Lyndal Scranton, a Springfield native who has covered sports in the Ozarks for more than 35 years, will be inducted Dec. 13 into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
For the past two years, Scranton has covered Missouri State University and other local sports topics for the Hauxeda.
He earned his reputation during a 36-year career at the Springfield News-Leader, including serving as the paper's beat writer for MSU sports from 1989 until his departure in 2015.
His career at the News-Leader began while he was still a student at MSU. In addition to MSU sports, Scranton covered everything from bowling to auto racing. He has witnessed nearly every big sports moment in the region during the last 50 years.
Scranton is a graduate of Springfield's Central High School and was previously inducted into the Springfield Area Sports Hall of Fame.
Since leaving the News-Leader, Scranton has pursued an interest in live-fire cooking, participating in various barbecue contests in the region. He is co-host of the Tailgate Guys BBQ Podcast, and serves as PR Director for Lucas Oil Speedway in Wheatland.
Scranton will be among more than a dozen individuals honored at the Winter Hall of Fame Luncheon on Dec. 13 at the Oasis Hotel & Convention Center in Springfield.
Other inductees include former Missouri State University men’s basketball coach Barry Hinson, former longtime Highland Springs Country Club head golf professional Brian Maloney, former Kickapoo High School and Evangel University basketball standout NaTasha Neal and Ozark High School coach and athletic director Yancey Little.
The Hall of Fame also will bestow the Filbert Five Awards on 10 individuals who made significant contributions in the sport of basketball at the high school, collegiate and/or professional level. The award is named for the late Gary Filbert, a longtime basketball coach who at one time was an assistant to University of Missouri coach Norm Stewart (MSHOF Legend 2000), and was in instrumental in the start of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Association.
The women’s team of the Filbert Five Awards are: Lauren Aldridge Britton (Marshfield High School/University of Kansas/University of Missouri), Kristina Mingos Cunningham (Pembroke Hill High School/Florida Gulf Coast University/Rollins College), Alice Heinzler Harmon (Republic High School/College of the Ozarks/Drury University), Cassidy Johnson (West Plains High School/College of the Ozarks), and Nicole Lehman Osborne (Lamar High School/Missouri State University).
The men’s team of the Filbert Five Awards are: Todd Crighton (Rochester Adams High School (Mich.)/College of the Ozarks), Spud Harbour (Glendale High School/Evangel University), Chris Kendrix (Willard High School/Missouri State University/University of Minnesota-Mankato/Overseas), Byron Looney (Central High School/Evangel University), and Matthew Rogers (Doniphan High School/Southwest Baptist University/Overseas).
Additionally, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame will induct the 1964 and 1965 Buffalo High School Boys Basketball State Championship Teams, the 1986-1996 Era of Pleasant Hill High School Wrestling, the 2005 and 2006 Ozark High School Girls Basketball State Championship Teams, and the unbeaten 2009 Sparta High School Girls Basketball State Championship Team.