COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Uniontown native and former Fort Scott Community College player and coach Gerald Beaman is one of the 2008 inductees into the National Junior College Athletic Association's Football Hall of Fame.

Three other former players, a coach of four different NJCAA programs in Mississippi, a special contributor to the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norseman program and the national champions of the 1966 season are also part of the 2008 NJCAA Football Hall of Fame Class.

Other ndividual honorees in this year's class include former Dixie State College (Utah) running back Archie Amerson, former Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College offensive lineman Richard Hayes and the 1997 NJCAA Player of the Year Frank Murphy of Garden City Community College (Kan).

A.J. Kilpatrick, who was the head coach at four different NJCAA schools in Mississippi, is the lone coach in this year's class, while Robert Maxwell makes it into the Hall of Fame via the special contributor category after serving over 35 years at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.

This year's class also features the 1966 National Champions of Kilgore College (Texas).

Beaman's path to the NJCAA Football Hall of Fame quite unique. After graduating from Uniontown High School in 1942, he joined the Navy and was introduced to football at the Naval Air Station in Atlantic City, N.J.

After World War II, he starred at Fort Scott Community College in football, basketball, and track, earning NJCAA All-American honors in both football and basketball. Beaman then signed a professional baseball contract with the St. Louis Browns in 1947.

After two seasons in the minors with the Pittsburg Browns, Beaman enrolled at Kansas State Teachers College (now Pittsburg State University) and continued his football career.

He began his coaching career in Kansas at the high school level and then returned to FSCC as head football coach in 1953 where he led the Greyhounds to a 14-2-1 mark during his two years. He then moved to California where he coached high school and junior college football, basketball and baseball.

Beaman was inducted to the Fort Scott Community College Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Pittsburg State University Hall of Fame in 2000.