Athletic Hall of Fame Winners: 2005
Brandon Beza
Brandon Beza was a Cougar basketball player from 1991-95, and became the fourth member of the Cougar Basketball Century Club by finishing with a career record of 104-36 (.743). Beza was selected for all-conference in his junior and senior seasons and named third team All-American in his senior season. Beza played in every game during his four-year career and now ranks fourth in career points (1,593) and fifth in career rebounds (581). After his senior season, Beza became an assistant coach for the men’s basketball team for the 1995-96 season. Beza graduated from Columbia College in May 1996 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology.
Eldon Drennan
Eldon Drennan made enormous contributions to Columbia College as a coach with outstanding accomplishments and as a staff member. Drennan became Columbia College’s first dean of men in 1970 when the college began admitting men. He immediately organized and coached teams in baseball, tennis (co-ed), basketball, golf and club soccer. Women’s teams in basketball, softball and volleyball quickly followed. In 1971, Drennan’s baseball team recorded the college’s first athletic victory with a win over Central Methodist College. For seven years he coached the baseball team, compiling more than 100 victories.
Drennan eventually shifted to the positions of director of athletics and director of student activities, overseeing substantial growth in the athletic program. He recruited talented coaches for soccer, women’s softball, women’s basketball, tennis, golf and volleyball. Drennan’s direct leadership in the athletic program ended in the late 1970s with a change in administrative responsibilities to dean of students and vice-president for student life. In the classroom, he taught philosophy, journalism and human relations
Brad Jenks
Brad Jenks had significant academic and athletic success in his four-year Columbia College career. From 1996-99 Jenks led the Cougar soccer team to a 64-26 (.711) record. In his senior campaign, he led the Cougars to a historic first and only 20-win season. Jenks ranks second in career games played with 89. He was a three-time first team all-conference selection and was named the conference player of the year his junior and senior seasons. Jenks also was recognized as a first team all-region player all four years and named the region player of the year his senior season.
Jenks earned national recognition for his accomplishments. He is the only Cougar athlete in the history of Columbia College to place on four All-American teams and be named a two-time NAIA All-America Scholar Athlete. Jenks received honorable mentions for All-American as a freshman and sophomore, and second team his junior and senior seasons. He achieved NAIA All-America Scholar-Athlete twice for maintaining a 3.6 GPA during his junior and senior years. In May 2000, Jenks earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Columbia College.
Gloria McCloskey Rogers
Gloria McCloskey Rogers has the distinction of being a part of national baseball history and a member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame. In 1954, Rogers played for the Rockford Peaches of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League team. The same league featured in the 1992 film “A League of Their Own.”
Rogers later played for the Goetz Country Club, a softball team in St. Joseph, Mo., that was top-ranked nationally. While at Christian College, she participated in the horsemanship program, tennis, field hockey and the synchronized swimming team. She was voted Christian College’s Athletic Queen in 1955. Rogers later attended Northeast Missouri State University, earning a degree in physical education and dramatics.
Zhe Yang
Zhe Yang was a key player in Columbia College’s first volleyball national championship in 1998. During her three seasons as the Cougars’ setter, Yang led the team to a 132-5 (.964) record. She was a three-time first team All-American and was named the NAIA Player of the Year in her junior and senior seasons. Yang also participated in three conference and regional tournament championships and helped secure third- and fifth-place finishes at the NAIA National Tournament during her sophomore and junior seasons respectively.
Yang continued her volleyball career after Columbia College in the United States Professional Volleyball League, competing first with the USPV All-Stars against international teams, and then with the Chicago Thunder during the USPV’s 2002 inaugural season. A May 1999 Columbia College graduate, Yang earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a minor in international business.
