CHESTER BARNARD
Football, Basketball and Track, 1914-18
Inducted October 8, 1977

The Southwest Missouri State record for the highest winning percentage in a single basketball season by an SMS team is .929, accomplished by teams which won 13 of 14 games during the seasons of 1917-18 and 1923-24.  The late Chester Barnard was the captain of the first of those two teams and returned to his alma mater as the coach of the second record club.  A native Springfieldian, he was a three-sport standout at SMS between 1914 and 1918, winning a total of 11 letters in football, basketball, and track.  In football, he was a member of the 1914 club that was unbeaten, untied, and unscored-upon in six straight games.  An end, halfback, fullback, quarterback and kicker at various times in  his SMS career, he scored on a 90-yard kickoff return in the 97-0 rout of Marionville College in 1915 and picked up the Bears’ second touchdown in a 15-7 Thanksgiving Day win over Drury.  Playing at a guard position, he was one of the top scorers SMS had in basketball and his last three years he helped SMS to a combined record of 38-7 with two state titles.  He was also a standout in track as a pole vaulter and middle distance runner and was the captain of the SMS team in 1915.  He missed his senior track campaign when he enlisted in the Navy.  Barnard passed away in October of 1952.