ShawneeDispatch.com

Shawnee Mission North inducted four coaches into the school's new Coaches Hall of Fame at halftime of the boys basketball game against Shawnee Mission Northwest.

For the coaches that could be in attendance and for their families, the night seemed like a homecoming celebration.

Hundreds of well-wishers clad in red and black crowded the North gym and the reception afterward as former coaches Merlin Gish, Beverly Plump, Larry Taylor and Bernadette Wagner were honored at Friday evening's ceremonies.

During halftime, the honorees - including the late Merlin Gish's wife, Myril - were escorted into the gym North's national champion junior ROTC team.

The escort lent the proceedings an air of formality while the outpouring of affection from Indian fans, and the enthusiastic introductions of Shawnee Mission North alum and daytime sports talk show host Kevin Kietzman allowed supporters to voice their appreciation.

The list of each coach's honors was numerous and revealed there was no mystery as to why they were being chosen.

During his time as head track coach, Gish guided his teams to three state championships and five Sunflower League crowns. As an assistant football coach Gish was part of six state champions and seven Sunflower League title teams. The track at the Shawnee Mission District Stadium on North's campus bears his name.

Plump coached her softball and volleyball squads to 447 wins and only 122 losses during her time at North. Her 220-62 softball record featured three State champions and five Sunflower League trophy holders. In volleyball, her squads went 227-60 and earned two State runners-up trophies.

Former head football coach Taylor, a legend in the KC metro area high school coaching ranks, was a no-brainer for the North selection committee. During his tenure as head coach, Taylor's teams amassed a record of 110 wins against only 31 losses. He coached four State Champion Squads - including three undefeated campaigns - and one State runner-up.

Taylor also earned seven Sunflower League crowns for the Indians, and he was honored in 2006 when the field at North's District Stadium was named after him.

As North's gymnastics head coach, Bernadette Wagner guided her team to two State Championships and seven Sunflower League titles.

An assistant track coach for several years, Wagner helped guide two State Championship teams and personally coached seven individual State Champions. When she was asked to coach the school's divers, Wagner's guidance was equally as impressive as she helped two divers to individual State titles.

At the reception after the Indians' loss to the Cougars on the basketball court, coaches, families, friends, and former players all gathered to celebrate a special night for the North athletic family. Visiting her coaching alma mater from her home in Scottsdale, Arizona, Plump took a break from visiting with her family to reflect on the evening.

"My family never got to so me compete as an athlete at KU," said Plump, a former Jayhawk letter-winner, "nor were they able to see me coach at North. So I brought them all back for the Hall of Fame and it means everything to me.

"My 94-year-old father is here with me, and my two older brothers, and my twin sister. It's a lifetime memory. With the likes of Larry Taylor, Merlin Gish, and Bernadette Wagner, it's a truly humbling experience. I'm extremely proud to be here. It's just like a coming home to me."

Taylor was equally as humbled by the events surrounding his induction and spoke about the bond of North's family of alumni coaches and athletes.

"It was a great experience," Taylor said. "It's the people here that I haven't seen in years and years and years.

"That's the great part of it. The honor's nice, but seeing all the people is great. I think the North people have always had a terrific bond. Those were great years the times that I was here."