Born March 28, 1904, Mexico, Mo. Died March 1, 1999

The coach at the University of Missouri for 26 years, Thomas "Tom" Botts developed the Tigers into one of the powers of the former Big Eight Conference.

During his coaching tenure, his teams won four indoor and four outdoor conference titles. His 1965 cross country team won the national collegiate (NCAA) title and his harriers also claimed a pair of Big Eight titles. Overall, he coached 27 All-American athletes. Botts was a graduate of Westminster College in Missouri, where he was an outstanding hurdler under Brutus Hamilton, also a Hall of Famer. Botts went to Missouri in 1941 as an assistant coach after coaching at Fort Scott (Kansas) Junior College from 1931 to 1941. He became the Tigers' head coach in 1944 and in 1961 was an assistant coach on the U.S. team that toured Europe. In 1970, Botts was the NCAA Coach of the Year and he retired two years later. He is also a member of the Drake Relays Coaches Hall of Fame.