Former Fort Hays State standout football player Steve Crosby will be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame on Saturday, July 25 in Wichita. Crosby is one of 32 individuals being inducted in the Class of 2026. He is already a member of the FHSU Tiger Sports Hall of Fame, inducted as part of the inaugural class back in 1986.
 
Crosby was one of the top offensive players in Fort Hays State history, finishing with 2,780 career rushing yards and 27 total touchdowns from 1970-73. As a senior in 1973, he earned AP All-America honors by rushing for 1,024 yards. He played at Kansas State University for a season before transferring to Fort Hays State for the remainder of his collegiate career.
 
Crosby was one of the top high school players in the state of Kansas, earning 8-Man Player of the Year honors at Pawnee Rock High School, a rural school that closed for consolidation back in 1972. Crosby is a native of Pawnee Rock.
 
Following his time as a student-athlete at Fort Hays State, Crosby went on to a long and successful career of 33 years in the National Football League (NFL). He was a player in the NFL for three years with the New York Giants, then served as a scout for four years before his long tenure as an assistant coach for 26 years, which included positions with the Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Browns, New England Patriots, and San Diego Chargers. He coached under a several NFL legends, including Bill Belichick, Don Shula, and Marty Schottenheimer to name a few. In 2007, Crosby was the NFL Special Teams Coach of the Year while with the San Diego Chargers. Crosby also spent four years as the offensive coordinator at Vanderbilt University from 1998-2001, a four-year span bridging the gap between two of his assistant coaching jobs in the NFL.
 
The 2026 Kansas Sports Hall of Fame class will be the largest ever inducted. The 32 selections will be honored at one of three events this summer:

• July 18 at Legends Field in Kansas City, Kan., seven Kansas baseball legends will be inducted in conjunction with a Kansas City Monarchs game.
• July 25 at the Kansas Star Casino near Wichita, sponsored by Kansas Star Casino. Retired Wichita Eagle columnist and KFH radio host Bob Lutz will interview the honorees designated for this event.
• August 16 in the Huhtamaki Shield Club at Sporting Park Kansas City, Kan., sponsored by Sporting Kansas City. Nate Bukaty, Kansas City - based broadcaster and national voice of MLS soccer will interview the inductees designated for this event.

Crosby will be honored at the July 25 ceremony near Wichita. Inductees joining Crosby at this event includes…
 
Bob Barratti – 7-time Kansas state high school champion in track and field and 2-time champion in cross country. Broke Jim Ryun's high school half mile record.
 
Greg Brummett – 1989 College World Series MVP with Wichita State. Played professionally and coached at Cloud County Community College.
 
Judy Dyer – Qualified for the 1968 Olympics in the 80-meter hurdles. From Topeka and competed at Texas Southern, where she was an NAIA national champion.
 
DeAngelo Evans – Holds Kansas high school record for career rushing yards with 8,472 and set the touchdowns record at 131. 1996 Big 12 championship game MVP at Nebraska and finished career at Emporia State.
 
Maurice Evans – Helped Wichita Collegiate to the 1996 Kansas 3A state basketball title. Started his collegiate career at Wichita State and finished at Texas. Played in the NBA nine years and internationally for two years.
 
C.J. Hamilton – Winningest high school football coach in Kansas all-time. Won 447 games over 47 years at Silver Lake High School.
 
Mike Kennedy – Retiring this year after 46 years as "Voice of the Shockers" for Wichita State. Two-time Kansas Broadcaster of the Year.
 
Nathan Leeper – Two-time Kansas state high jump champion at Protection High School. NJCAA national indoor and outdoor champion at Dodge City Community College and NCAA outdoor national champion at Kansas State. 2000 U.S. Olympic team member.
 
Ricky Ross – One of the best high school basketball players from Wichita and played collegiately at Kansas and Tulsa. McDonald's All-America selection in high school.
 
Also being inducted into the Hall of Fame this year at the August 16 ceremony is long-time collegiate volleyball coach Ray Bechard, a graduate of Fort Hays State University. A native of Grinnell, Kansas, Bechard played basketball at Barton County Community College before attending Fort Hays State University, where he obtained both his bachelor's and master's degrees. Following his years of school at FHSU, Bechard coached at Lewis High School before heading Barton County Community College for 13 years, where he was national coach of the year twice. He went on to coach the University of Kansas for 27 years and was the Big 12 Coach of the Year five times and national coach of the year in 2015. His Jayhawk teams made 13 NCAA appearances, including a national semifinal appearance in 2015. Bechard is also a member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.