Herman A. "Buddy" Meyer (St. Mary's - 2010)

Former St. Mary's men's basketball coach Buddy Meyer was inducted into the Heartland Conference Hall of Fame in June of 2010 by a unanimous vote of the conferene presidents.

Coach Meyer was the head coach at St. Mary’s for 27 years (1978-2005). He also served as the Athletics Director at the school for 21 years, including the transition period from NAIA to NCAA Division II. 

Meyer was a key part of the St. Mary’s athletic tradition for 41 years . He played for the Rattlers in the 1960s and was the first St. Mary’s athlete to earn first team All-Conference honors for four consecutive years. He graduated in 1965, and a few years later, he was an assistant coach under Ed Messbarger. Meyer became the Rattlers head coach in 1978 and in 1980 he assumed the duties of athletics director.

Meyer ranks still ranks fifth on the St. Mary’s all-time scoring list with 1,581 points. Known for his dead-eye accuracy at the free throw line, Meyer came through in the clutch at the charity stripe in 1964, when his two free throws in the final seconds against East Texas State sent the Rattlers to the NAIA National Tournament for the first time in school history. The team went to the tournament a total of 16, including 13 times with Meyer as head coach. He was named Heart of Texas Coach of the Year nine times in his career.

Meyer’s teams won 530 games and lost only 252 (a 67.8 winning percent) over 27 seasons. He had a 424-188 record in NAIA games, placing him among the all-time leaders in wins in NAIA history. He was on the ground floor of a very successful program in the 1960s and has been a constant in the Rattlers’ success over the last three decades. His crowning moment came in 1989 when the Rattlers claimed the NAIA National Championship. He was also awarded the NAIA National Coach of the Year Award.

Meyer and his wife, Anna, have four children: Suzanne, Mary Beth, Jennifer and Bubba (former player and current assistant coach). He was indicted into the NAIA Hall of Fame as part of the 2009-2010 class.

Dr. Bruce Harger (Drury - 2003)

Dr. Bruce Harger of Drury University was inducted as the first member of the Heartland Conference Hall of Fame on August 1, 2003 by special proclamation of the conference’s Presidents Council.

Harger, who passed away in May of 2003 after a year-long battle with cancer, had served as Drury’s athletic director since the fall of 1988. 

During his tenure at Drury, Harger directed the program’s move from NAIA to the NCAA and oversaw the addition of seven varsity sports.  He also served with distinction as the Heartland Conference’s representative on the NCAA Management Council.

Harger graduated from DenisonUniversity in Ohio in 1960 and earned his master’s degree from PennState in 1964.  He completed his Ph.D. from The Ohio State University in 1971.

Harger enjoyed a distinguished career in the United States Air Force, retiring with the rank of colonel after having held command positions in NATO and the Strategic Air Command.


Ryan Flynn (Texas A&M International - 2016)

Ryan Flynn was a standout infielder from 2007-2009 and is now the leader of the Dustdevils program in his second season as head coach.
 
Flynn played 144 games, which ranks second all-time at TAMIU, and started every game in his career except one. He ranks first in batting average, RBI, walks, on-base percentage and defensive assists.
 
He also stands in the top five all-time in at-bats, slugging percentage, hits, runs scored, doubles and home runs.
 
He hit for the fourth- and fifth-highest batting averages in 2008 and 2007. He has two of the top 10 seasons in school history in in batting average, slugging percentage, hits and runs scored, and holds three of the top six single-season RBI totals.
 
His 13 doubles in 2008 are tied for the most in a single season, and he tied the fifth- and seventh-best walk totals in all three of his seasons with 27 in 2008 and 26 in both 2007 and 2009. All three of his single-season on-base percentages rank in the program’s top eight. Flynn is currently ninth all time for on-base percentage in the Heartland Conference.
 
Flynn, as a middle infielder, was a two-time first-team all-conference selection and served as the Dustdevils captain for two seasons. He was true leader on and off the field during his time at Texas A&M International.

In 2012, he took the role of assistant coach for the Dustdevils, bringing forth a new wave of talent and pride. He continued to build his presence in the Laredo Baseball Community by taking the role of player coach for the Laredo Lemurs in 2014. He always said he truly cared about TAMIU and the community, and had a desire to come back to his alma mater to lead the baseball program. In the summer of 2014, Flynn was named the head coach for the Dustdevils and has led the program since that time.


Kymberly Kling-Cavazos (St. Mary's - 2016)

Few have accomplished what Kymberly Kling-Cavazos did from 2002 through 2004, as the pitcher was a three-time All-American, three-time Heartland Conference Player of the Year, was named the 2003 National Softball Player of the Year and was chosen as a Top 25 Athlete of the Decade in NCAA Division II for the 2000’s. All while leading Rattler Softball to its second national championship — and the softball team’s first as a member of the NCAA — back in 2002 during St. Mary’s infancy in the Heartland Conference.­
 
And last month, she became just the second female in St. Mary’s Athletics history to have her jersey number retired when her No. 17 was lifted in the rafters.
 
Kling-Cavazos was rarely beaten during her time at St. Mary’s, posting a career record of 88 wins and 12 losses. Kym was not only dominant in the circle, but was a great hitter as well. In 2002, Kym led the NCAA in hits with 92, led the nation in doubles with 24 and led the country in RBI with 69. She also tied for the nation’s lead in victories that season, winning 35 games in the circle.
 
For her career, Kym graduated as the all-time Heartland Conference leader in countless hitting and pitching categories, including shutouts, strikeouts, wins, batting average, RBI, doubles and on-base percentage — and to this day, her career ERA of 1.11 still stands atop the Heartland Conference record book. 
 
In all, the St. Mary’s Hall of Famer graduated with 506 strikeouts, 88 victories, 29 shutouts and four no-hitters in 103 games started — not to mention the 159 RBI, 60 doubles and career batting average of .407 that she produced at the plate.

Having fulfilled her dream on the diamond, Kling-Cavazos is now living out her other dream: to teach. Kym teaches sixth-grade physical education and coaches seventh-grade volleyball, basketball and track at Hobby Middle School in San Antonio, where she and her husband, David, reside.