Baseball | July 1, 2024 11:35 AM
July 1, 2024 – One of the architects of Emporia State University’s baseball success will be one of 12 inductees into this year’s Kansas Sports Hall of Fame. Hornet baseball coach Dave Bingham will be honored during the KSHOF induction ceremony at the Hotel Topeka City Center in Topeka, Kansas, on Oct. 13. He will be the 22nd Hornet to be inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame.
Dave Bingham was a part of seven Hornets NAIA World Series teams as a player and coach. He led the Hornets to the World Series as a player during his junior and senior years before coaching Emporia State to five World Series appearances. His Hornets won the 1978 NAIA National Championship and were national runners-up in 1987.
Bingham’s coaching career began as an assistant in 1970 after his playing days at ESU. He returned to Emporia in 1972 after a brief stint with the Washington Senators. Bingham was named head coach after the 1973 season. From 1974-1987, Bingham compiled a record of 557 wins, 270 losses and 2 ties, including eight CSIC championships, 11 District 10 titles, five Area III championships and an NAIA national championship in 1978. He was named District 10 Coach of the Year 11 times, Area III Coach of the Year six times and was named NAIA National Coach of the Year three times, in 1976, 1984 and 1986.
Bingham gained international acclaim as an assistant coach for the United States baseball team in 1979, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1987 and 1988. He was an assistant on the team that won the silver medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and the team that won the gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics. He was the head coach of that team in 1984 when the U.S. baseball team won the bronze medal at the World Baseball Championship.
Bingham left ESU after the 1987 season to become the head coach at the University of Kansas. From 1988-1995, he led Kansas to a 249-225 record and led the school to two NCAA Tournament appearances, the first in school history, as well as the Jayhawks’ first appearance in the NCAA College World Series in 1993.
After leaving Kansas, he founded the Bingham Baseball Academy in 1995. He returned to college as an assistant coach at the University of New Mexico in 2004, then served as an assistant coach at the University of Nebraska from 2005-2011.
Bingham joins 11 others elected to the KSHOF Class of 2024. The other members are:
Eric Kinard – Olympic gold medalist, high jumper, Kansas State University
Melvin Lister – Leavenworth High School, Butler County CC, Arkansas national long jump champion
Mark Mangino – Kansas head coach who was named Oklahoma’s assistant football coach of the year and won the Orange Bowl.
Ron Nugent – World University Swimming Championships gold medalist and American record holder for Kansas
Kelly Rankin – The only American to have been head starter in two Olympic Games
Scott Russell – Canadian NCAA champion and Olympic qualifier in the javelin at Kansas.
Kevin Sanders – U.S. Paralympic bronze medalist and record holder
Will Shields – A veteran from Kansas who played in the NFL for 14 years with the Kansas City Chiefs and was inducted into both the college and NFL Hall of Fame.
Sean Snyder – Punter of the Year and National Special Teams Coach at Kansas State University
Mark Turgeon – All-State basketball player at Topeka Hayden High School, four-time NCAA Tournament appearance at Kansas, head coach and conference coach of the year at Missouri Valley (Wichita State) and Big Ten champion (Maryland).
Annette Wiles – Two-time NAIA Basketball All-American and NAIA Tournament MVP at Fort Hays State University
The induction ceremony will be held at the Hotel Topeka City Center on Sunday, October 13, 2024, with a reception at 5 pm and the induction ceremony at 6 pm. The addition of the 12 members brings the total number of athletes inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame to 340. The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame has been in operation for 63 years and is located at the Wichita Boathouse.
Tickets for the reception and induction ceremony are $100 and will be on sale at www.kshof.org beginning Monday, July 15. For information about ticket packages and sponsorship opportunities, please contact KSHOF Chairman Jim Dunning, Jr. at 316-641-0162.
KSHOF is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization (EIN 41-2060659) that allows donors to receive tax benefits for their donations. Donations support programs that educate youth and the community about Kansas athletes and outreach to the community.
