By COLE REIF / Barton Sports Department
Great Bend Post
There are now three new members of the Barton Community College Athletic
Hall of Fame, three names that will be remembered forever. The college inducted
Kevin Ellis, Ken Henderson and Ebi Ere into the 2023 class this past Saturday.
Ken “Doc” Henderson spent 41 years as the athletic trainer at Barton before
retiring this past December. The Great Bend native assisted more than 5,000
student athletes throughout this career.
"The things I was able to see and do at a community college was awesome," said Henderson. "This was a job I never planned on keeping. It was a stepping stone back to Division I, but in the 1980s and 1990s the atmosphere was everything you could ask for. There was no reason to even look to leave."
Kevin Ellis was an All-American soccer player for the Cougars from 2009-2011. Ellis signed to play professional soccer after leaving Barton as he
debuted for Sporting KC in 2011. Getting the call to notify him he was getting
inducted into the Barton Hall of Fame was a surreal moment.
"I kind of think things like this are for guys like Doc (Henderson)," said Ellis. "Guys that have had a super lasting impact on the school. Maybe I was a little naïve to think about some of the things I was able to accomplish here because I was having so much fun doing it. So to look back and put all those things into perspective...it's pretty special. It's an honor."
Ebi Ere was an All-American basketball for the Cougars in early 2000s and holds the record for most points scored in a season at 942 points. Ere went on
to play at the University of Oklahoma and played professionally in the states
and overseas. Ere was unable to make the ceremony on Saturday.