Longtime Liberator Cross Country Coach Ron Bandy has been inducted into the Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association (MTCCCA) Hall of Fame. A cornerstone of Missouri high school athletics for nearly three decades, Coach Bandy's illustrious 29-year career has left an uplifting mark on student-athletes and the sports of cross country and track and field.
"This is an incredible honor, and I am deeply grateful to all the athletes I've had the privilege of coaching over the past 29 years," said Bandy. "They have taken on the role of servant leaders and worked to make the generation of runners behind them better for the future. Bolivar has been an amazing community to call home and raise a family. I’ll always be thankful to Todd Schrader for making that phone call 17 years ago, encouraging me to join this incredible town and school district. The support for our program from the Bolivar community over the years has been nothing short of extraordinary. To my assistant coaches, thank you for your unwavering support, for helping guide our athletes, and for loving them as your own. Most of all, thank you to my wife, Jennifer, and our daughters for standing by my side through every high and low. None of this would have been possible without your love and support."
Bandy was a student athlete at Lafayette High School in St. Louis from 1987-1991 before attending Southwest Missouri State as a runner from 1991-1996. After college, Bandy began his coaching career as a track and field coach at Greenwood Laboratory School in Springfield, Missouri. He later spent 11 years at Lebanon High School as the head cross-country coach and assistant coach for track and field, also serving as an assistant wrestling coach for two years. The past 17 years of his career have been dedicated to Bolivar High School, where he has served as head cross-country coach and assistant track and field coach.
Throughout his career, Coach Bandy has cultivated champions and developed cross-country teams that have consistently excelled at the conference, district, and state levels:
Conference Success: 19 team conference titles, five individual conference champions, and 160 All-Conference athletes.
District Dominance: 16 team district championships (10 girls, 6 boys) and 11 runner-up finishes. Five individual district champions have also emerged under his leadership.
State Milestones: 30 state-qualified teams (16 girls and 14 boys), including six All-State teams. His girls' teams claimed two Class 3 state championships (2016 and 2018) and a 4th place podium finish in 2024, and his boys' teams earned podium finishes in 2006-(3rd), 2018-(2nd), and 2019-(3rd).
Individually, Coach Bandy has guided:
38 All-State cross country athletes.
191 individual state qualifiers.
256 Southwest Regional athletes.
Coach Bandy’s influence extends to track and field, where his athletes have achieved:
85 state qualifiers.
43 All-State athletes.
A state championship in the Girls 4x800 relay in 2016, with a time of 9:24.
Coach Bandy’s accomplishments have earned widespread recognition:
21-time Coach of the Year honors from the Southwest Missouri Cross Country Coaches Association.
Missouri Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Girls Class 3 Coach of the Year (2016 and 2018).
Missouri State High School Activities Association Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year (2018-19).
National Federation of High School Coaches Missouri Boys Cross Country Coach of the Year (2018-19).
The Bolivar R-1 School District celebrates Coach Bandy's incredible career and congratulates him on this well-deserved recognition. His induction into the MTCCCA Hall of Fame is a testament to his unparalleled dedication, leadership, and impact on Missouri high school athletics.