As Nebraska and Peru State are both celebrating their 150th birthdays, the college is also hosting special events throughout the year. The next big event on campus will be the Peru State Athletic Hall of Fame banquet, which will take place on Friday and Saturday, September 22 and 23.
As a lead up to the upcoming Hall of Fame event, the 84 individuals and/or teams will be recognized on a daily basis with one noted on each of the 84 days prior to the event.
The fourth of the 84 to be recognized is Newton P. Kyle. Kyle was one of three individuals inducted on October 25, 1986, into the Hall of Fame. The Peru State graduate was inducted for his ability as a coach. The inscription on Kyle’s plaque, which is exhibited, reads as follows, “Newt Kyle coached some of Peru’s finest basketball squads from 1947 to 1952. He is a member of the NAIA basketball Hall of Fame. He began at Tarkio College in Tarkio, Missouri, in 1927 and his 1940 squad took the NAIA national championship. He served Hastings (Nebraska) College from 1941-45 and an Illinois high school from 1945-47. Kyle guided Peru to the 1948, 1949, and 1950 national tournaments, and his PSC record was 97-36. He returned to Tarkio in 1952 and remained until retiring 19 years later. His career college basketball record was 229-193.”
In 1988, Kyle was inducted into the Tarkio College Athletic Hall of Fame. His induction into the NAIA Hall of Fame occurred in 1961.