Bradford, Largent headline Putnam City's inaugural Hall of Fame class
Hall of Famer Steve L argent and He is man Trophy winner Sam Bradford headline Putnam Cit y School's inaugural Putnam City Athletic Hall of Fame class, the district announced Tuesday.
Eleven former star athletes and coaches in the school district will be inducted during a banquet Friday, Aug. 30, at Victory Church. Former Oklahoma City mayor Mick Cornett will emcee. Tickets are $40 and tables of eight are $400. For ticket information, call (405) 495-5200, ext. 1297 or visit www. pcf4kids.org.
Joining Bradford and Largent will be Jan Ross, David Diefenderfer, Mike Little, Mike Cutter, Brian Tall et, Mike Maddox, A.D. Burtschi, Cory Baze and Bob Shirley.
Largent, a former congressman who graduated from Putnam City, played 14 years in the NFL and set six career records and played in seven Pro Bowls.
Bradford won the He is man Trophy in 2008 at Oklahoma after a strong prep career at Putnam North. He was the first overall pick by the St. Louis Ram sin the 2010 NFL Draft. He played nine seasons in the NFL and retired this year.
Ross is entering her 24th season as a member of the OU women's basketball coaching staff. A Putnam West graduate who lettered in four sports, she's helped the
Sooners win si x Big 12 titles, four Big 12 postseason titles and appear in 19 NCAA Tournaments.
Die fender fer was a Putnam City graduate who returned to coach, spending nearly 40 years coaching wrestling, tennis and football. He won f our tennis ti tl es, including three with his girls teams.
Little was alongtime football coach who helped Putnam West and Putnam North rise to power. He won two state titles, completing undefeated seasons each time. he was inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1992.
A former running back at Putnam West who is now battling ALS, Cutter led the Patriots to their only state title in 1981. He rushed for more than
1,800 yards that season.
Tallet, another Putnam West graduate, was drafted four different times by MLB teams. He decided to play collegiately at LSU, where he helped win the 2000 College World Series. He played parts of nine seasons for three different MLB teams.
Maddox was a former basketball star at Putnam North who finished his career as the state's second- highest leading scorer. He was named a McDonald' s All-American, the state's player of the year, a three-sport All-State athlete, a Jim Thorpe Award winner and a Parade All-American.
Burtschi s pent more than 30 years coachi ng boys basketball at Putnam City, where he had 30 winning seasons
and led the Pirates to 22 state tournament appearances. The Pirates won four state titles under his guidance.
Baze, a Putnam North graduate, was a star on t he wrestling mat. He wrestled f our years at Oklahoma State, losing only 26 ti mes. He also wrestled in the 1990 Goodwill Games against Russia, helping the United States win gold.
Shirley graduated from Putnam City and played baseball at OU before becoming the first-round pick by t he San Diego Padres in 1976. He played 11 seasons in the big leagues for the Padres, Cardinals, Reds, Yankees and Royals. He later became a minor league coach. Shirley is the last MLB pitcher to start at least 20 games and make 20 relief appearances in the same season.