New Sports Hall of Fame Members to be Inducted

Paul McGannon of the great Class of 1972 has been a highly-respected Athletic Trainer in Kansas City for more than 40 years, including his work with the NBA and the Kansas City Royals.  Paul founded Sports Rehab in KC in 1978 and began volunteering at The Rock and assigning one of his company’s trainers to Rockhurst Athletics. Paul officially joined Rockhurst’s staff in 2012 as the Athletic Trainer, and countless Rockhurst student-athletes have relied on Paul’s expertise to get them back on the playing field after injuries. Known for his fist-bump after taping each of the thousands of ankles and wrists each year, Paul’s expertise, care, smile and patience has made his training room the most popular place in the Hawklets Center for student-athletes.

 

Vince Hodes of the great Class of 1990 helped Rockhurst football make its dominant run in the late-80s. Vince was a three-year member of the Football Hawklets, playing safety and doubling as the place kicker. In his three varsity seasons, Rockhurst went 32-5 and made the State Finals twice. As a sophomore in 1987, Vince was the hero by booting a 40-yard field goal in the waning seconds of the Semifinal game that ousted Jefferson City 18-16 on its home field, and Rockhurst went on to win the State Title. Vince was named 2nd Team All-State his senior year as a defensive back, and is second in program history with seven interceptions in a season. He went on to play at the University of San Diego. 

 

John Teasdale of the great Class of 1997 was one of the most highly-recruited athletes in Rockhurst history, and for his incredible talent on both sides of the football was named a USA Today Honorable Mention All-American, 1st-Team All-State, All-Metro, and All-District following the 1996 season. Standing 6’6 and 255 pounds by his senior year, John was a three-year starter on the offensive and defensive lines, where he had the athleticism to play tackle, guard, tight end, and defensive end. His senior season he registered 33 tackles, 9 sacks, and 10 receptions for 143 yards. John was also a three-year starter on the basketball team, helping lead them to the State Quarterfinals his junior year. John went on to play football at Notre Dame.

 

Zach Frisch of the great Class of 2005 is the first Rockhurst athlete to win a State Championship for the Hawklets as both a player and as a coach. Zach was the Tennis State Doubles Champion his junior and senior seasons, and placed 2nd as a sophomore while helping the Hawklets win State Titles all four years of his career - bringing the program’s streak at the time to 10 consecutive titles. Zach was named to the KC Star’s All-Metro Team three times and still ranks 3rd in MSHSAA history for most doubles wins in a season, going 28-0 in 2004. His career varsity doubles record was 64-2 before playing college tennis. Zach returned to The Rock as head coach from 2012-2017, winning three State Championships, two 2nd Place finishes, and one 3rd Place finish, while holding a career coaching record of 85-8.

 

D.J. Hord of the great Class of 2005 is still revered as one of the best athletes in Rockhurst history, whose speed made him feared on both the football field and on the track. He was a four-year letterman in track, who by his sophomore season had broken the school records in both the 100-meter and 200-meter. He still holds both records, with blazing times of 10.35 and 21.17. D.J. placed in the top-4 at State in both the 100 and 200 in his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons. He was just as talented as a slotback and wide receiver.  D.J. was a three-year starter and member of the 2002 undefeated State Championship team, scoring an 81-yard touchdown in the Finals, a state record at the time. He then led the team in receptions and receiving yards in 2003 and 2004, averaging 20 yards per catch for his career, and went on to be named a US Army All-American and the Gatorade Missouri Football Player of the Year in 2004 before playing at Notre Dame.

 

Thomas Robinson of the great Class of 2006 is the first athlete from Rockhurst’s swim & dive program, the AquaHawks, to be inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame. As just a freshman, Thomas was a member of the 400 Free Relay Team that placed 3rd at State. As a sophomore he was on the AquaHawks’ first ever gold medal in the 200 Medley Relay, and also placed 2nd individually in both the 200 IM and 100 Backstroke. Thomas was pivotal in Rockhurst’s rise to dominance that began his junior year, winning the first of 11 consecutive State Titles. Thomas and his teammates broke the state record in the 200 Medley Relay, he again took 2nd in the 200 IM, and then he became the first AquaHawk to win an individual State Championship, with a gold medal in the 100 Backstroke. He then anchored the winning 400 Free Relay which was the deciding factor in The Rock’s first team title. As senior captain, Thomas was again a member of the State Champion 200 Medley Team. He finished his Rockhurst career as a nine-time All-American before swimming at Yale University. 

 

Conner Teahan ’07 - Basketball

Conner Teahan of the great Class of 2007 was at the core of Rockhurst Basketball’s run of three straight Final Four appearances. Conner is one of only three players in Missouri to win back-to-back Gatorade Basketball Player of the Year Awards. He burst on the scene as a sophomore after starting the season on JV, and by the end of the season was an All-District selection after scoring more than 17 per game in the playoffs as The Rock finished 4th at State. As a junior he was the go-to player for the 26-5 Hawklets, averaging 18.4 points per game and shooting better than 40% from deep with another 4th Place finish. His senior season was sensational; Conner averaged 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists per game en route to the Hawklets’ runner-up finish at State and was named Mr. Show-Me Basketball. Conner was also a standout quarterback, starting for two seasons and leading Rockhurst to a 16-5 combined record with 3,100 passing yards and 31 touchdowns. Conner went on to play basketball at Kansas and was a National Champion. 

Learn more about Rockhurst's Hall of Fame here.