Hagan, Griffin lead new 2025 class
Marty Gordon
NRVsports@mainstreetnewspapers.com
The Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame has announced seven new honorees.
The list includes Matt Hagan, Steve McMurray, Jane Carper, Bull Teel, Lanto Griffin, Mickey McGuigan and Kevin Dresser.
Hagan is a professional NHRA Funny Car driver in the NHRA Mission Foods Drag Racing Series for Tony Stewart Racing. Most notably, he was the 2011, 2014, 2020 and 2023 NHRA Funny Car World Champion. He has had 55 career event titles, which are called Walleys.
In 2017, Hagan was the second Nitro Funny Car driver to break the 3.800 E/T barrier with a 3.799@338.77MPH pass at Lucas Oil Raceway. That same pass made him the current Funny Car elapsed time record and top speed record holder at Lucas Oil Raceway. He attended Auburn High School and got his early racing start at Motor Mile Dragway.
Blacksburg businessman McMurray was an original owner and promoter of Motor Mile Dragway and Speedway. He kept it open during many changes before changing hands upon his retirement.
Carper was an advocate for girls’ sports at Auburn High School in the early years, including but not limited to the start of basketball, softball and track at the school. Carper even coached without a salary during a time when boys dominated athletics.
Teel was another Auburn sport advocate who roamed the sidelines as a longtime member of the football team’s chain gang. He passed away in 2022. For Teel, people remember him as the smiling face from Riner that could remember 100s of people’s birthday, calling out of the blue to sing “happy birthday.”
Bull and his brother Lee, who has also continued to be the school’s supporter in many ways, had the renaming of the Auburn High School gymnasium in their honor. Bull had worked over 230 football games in the span of 44 years as part of the chain gang. He has also kept the clock at basketball games since 1970, checking off 1,380.
Griffin was a four-year starter on the Blacksburg High School golf team, earning all-district, region and state recognition. He attended Virginia Commonwealth University where he was the 2009 Colonial Athletic Association player of the year. He would turn professional in 2010 and continues to this day on the PGA tour.
McGuigan directed the Blacksburg High School girls’ basketball program for 20 years from 1990-2009, winning three state titles 1992-1993, 1993-1994, 2002-2003 and had a coaching record of (325-171),10 years coaching boys’ tennis 1981-1991 (112-35).
He was a three-time District Coach of the Year in the New River District 1992-1993, 1993-1994, 1994-1995, two-time Blue Ridge District Coach of the Year 2000-2001, 2002-2003
River Ridge District Coach of the Year 2003-2004, two-time Region IV Coach of the Year 1992-1993, 1993-1994 and Region III Coach of the Year 2002-2003.
Dresser was a two-time wrestling state champion and attended the
University of Iowa to wrestle where he was an NCAA National Champion at 142 pounds and was a two-time NCAA All-American. After graduation, he was an assistant wrestling coach for several years at Iowa under legendary coach Dan Gable.
Later, he accepted a position as head wrestling coach at the Virginia powerhouse Grundy High School where he won eight state titles in eight years. In 1996, Dresser moved to Christiansburg to take over the wrestling program at CHS. Dresser led the wrestling program from 1996-2006, and during the 10-year span he led the Demons to three VHSL state runners-up before winning five consecutive state championships. This started the streak of 17 straight state championships for the CHS wrestling program. During his tenure at CHS, the wrestling program was nationally ranked at one time being as high as number four in the country.
He left Christiansburg to take over the wrestling program at Virginia Tech where he won two ACC Tournament Championships and three ACC Dual Championships and was named NWCA Coach of the Year. In 2017, Dresser accepted an offer to be the new head wrestling coach at Iowa State, where he continues today and most recently won his 250th match.
