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JEWELL
STUDENT TRADES CLEATS FOR A STETHOSCOPE
Few professional athletes would willingly
put their careers on hold to return
to the college classroom. But that's
the path Jewell student Casey Barton
has chosen. A three-year player for
the Kansas City Comets professional
indoor soccer team, Casey hung up
his cleats to join William Jewell's
accelerated nursing program.
"I love playing soccer, but I
realize that a day will come when
the only game I'll be able to play
is in the over-40 co-ed league,"
he says with a laugh. Casey reports
that the Comets are taking two years
off to wait for a new arena to be
built in Overland Park, Kahn. When
that announcement became public, there
was a dispersal draft for all the
local players, and Casey was picked
up by the Philadelphia Ix."I
am excited about the opportunity to
go out there next season because |
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they
are one of the top clubs in the league,"
he adds.
Before joining the Comets, Casey, a Wichita
native, earned an undergraduate degree in
business administration with an emphasis in
sports management from Tabor College in Hills,
Kahn. At Tabor, Casey made All-Conference
all four years, NAIA All-Region two years
and NAIA All-American Honorable Mention two
years. In 1999, he was the Tabor College Male
Athlete of the Year. Last season with the
Comets, Casey led the team in games played,
blocks, fouls and penalty minutes. "I
guess the fouls and penalty minutes are not
highly regarded stats, but my roommate and
I had a constant battle for who was the toughest
player in the league, and fouls and penalty
minutes were our benchmark. I did lead the
league in fouls, but only because my roommate
had a season-ending injury-it would have been
close," he says, laughing.
So why would he quit during his prime competitive
years to go back to school? Because he knows
how fleeting a professional sports career
can be. And he's willing to take a year out
of his current career to prepare for the many
years down the road when soccer won't be paying
the bills. "It's been a huge sacrifice,
but I know it will be worth it come graduation
this May," he says.
Jewel's one-year accelerated program fit Casey's
career plan perfectly. Of the area's similar
programs, Jewel's is the only one condensed
into one year. The college's location and
first-class credentials made Jew ell an easy
choice. "Right program, right location,
right accreditation-Jewel was right for me,"
he says.
The BSN-AT (Accelerated Track) option within
the Bachelors of Science in Nursing program
began in 2003, offering a second degree to
students with a college degree from an accredited
institution and who had completed a maximum
of seven prerequisite courses. Dr. Meld God
frey, professor of nursing and chair of the
department, is very pleased with the results
to date. Dr. Godfrey shares, "A program
like this is designed for a person such as
Casey. We are pleased that our licensing pass
rates from our accelerated program are running
parallel to, or in some cases, exceeding,
the licensing pass rate of our BSN (traditional)
classes."
The nursing field's vast opportunities and
varied work environments attracted Casey.
He's watched friends with four-year business
degrees spend years searching for the right
job opportunity. On the other hand, nurses,
he says, can write their own ticket provided
they're motivated to put in the work and sacrifice
necessary to get there. He plans to begin
his nursing career in the surgical intensive
care unit. "Working in the ICU requires
a nurse to be at the top of his or her game,
constantly assessing, evaluating, critically
thinking and autonomously implementing new
plans of care," he explains.
Nursing is the perfect match for Casey's active
lifestyle. "I can't sit at a desk,"
he says. He looks forward to a nursing career
where he can make a tangible difference in
someone's life. "Nursing is all about
caring for people who can't help themselves
and teaching people how to help themselves
and live independent, productive lives,"
he says.
Casey finds the accelerated nursing program
a welcome challenge. He thanks a supportive
family for helping him through the difficult
study and clinical hours. "I don't recommend
anyone trying to take on this program alone,"
he adds.
After graduation, Casey plans to return to
his soccer career. "Athletically, I'm
in my prime and I want to play as long as
I can," he says. This year he has altered
his diet and workouts to compensate for time
away from the field. Frequenting the Jewell
weight room is one of his only hobbies. The
indoor soccer season doesn't begin until November,
so Casey plans to start his nursing career
after graduation and hopes to work part-time
during the season.
"The Lord has given me everything I have,
and I was blessed with the talents to play
soccer," he reflects. "The sport
has taught me so much through the years, and
I hope I can bring my talents and life experiences
to a long and productive nursing career."
WILLIAM
JEWELL LINKED TO TWO MEMBERS OF MISSOURI
SPORTS HALL OF FAME'S CLASS OF '06
The late Norris Patterson, athletic
director at William Jewell College
from 1950 to 1968, and Bill Snyder,
retiring K-State football coach and
member of the William Jewell class
of 1962, were inducted February 12
into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame
during ceremonies at the University
Plaza Convention Center in Springfield,
Mo.
"William Jewell is honored to
count these two influential men in
the athletic arena among those who
have enjoyed a significant and long-term
relationship with the college,"
said Dr. James Redd, director of athletics
at William Jewell. "Norris Patterson
was a pioneering advocate of the single
wing style of football, and of course
Bill Snyder's achievements at K State
are legendary. Both men have left
legacies that are virtually impossible
to measure."
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After spending four years as a high school
football coach and posting an overall record
of 34-3-1, Norris Patterson moved up to the
college ranks to take the reigns of the William
Jewell College Cardinals in 1950. He spent
18 years at Jewell, amassing an impressive
134-33-10 record. Under his leadership, the
Cardinals won 13 conference titles and finished
as runner-up five times. The late Dr. Patterson
is a member of the NAIA, NACDA Athletic Directors,
Missouri Valley College, and William Jewell
College Halls of Fame. The Cardinal football
field, Patterson Field, is named in his honor.
Following his retirement from coaching in
1968, Patterson returned to William Jewell
in 1975 to assist in the fundraising and construction
of the Mabee Center for Physical Education.
He died in 2000 at the age of 82.
St. Joseph native Bill Snyder was hired in
1988 to turn around the worst program in major
college football history-the only program
with 500 losses-the Kansas State University
Wildcats. Seventeen years later, Coach Snyder
became K-State's all-time winningest football
coach with 136 wins, leading the Wildcats
to 11 consecutive bowl game appearances. Snyder's
impressive resume includes being named Coach
of the Year by the Associated Press, ESPN
and CNN, Big Eight Coach of the Year in 1990,
1991 and 1993, and Big 12 Coach of the Year
in 1998 and 2002. Snyder was a standout football
player at William Jewell College.
BILL
SNYDER TO BE INDUCTED INTO KANSAS SPORTS HALL
OF FAME IN JUNE
The Kansas Sports Hall of Fame (KSHOF) has
announced members of its Class of 2006. They
will be enshrined in ceremonies on Saturday,
June 3, 2006 in Wichita. The KSHOF Class of
2006 is composed of 14 coaches and athletes,
bringing the total number of enshrinees in
the state Hall of Fame to 155. Those scheduled
to attend the induction ceremonies include:
Darren Daulton, Bobby Douglass, Howard Engleman,
Natasha Matson Fife, Catherine Fox, Bill Hougland,
Xavier McDaniel, Jack Mitchell, Bill Morse,
Bill Snyder and Marian Washington. In addition,
three members will be inducted posthumously:
Charlie Richard, Luther "Dummy"
Taylor and Otto Unruh.
"We are thrilled to introduce this accomplished
class of new inductees, whose impact resonates
across our state and beyond," said Ted
Hayes, executive director of the KSHOF. "For
many Kansans, sports is a true passion and
is engrained in who we are. The Kansas Sports
Hall of Fame is so much more than a collection
of memorabilia. It is dedicated to honoring
sports heroes like these 14 and preserving
the history of sports for the state to serve
as a source of education and inspiration."
Bill Snyder was a three-time national football
Coach of the Year and five-time Big-8/12 Coach
of the Year, leading K-State to 11 consecutive
bowl games in 17 seasons with 11 finishes
in the AP top 20 in national rankings. Snyder
won more games as K-State coach than all 12
of his predecessors combined. He coached 33
AP All-Americans and 42 NFL draft picks.
Tentative times of induction day events on
Saturday, June 3 are as follows:
| 1:30
p.m. |
Induction
Ceremony, followed by Autograph session
Location: Kansas Sports Hall of Fame
- John Q. Hammons Plaza - 238 N. Mead,
Old Town -- Wichita
(In case of inclement weather, event
will be held at the Hilton Wichita
Airport Hotel) |
| 7:30
p.m. |
Formal
Inductee Banquet
Location: Hilton Wichita Airport Hotel |
For information or to order tickets for the
ceremony/autograph session ($15 adults, $5
children) or banquet ($125 per person), contact
the KSHOF at (316) 262-2038 or www.kshof.org.
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