2024 Hall of Fame
2024 Hall of Fame
Harvey Barger
A long time resident of Winfield, KS, Harvey started playing Frisbee in 1978. He initially played all sports including Ultimate, and helped form the Lost Planet Airmen. He then switched to disc golf and formed the Walnut Valley Disc Golf Association and was a co-founding member of KDGA. As a player, Harvey qualified for the Amateur National Disc Golf Championships in 1989. As a tournament director, his claim to fame is the 32 year running World Famous "Octoberfriz." Harvey also ran the first PDGA Amateur World Championships with an assist from Ed Headrick!
Robert “Bob” Decker
A life long Kansan from Wichita, Bob first exposure to flying discs was in the 60's with the "professional" Frisbee. From there he went on to play most organized sports, including guts, but settled on Disc Golf. While he was a KDGA state champion and 9 time PDGA winner in disc golf, he also was committed volunteer serving on many boards including the PDGA Board for 16 years including a 2-year stint as President.
Bruce Hudson
From Lawrence, KS, Bruce was introduced to flying disc sports while in college in 1978 at SW Missouri ST. Bruce played all flying disc sports and was a standout Ultimate player until devoting more time to disc golf in the 1980s. While living in Topeka, he formed the Dawn to Dusk Disc golf club and served as President and TD for years. He also spearheaded efforts to develop the Lake Shawnee disc golf complex. He is also on the board of the Kansas Disc Sports Scholarship Foundation. As a competitor, he qualified for the 1983 Disc Golf World Championships among many other accomplishments.
Jeremy Rusco
An Emporia resident and a scholarship athlete at both Fort Hays State and Emporia State, Jeremy was introduced to Disc Golf in 2002 while a student at Fort Hays. It was in Emporia though, that his entrepreneurial drive took over and Dynamic Discs was created. From there, he put Dynamic Discs on the forefront of Disc Golf creating one of the worlds top brands and through that put the city of Emporia and the State of Kansas on the map. Jeremy was a fierce competitor and won the 3rd Glass Blown Open in the Intermediate division. He also was the TD/assistant TD for 171 PDGA tournaments. He recently purchased the Emporia Country club and transformed it into Champions Landing, creating an active lifestyle destination in Emporia. Jeremy is an Eagle Member of the PDGA
Chris “Smitty” Smith
Chris is a lifelong Kansan and currently lives in Wichita. He was introduced to the sport as a cross country runner at Fort Hays State where he saw people playing at Frontier Park. He and his friends went to Walmart to purchase discs and the rest is history. He has won the Kansas Disc Golf Championships multiple times and recently won the 2023 MP50 World Championships. He has volunteered with the KDGA, the PDGA and ACDGC and has run many tournaments and leagues. He has also helped design and develop or redevelop over 7 courses in the State of Kansas.
Rich Smith
From Overland Park, Rich began playing Frisbee in the late 1970s in Topeka. He is considered one of the top freestylers from the State of Kansas, competing nationally in the FPA, but he was also an Overall, Ultimate and Guts player. Over the years, he performed dozens of demonstrations, halftime shows and lectures about Flying Discs sports. He was a Kansas State Champion and placed nationally in Freestyle, Discathon, Disc Golf and Overall competitions. In 2022, he placed 2nd in his age group in the WFDF Overall World Championships. He is founder and president of the KS Flying Disc Association and is the retired President/CEO of Henderson Engineers in Lenexa. Rich is an Eagle Member of the PDGA.
KSU Aerial Wizards
In 1975 a group of Frisbee enthusiast got together at Kansas State University and began playing Ultimate and in addition later set up a disc golf course that on the campus. They decided upon the name Aerial Wizards for their team and began competing throughout the Midwest, holding tournaments and making a name for themselves. For 49 years the Aerial Wizards (shortened to the Wizards today) have been introducing students to Flying Disc Sports on the campus of KSU and instilling a passion of Frisbee that continues in their lives today. Members have moved across the country spreading the good word of Frisbee they were introduced to while in Manhattan. The greatest achievement the Aerial Wizards ever accomplished was bringing together a multitude of like-minded Frisbee enthusiast who not only have continued to play throughout all these years but have formed incredible bonds of friendship that have lasted the test of time all due to a simple piece of plastic in small town on the prairie known as Manhattan.
