Move over, Mark Twain: Mizzou legend Norm Stewart joins Hall of Famous Missourians

The winningest head coach in the history of Missouri Tigers basketball — already a member of the College Basketball Hall of Fame — on Wednesday joined the Show Me State’s own shrine to greatness.

Longtime former Mizzou men’s hoops coach Norm Stewart became the 50th person inducted to the Hall of Famous Missourians in a special ceremony at the state capitol, Mizzou Athletics said in a news release.

Stewart has some august company in the Hall of Famous Missourians. Launched in 1982 with the induction of Mark Twain, it also includes President Harry S. Truman (1991); Walt Disney (1993); Laura Ingalls Wilder (1993); Sacajawea (1993); Walter Cronkite (1999); Stan Musial (2000); and Bob Barker (2007).

MU said Stewart was joined at Wednesday’s induction ceremony by his wife, Virginia, and family and former players Kim Anderson, John Brown, Derrick Chievous, Al Eberhardt, Greg Flaker, Bill Flamank and Gary Leonard.

Also on hand were former assistant coach Bob Sundvold; University of Missouri President Mun Choi; University of Missouri Board of Curators chair Robin Wenneker; and former MU football coach Gary Pinkel.

Stewart, who hails from Shelbyville originally, played both basketball and baseball at Mizzou and began his coaching career as a Tigers assistant. He then spent six years at Northern Iowa, known at the time as State College of Iowa.

Stewart ultimately found his way home ... and into the history books. He coached MU for 32 years beginning in 1967, leading the Tigers to a 634–333 record, 16 NCAA Tournament appearances, eight Big Eight regular-season titles and six conference tournament championships.

He was honored as conference coach of the year six times and was the Associated Press College Coach of the Year in 1994.

Stewart, who was diagnosed with colon cancer in 1989, is also lauded for joining with the National Association of Basketball Coaches to launch the Coaches vs. Cancer program.

The initiative remains vital more than 30 years later. MU’s news release on Stewart’s enshrinement noted that, to date, Coaches vs. Cancer has raised more than $150 million to fight the disease.