Don Marrs -
Don Marrs was a three-sport letterman at Joplin High School in baseball, basketball, and track. In 1959 he played center field on the state championship baseball team. His 12’1” pole vault best stood for many years in the annual Springfield Relays. At the age of 19, Marrs signed a professional contract with Charlie Finley and the Kansas City Athletics. In 1961 he was named Minor League Player of the Year. After his baseball career, he turned to softball and developed into one of the most feared sluggers in the state. In 1972, at the National Fast Pitch Tournament in Dallas he was voted on the first team All American squad with a .700 batting average. In 1986, Marrs was elected to the ASA National Softball Hall of Fame.
Jess Eastman -
Jess Eastman was an excellent college basketball player, an accomplished basketball and football official, and for many years the physical director of the Joplin YMCA. Eastman was a member of Pittsburg State’s great teams in the late 1930s under the legendary coach John Lance. As a respected basketball official, he worked both high school and college games in an era when in some instances only one official worked the game. He became a regular official in the Missouri Valley and MIAA conferences. For almost 20 years he was associated with the Joplin YMCA and was instrumental in developing several programs including the Hi-Y organization, the Newsboys program, and the YMCA Open League for independent basketball teams. Eastman will also be remembered for bringing sports figures to Joplin to speak to the youth of the community.
Joan Thomas -
During her prime, Joan Thomas was the best woman golfer in the Tri-State District. She played in the United States Amateur Tournament and three Trans-Mississippi Amateur Championships. In 1963, Thomas finished second in the Missouri Amateur and was low amateur in the LPGA Southgate Open. She won the Women’s Tri-State tournament eight times and was medalist 12 times. Thomas was the club champion at Twin Hills Golf and Country Club 26 times. In 1955 she won the women’s amateur championship in Puerto Rico. Thomas became the president of the Missouri Women’s Golf Association in 1973 and was offered an honorary life membership to the Association. She was inducted into the Joplin Golf Hall of Fame in 1985.
Johnny Copeland -
Joplin’s “Irish” Johnny Copeland was a successful local amateur and professional boxer. A native of Joplin and a 1965 graduate of Joplin High School, he won multiple Golden Gloves championships in Joplin, Miami, and Springfield and was a four-time Golden Gloves champion in Kansas City. Copeland won the novice title at Kansas City in 1963 and took three prestigious open titles in 1964, 1965, and 1967. He reached the championship round in 1966, but suffered a broken hand in a semifinal victory and was forced to withdraw. Copeland reached the championship of the 1964 National Golden Gloves before losing a bid to represent the United States in the Olympic Games. As a professional he won 33 fights, including 6 by knockout. Copeland fought on the undercards of such talents as Sugar Ray Leonard and Danny “little Red” Lopez. His pro career included losses to world champions Antonio Cervantes and Aaron Pryor. Copeland was inducted into the 2002 class of the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame.
Steve Luebber -
Steve Luebber has been associated with major league baseball for 35 years. He was a brilliant right-handed pitcher at JHS and started at forward on Joplin’s renowned Missouri State Championship basketball team in 1967. Luebber signed with the Minnesota Twins organization in 1967 and moved up from the minors to the major leagues in 1971. He played five years in the majors, all in the American League, with the Minnesota Twins, Toronto Blue Jays, and Baltimore Orioles. Luebber played for 17 years as a major and minor league player. In the minor leagues he played in a 33-inning game, which is still considered the longest game in the history of professional baseball. His professional career consisted of a 4.63 ERA in 66 games. One highlight of his career in included throwing a no hitter for 8 2/3’s innings for the Minnesota Twins against the Texas Rangers. The Twins won the game 2 to 1. Currently, Luebber is a successful minor league pitching coach with the Texas Rangers.
Joplin High School 1939 boys’ basketball team -
The 1939 Joplin High School Basketball Team made school history by becoming its first state champion. JHS team captain Dick Bennett led the Joplin squad with 16 points. Four Joplin players were selected to the all state team: Bennett, Burns, Gaylon Enos, and Charlie Green. The 1939 state champs finished the season with 22 wins and only 2 losses. The lost road games at Rogersville and Pittsburg. The remaining members of the state champions were Loren Shaffer, Burleigh Detar, Don White, Bill Warren, Floyd Barnes, Bill Gideon, Louis Malone, Bill Brown, Don Hancock, and Coach Claude Elvin “Jiggs” Mikkelsen. Coach Mikkelsen left Joplin High School in 1940 with a record of 68 wins and 20 losses.