Michael Bishop, Wayne Simien inducted into Kansas Sports Hall of Fame

Joining six others from the state of Kansas, former collegiate standouts Michael Bishop and Wayne Simien were inducted into the Kansas Sports Hall of Fame on Sunday as reported by The Wichita Eagle.

Bishop, a well-traveled professional quarterback who has often been dubbed the best signal caller in Wildcats history, played two years with Kansas State from 1997-98. The dual-threat option racked up 4,401 yards through the air and 1,304 on the ground over just two seasons, and capped off his impressive career with a second-place finish to Ricky Williams in the 1998 Heisman Trophy voting.

As expected, the 36-year-old Bishop was overjoyed to be among the players named in the 2012 class. "It’s an honor," Bishop said on Saturday. "Anytime you can be recognized along with so many other great athletes it’s really special."

In addition to Bishop's name being immortalized, former Kansas Jayhawks forward and high school basketball phenom Wayne Simien was also recognized for his impressive career. Despite being only 29 years old, Simien's high school hoops pedigree alone helped him leap to the front of the pack as one of the best local athletes in memory.

After garnering All-State honors twice at Leavenworth High, Simien went on to start four consecutive seasons for a Jayhawks program that was consistently in the mix for a national title. Though he retired from professional basketball in 2009 after playing overseas in Spain, Simien did manage to team up with Dwyane Wade and the Miami Heat in 2004-05 to win the NBA Championship.

Rounding out the 2012 class were Kurt Budke (basketball), David Jaynes (football), Harold Manning (track and field), Willie Murrell (basketball), David Snyder (tennis), Bud Stallworth (basketball) and Brenda Stolle (softball). Stallworth, a Jayhawks grad who was selected No. 7 overall in the NBA Draft, famously set the Big Eight scoring record at the time with 50 points in a win over Missouri back in 1972.