more than 40 years. Coffey's tenure serving Northwest athletics includes covering the entire careers of all of his fellow inductees.
The induction banquet will be held in the J.W. Jones Student Union Ballroom Friday, October 30.
Trevor Adams – Football (2010-13)
Trevor Adams, a native of Odessa, Texas, and Permian High School, capped a spectacular student-athlete experience at Northwest with a national championship, Ken B. Jones Award and was named the NCAA D-II Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Adams was chosen as a finalist for the National Football Foundation's William V. Campbell trophy, recognized as the academic Heisman Trophy. At quarterback, Adams was a three-time Academic All-America selection that led the Bearcats to a 36-6 record, which included a 25-5 mark in the MIAA, and a perfect 15-0 season capped by the 2013 NCAA Div. II National Championship. Adams posted a program-best 18 touchdown passes in the NCAA Div. II playoffs and he ranks second in Bearcat history with 74 touchdown passes. He also ranks second in program history with 7,791 passing yards. Adams was a first-team all-MIAA pick and a Don Hansen's Gazette third-team All-America selection as a senior.
Maddy Bruder – Volleyball (2015-2018)
Maddy Bruder set the standard for Bearcat volleyball as she became the program's first AVCA First-Team All-America selection in 2018. Bruder, a native of Firth, Neb., was chosen as the MIAA Player of the Year in 2018. Bruder was a four-time first-team all-MIAA performer from 2015-2018. She was also Northwest's first AVCA all-region selection when she gained first-team status in 2018. Bruder ranks No. 4 in school history with 1,654 kills. She is No. 1 in program history in career kills per set (3.82), career attacks (4,727) and career attacks per set (10.91). She is fourth in points (1,822) and ninth in digs (1,306). She completed her career with 59 double-doubles. She was a four-time MIAA Scholar-Athlete award winner.
John Coffey – Bearcat Radio Play by Play (1985-pres.)
John Coffey has served as the Radio Voice of the Bearcats for more than 40 years and has called 508 consecutive Northwest football games entering the 2026 season. Coffey, a 1982 Northwest graduate and Albany, Mo., native, began his radio career at KXCV, the University's National Public Radio affiliate, as a student reporter. He was employed shortly after graduating from Northwest as a news director at a radio station in Fairbury, Neb. He returned to Maryville to work at KNIM Radio in 1983 and began calling Bearcat football games in 1985 – and hasn't missed one since. Coffey, an Albany, Mo., native, returned to KXCV-KRNW in 1999 to help launch the Bearcat Radio Network, and he has served as station manager since 2019. Coffey been a part of 10 national championship football and men's basketball teams in his time at Northwest. Coffey was inducted into the Missouri Broadcasters Association Hall of Fame this past June.
Ben McCollum – Head Men's Basketball Coach (2009-2024)
The trophies and titles piled up as high as the awards and accolades during the 15-year reign of head men's basketball coach Ben McCollum. The Storm Lake, Iowa, native guided the Bearcats to an elite level among NCAA Div. II teams with four national championships – including an unprecedented three-peat. McCollum posted a record of 394-91 which featured a 32-7 mark in NCAA Tournament play and a perfect 12-0 mark in Elite Eight games. He is the only five-time NABC National Coach of the Year in the history of NCAA Div. II basketball. He captured nine MIAA Coach of the Year awards. Three times he was honored as the Clarence "Big House" Gaines National Coach of the Year. McCollum led the Bearcats to 13 consecutive 20-win seasons, 10 25-win seasons and five 30-win campaigns. He guided the Bearcats to 12 MIAA regular season titles and eight MIAA Tournament championships. McCollum produced 10 MIAA Players of the Year, five MIAA Defensive Players of the Year, five MIAA Freshmen of Year, eight first-team NABC All-Americans and four NCAA Div. II National Players of the Year. After leaving Northwest, McCollum led the Drake Bulldogs to a 31-4 record, Missouri Valley Conference regular season and tournament titles and an NCAA Tournament victory over the Missouri Tigers. McCollum took over the Iowa Hawkeyes in 2025-26 and led them an Elite Eight appearance in the 2026 NCAA Tournament, which included a win over No. 1 seed Florida in the second round.
Justin Pitts – MBB Player (2013-2018)
Justin Pitts was the first Bearcat men's basketball player to be named the NABC's NCAA Division II Player of the Year in 2017. Pitts, a native of Blue Springs, Mo., was named Small College Basketball's Bevo Francis Award winner in 2017. Pitts was named the Most Outstanding Player of the 2017 Elite Eight as he helped guide Northwest to the school's first men's basketball national title with a 71-61 victory over Fairmont State in the championship game at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Pitts became the program's second player to capture NABC First-Team All-America status (DeShaun Cooper – 2014) with first-team status in both 2017 and 2018. Pitts was a three-time MIAA Player of the Year (2016, 2017, 2018). He was the first four-time first-team all-MIAA men's basketball player in program history. Pitts helped guide the Bearcats to four MIAA regular season titles and three conference tournament crowns. Pitts was the first Bearcat to eclipse 2,000 career points and finished his career as the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,459 points. He also left Northwest with the most career assists (575). Northwest went 114-18 (including 68-11 in MIAA regular season play) in his four seasons of competition. His Bearcat teams went 20-4 in MIAA/NCAA postseason play over those four years.
Kim Spriggs – Women's Track & Field (1987-89)
Kim Spriggs was a three-time NCAA All-America performer from 1987-1989. She was also a five-time MIAA champion. Spriggs placed third in the nation in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1988 NCAA Div. II Outdoor Track & Field Championships. She notched her second All-America honor as a part of the 4x800m relay at the 1988 NCAA indoor championships with a sixth-place finish alongside teammates Yoland Alexaner, Angela Howard and Venus Harris. She earned her first All-America accolade with a fifth-place finish in the triple jump at the 1987 NCAA indoor championships. Spriggs landed three MIAA titles as the league's 1988 outdoor meet as she finished first in the 100m hurdles, 400m hurdles and triple jump. She captured two more league crowns at the 1988 MIAA indoor championships in the 60-yard hurdles and triple jump. She is the only Bearcat woman to have captured both the indoor and outdoor MIAA titles in the triple jump. She was the top scorer (34.5 points) at the 1988 Northwest Open held at the Herschel Neil Track. She was a part of seven different school records, of which five still rank among the top-five performances in program history. She was inducted into the Pennsylvania Track & Field Hall of Fame. Spriggs tallied 13 state medals and seven individual state championships (100m hurdles in 1983; 100m hurdles in 1984; triple jump in 1984; long jump in 1984; 55m hurdles in 1984; indoor triple jump in 1984; 300m hurdles in 1985) competing at McConnellsburg High School in McConnellsburg, Pa. She attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M before transferring to Northwest.
Spriggs's Top Times
55-meter hurdles – 8.36 (set indoor school record) – 2nd all-time
Triple Jump – 38-4 (set indoor school record) – 5th all-time
1600m Relay – 3:57.15 (set indoor school record)
100-meter hurdles – 14.23 (set outdoor school record) – 4th all-time
400-meter hurdles – 1:00.02 (set outdoor school record) – 4th all-time
Triple Jump – 39-10.25 (set outdoor school record) – 3rd all-time
4x100M Relay – 48.12 (set outdoor school record)
2016-17 Men's Basketball National Champions
The 2016-17 Bearcat men's basketball team captured the program's first NCAA Division II National Championship with a 35-1 record. The Bearcats began the season by winning its first 24 straight games. Following an 88-71 loss at Missouri Southern on Feb. 18 in Joplin, Mo., Northwest ran off 11 consecutive wins to hoist the trophy at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Northwest set a league record with 28 consecutive MIAA victories in the 2016-17 season. The previous MIAA record was 19 set by Northwest in 1931. Northwest claimed the MIAA regular season title with an 18-1 mark. The Bearcats stormed through the MIAA Tournament with wins over Lincoln (80-76), Missouri Southern (67-63) and Central Missouri (69-61). For the first time in school history, Northwest served as the host for the 2017 NCAA Central Region Tournament in Bearcat Arena. Northwest narrowly escaped a first-round scare as it bested Upper Iowa in overtime (79-74). The Bearcats advanced to the Elite Eight with triumphs over Augustana (74-53) and Southwest Minnesota State (55-52). Northwest took down St. Thomas Aquinas (79-70) in the Elite Eight. Northwest downed Lincoln Memorial in the national semifinals, 79-67. The Bearcats recorded a 71-61 victory against Fairmont State in the national title game. Head coach Ben McCollum was named the NABC National Coach of the Year. Junior guard Justin Pitts was honored as the NABC National Player of the Year and the Bevo Francis Award winner. Zach Schneider captured second-team all-MIAA honors, while Chris-Ebou Ndow landed third-team all-MIAA accolades. Anthony Woods and D'Vante Mosby were all-MIAA honorable mention selections.
2016-17 MBB Roster
Brett Dougherty
Tyler Dougherty
Kirk Finley
Grant Graham
Ryan Hawkins
Xavier Kurth
Daric Laing
D'Vante Mosby
Chris-Ebou Ndow
Justin Pitts
Zach Schneider
Dray Starzl
Ryan Welty
Anthony Woods
Head Coach: Ben McCollum
Assistant Coaches: Austin Meyer, Andy Peterson
Graduate Assistant: Christian Phelps
Student Manager/Assistant: Cole Quick, Andrew Wright
Athletic Trainer: Nick Peters