William Jewell College Athletics

Mark K. Stipetich, a native of Kansas City, KS, led the William Jewell basketball and baseball teams after graduating from Rockhurst High School in 1971. His athletic record and leadership have guided succeeding athletes through a legacy of excellence.

During the 1971072 season Mark completed a successful year on the Cardinal basketball team, which won the Southwest Baptist Invitational Tournament and was selected for the District 16 play-offs. The team finished the year with a 16-9 record and 11-3 in the conference. In baseball, Mark led the pitching staff, which posted a 9-3 conference record and a second place finish in the Heart of America Athletic Conference.

As both a front line pitcher and leading batter, Mark pushed the 1973 baseball team through the season, which began with three wins and five losses. However, the Cardinals triumphed with an 8-1 record in the next nine games.

Mark led the 1973-74 basketball team through a victorious season with a record of 15-9 and second place in the HAAC with a 10-2 record. With his outstanding pitching, Mark strengthened the 1974 baseball team, which marked a 22-6 season and won the HAAC championship.

The 1974 basketball team, one of Jewell’s finest, compiled a perfect 12-0 conference record and won the HAAC championship. In a game against Missouri Western, (which had defeated the Cards twice before in the season), Mark led John Hickman’s “Cinderella” team to a 76-75 win with 26 points. Facing UMKC later in the season, Mark’s two free throws defeated the opponent in the last five seconds with a score of 64-62. Then, in the district championship, Mark hit a 25 footer against Drury during the last second of the game, forcing it into overtime. The Cards won by nine points with a score of 79-70.

Mark was selected to the All-Conference first team for basketball in 1975 and led the Missouri Senior All-Stars in a victory over the Kansas Senior All-Star team later in the season. His extraordinary leadership guided the basketball and baseball teams to record-breaking seasons.

Mark and his wife, Connie, reside in Overland Park, KS. Their daughter, Sheena, works in the sales department of the Coca-Cola Company of Lenexa, Kansas.